Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, Texas offers Natural Science Programs for children ages 3-13. Below, you will be able to find class offerings for three different age groups. Please use your child’s age as of September 1 of the beginning of the academic year for both academic semesters. Click the links below to access more detailed information about each program and registration. Pre-registration is required.
Now is the time to encourage your child’s love of nature! In our natural science programs, kids will have the opportunity explore all that the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary has to offer. Students will experience learning through classroom activities, outdoor field investigations on our 289-acre wildlife sanctuary, laboratory science, small group activities and take-home study packets. Each course curriculum is developed by the Heard Museum’s education staff who strive to recognize and meet the needs of homeschool families. Spots are limited and pre-registration is required.
Fall 2025: Which ‘Ology is Which?
“Ology” refers to the study of a topic, and in this class young scientists are introduced to the study of a variety of scientific fields. Ornithology (birds), herpetology (reptiles & amphibians), entomology (insects) and mammology (mammals) are just a few of the “ologies” that are explored in class.
Spring 2026: Which ‘Ology is Which? Earth & Planetary Science
Young scientists will explore some of the “ologies” that deal with earth and space including geology, climatology, vulcanology and cosmology. The hands-on activities, games and experiments will involve your child directly in the learning process.
Fall 2025: Discover Your World: Animals
Animals come in a vast array of shapes and sizes. Students will explore animal diversity through their classifications, habitats, survival requirements, and interrelationships.
Spring 2026: Discover Your World: Habitats of Texas
From the desert to the ocean, ponds to wetlands, and mountains to prairies, this semester we will study the many different environments in Texas and the plants and animals that make their homes there.
Fall 2025: Explorers: Forest Ecology
Students will study forests around the world, the relationship between trees and plants and the animals that depend on them, as well as explore the importance of forests to us and the global environment. This class utilizes different woodland habitats found on the sanctuary.
Spring 2026: Explorers: Wildlife and Water
How plants and animals need and use water in the different habitats on the sanctuary and in the world is the focus of this experiential study. Students will also compare the ways wildlife adapts to living in freshwater and saltwater environments.
Fall 2025: Earth Trek: Living on the Planet
From ants to zebras, every animal on the Earth has a purpose. Students will discover the importance of a myriad of animal species on our planet and learn the connections they have to us and each other. We will explore different ecological dilemmas from endangered species to the effects of climate change on ecosystems, animal behavior, and health. With the application of the scientific method, this will be an in-depth, thought-provoking, and problem-solving experience.
Spring 2026: Earth Trek: Living on the Planet II
In Part 2, we will continue to explore different ecological dilemmas from endangered species to the effects of climate change on ecosystems, animal behavior, and health. With the application of the scientific method, this will be an in-depth, thought-provoking, and problem-solving experience.
Member Rate: $216
Non-Member Rate: $240
Homeschool Covid Protocol Statement as of June 2022
At this time, assuming the rate of infection stays low, we are not anticipating requiring masks to be worn except when live animals are present (generally for about 10-15 minutes) or when the class is going through the Animal Encounter Trail.
However, if conditions change and any local, state, or federal mandates are implemented that would affect what we offer, we reserve the right to make any needed changes to our program offerings and/or class sizes.
What, if any, protocols we put in place will be sent to all registered families and posted on our website by the end of August.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this.
Fall 2023
Spring 2024
Fall 2025 Dates
Pre-registration is required for all participants.
Registration Dates:
Registration closes September 3rd, 2025
1. Complete a Registration Form
Please note registration is not complete until a registration form and payment have been completed and submitted for each participating child. An optional monthly payment plan is also available at this link. Please note fees apply.
Fall 2024
Spring 2025
The Heard’s weekly Homeschool Natural Science Program is appropriate for children ages 5-11. We use the age of each student on September 1 for class placement for the entire academic year.
Fall 2023
The fall semester of this lab-based course will focus on a habitat plot study, combined with hiking and keeping a nature journal. Students will use thermometers, microscopes, and other lab equipment to make observations and gather data about the soil, the plants, and the animal life in their plot throughout the semester.
This lab-based course will focus on using the scientific method to ask questions, form
hypotheses, collect data in the field, and present our findings in charts and graphs. Using the
variety of outdoor environments at the Heard, we will explore topics such as wildlife surveys, oil
spill cleanup, and animal behavior studies.
Students will be expected to:
Member Rate: $162
Non-Member Rate: $180
Fall 2024
Spring 2025
The course will meet 8 times per semester (about twice a month)
1:30 – 3:30pm
Fall 2025 Meeting Dates
September 16th and 30th
October 14th and 28th
November 11th and 18th
December 2nd and 16th
Spring 2026 Dates
Coming soon!
Pre-registration is required for all participants.
Registration Dates:
Please note that the reciprocal admission agreement that the Heard has with Perot Museum, Fort Worth Museum of Nature & Science and ASTC Passport Program participants does not apply to education programs or special events.
GeoGlobe Homeschool classes will introduce your students to natural science in ways that are both familiar and not-so-familiar. Just like our Tuesday programs, GeoGlobe Homeschool will take advantage of the learning opportunities provided by the Heard’s wildlife sanctuary. However, the Heard’s 4-ft interactive digital globe will put a different twist on the inside lesson portion of our class period!
Spots are limited and pre-registration is required. These classes are for children ages 6-11.
Our Earth
This fascinating planet is full of marvelous processes, cycles, living things and non-living things that all impact each other. This fall, we’ll use the Heard’s interactive globe to explore the environmental science of the earth and take a deeper look into the nature which surrounds us.
Our Earth is Always Changing
Our amazing planet is full of spectacular processes and cycles that continually shape and re-shape the layer of the Earth on which we live. As a result of these impacts, the Earth is always changing! The Heard’s interactive globe will help us explore the many geological processes which keep things moving around on the Earth’s surface.
Member Rate: $216
Non-Member Rate: $240
Fall 2023
Spring 2024
Homeschool Covid Protocol Statement as of June 2022
At this time, assuming the rate of infection stays low, we are not anticipating requiring masks to be worn except when live animals are present (generally for about 10-15 minutes) or when the class is going through the Animal Encounter Trail.
However, if conditions change and any local, state, or federal mandates are implemented that would affect what we offer, we reserve the right to make any needed changes to our program offerings and/or class sizes.
What, if any, protocols we put in place will be sent to all registered families and posted on our website by the end of August.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this.
Wednesday, 1-3 p.m.
Sept. 21 – Dec. 14
Jan. 18 – April 11
Pre-registration is required for all participants.
We use the age of each student on September 1 for class placement for the entire academic year.
Planets
December 1, 8 & 15
Planets often look to us like exceptionally bright stars. Which ones can we see during late fall and early winter? For the holiday season, we’ll journey through our solar system to visit (1) the sun, (2) the inner planets, and (3) the outer planets. As we focus on the planets, we’ll learn to find the ones which are visible without a telescope.
Member Rate: $55 per course
Non-Member Rate: $60 per course
Full refund minus $20 admin fee by September 1
Homeschool Covid Protocol Statement as of June 2022
At this time, assuming the rate of infection stays low, we are not anticipating requiring masks to be worn except when live animals are present (generally for about 10-15 minutes) or when the class is going through the Animal Encounter Trail.
However, if conditions change and any local, state, or federal mandates are implemented that would affect what we offer, we reserve the right to make any needed changes to our program offerings and/or class sizes.
What, if any, protocols we put in place will be sent to all registered families and posted on our website by the end of August.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this.
Thursdays, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
December Course: December 1, 8 & 15
Pre-registration is required for all participants.
We use the age of each student on September 1 for class placement for the entire academic year.
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