Designed with school groups in mind, the North Carolina Zoo App enhances the educational experience of your students during your field trip to the North Carolina Zoo. The free app provides four self-guided learning experiences, which are available in both English and Spanish.
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As schools settle into summer break and the pace of life slows down, there's no better time for North Carolina's educators to unwind, explore, and reconnect with the people and places that bring joy and inspiration. That's why the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Education and Outreach Team has put together a Summer Bucket List—filled with some of our favorite DNCR sites across the state! Whether you're trekking through mountain trails or dipping your paddle into coastal waters, these educator-tested favorites offer the perfect mix of fun, reflection, and discovery.
Nicole Ahn, 2025 DNCR Teacher Ambassadors and Arts Integration Specialist at Magellan Charter School, Raleigh
Imagine a school gym transformed into a wildlife gallery—68 vibrant paper mâché animal heads crafted by fourth graders, each one the result of hands-on research and a trip to the North Carolina Zoo, one of the 100+ sites operated by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR.)
As a music teacher and practitioner of the Orff approach, I have often integrated literacy into my classes, using books as a starting point for musical creation. This practice allows my students not only to develop their creativity but also to strengthen their language skills while exploring sounds, rhythms, and movements inspired by literature.
If you've ever seen lines of school buses unloading in downtown Raleigh or watched hundreds of excited students winding their way through the city's most prominent sites, chances are you've seen the work of the Capital Area Visitor Services (CAVS) in action!
I was incredibly thankful for the opportunity to learn outside the classroom by attending a private panel discussion and screening of the new documentary, The American Revolution, with its creator Ken Burns.
After months of research, creativity, and passion for the past, 67 middle and high school students from across North Carolina are packing their bags for College Park, Maryland. From June 8–12, they’ll represent our state at the 2025 National History Day® Contest, joining nearly 3,000 students from around the world on the University of Maryland campus for a week of historical storytelling, scholarship, and celebration.
Attending the Biscuits & Banjos Festival was a transformative experience and a powerful reminder of the innate human connection provided by food and music. As a science teacher in Durham Public Schools, where my students come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, I’m always seeking ways to make science relevant, relatable, and inclusive. This festival not only gave me ideas of ways to incorporate culture into my classroom, but provided me with a renewed sense of connection with my fellow educators and with the deeper purpose of what we do in the classroom.
Let’s be honest—chaperoning a field trip with three energetic 9-year-old boys isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of a relaxing day. But there I was, bright-eyed (okay, maybe bleary-eyed) and ready for roll call at 5:45 a.m., boarding a charter bus bound for the Outer Banks. While I may have questioned my sanity at the time, what unfolded that day became one of the most memorable experiences of my career as an educator—and one of the most heartwarming moments of motherhood as I got to witness pure joy in my own children’s eyes.