UPDATE: The 2018 application period has ended.  Program accepting new applications in January 2019.

Travel Assistance for Field Trips

The "Bus on Us" program, sponsored by the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area, assists schools in paying for field trips to the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Teachers can apply online for grants covering 75% of their field trip transportation costs.

Eligibility

Any accredited PreK-12 public, private, or charter school located in the 41-county Freedom's Frontier service area. Only one grant per classroom will be awarded within each grant cycle (school year).

Programs

The Flint Hills Discovery Center offers four grant-eligible programs for students in grades K-12. See below for descriptions or click here to download a PDF. 

Flint Hills Exploration FFNHA Theme: Shaping the Frontier Grade: K-2nd Grade Aligns with Kansas History, Government, and Social Studies Standards Explore the life of a child in the historical Flint Hills or investigate the various rocks, plants, and wildlife of this unique landscape with this guided experience from the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Choose the areas of the Flint Hills that you want to explore - history, geology, ecology, or a combination. Each program has the potential to be unique based on the collection of activities selected by the group.

Cowboys and Cattle Cars FFNHA Theme: Shaping the Frontier Grade: 3rd-5th Grade Aligns with Kansas History, Government, and Social Studies Standards What would you do if you had to drive your hungry herd of cattle to market but were faced with different destinations? In this interactive classroom game, students will explore a variety of factors that led to the ranching economy of the Flint Hills, which also plays a major part in the preservation of this unique region today.

The Natural Economy FFNHA theme: Shaping the Frontier Grade: 6th-8th Grade Aligns with Kansas History, Government, and Social Studies Standards Come on into Kansas! Learn how nineteenth century settlers worked with the Flint Hills landscape and used the unique un-tillable uplands of tallgrass prairie for raising cattle. In this historical economy game, students establish their team enterprise in ranching and farming and explore opportunities the Flint Hills offered, all while deciding which lifestyle strategies to employ. Natural resources drove people to the Flint Hills, however, the use of those resources can have consequences.

Exhibit Exploration FFNHA Theme: Shaping the Frontier Grade: 3rd-12th Grade Aligns with Kansas History, Government, and Social Studies Standards Through interactive scavenger hunts and guided activity sheets, students of all ages discover the culture of the Flint Hills that settlers established moving west during the 19th century. Students uncover the historical forces of war, cattle ranching, settlement, and rail expansion that created the modern Flint Hills. Exhibits also illustrate the consequences of settlement for other cultures and lifestyles including Indian peoples such as the Kaw Nation.

Apply Online

Learn more about these grants and apply online by visiting the Freedoms Frontier website.