OUTREACH & IN SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS

Available for teachers, summer programs, camps, and other groups were we're covering content. This is our most hands-on, interactive, high-impact format. Programs are inquiry-lead, and content/subject matter is curated for your age group or by request. 

We come to your space with our critters, get hands-on, and each participant gets a personal interaction with approximately 6-8 species per hour.

• Programs are 1 hour long
• Capacity is 30 participants per field trip. This includes adults besides ourselves.
• Children under the age of 3 cannot participate. They cannot be in the room. 
• Please ensure the room has a close-able door.
• No hand sanitizer before or during the event.
• Have all participants wash their hands (soap and rinse well with water) directly prior to the program, and after.
• Participants can not be eating during the program.
• Our “guests” require a fragrance free environment.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU:

Seating: If kids are young (Grade 1 or younger), sitting right on the floor in a circle works great! For older kids like Grade 2+, they can stay in their desks: just ensure desksare clean and free of food and other items. Place desks in rows, so that our handler can move along the rows and use the desks as a safety surface.

Volunteers: we don’t need them! We are very good with what we do, and all animals must be handled directly by our handler. Adult participants are welcome to join! We will focus on the experience of the students or kids, but a few extra “big kids” are welcome to come and learn along side the littles.

If your public event is very large (200+ people), we may require you to book additional presenters for safety. 

Special Requests: if you have any special considerations or requests, certain animals you’d like to have visit, or anything else: please email us back, we always do our best to accommodate! 

This format is only available for large, public events where crowd control is necessary. We will do a visual display at a table, and can interface with the public as they visit us. Animal encounters will occur, but not on a structured or comprehensive scale as they do in a structured field trip.  Interactions are not necessarily one-on-one, no specific handling is guaranteed. 

Cost: $189/hour

Minimum booking of 2 hours

Maximum booking of 5 hours

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU:

•  We require a table with a minimum length of 8 feet. 
• If outdoors, we require a shade canopy, tent, or protective structure.
• Our table should be backed up against a barrier or a wall to limit egress on at least 1 side, as a form of crowd control. Mobile barriers or fencing also work.
• If outdoors, events are subject to weather and local conditions. We require you to have a plan B, should weather become hostile. Generally, we can only conduct displays outdoors when temperatures are between 18 and 25, with minimal wind and rain and safe levels of smoke.
• A hand washing station or nearby rest room must be available
• Our animals have a maximum performance timeline of 4-5 hours
• Our animals cannot tolerate fireworks or similar loud, disruptive displays
• It should be held during daylight hours if outside
• Volunteers and helpers: we generally don’t need them, and we cannot allow them to do much beyond crowd control as they are not permitted to handle animals. 
• If your public event is very large (200+ people), we may require you to book additional presenters for safety. 

We don't bring anything dangerous. The most dangerous creatures in the room are always the people! 

At the beginning of the program, we will go over conduct, interactions, and handling tips, and communication. 

Everyone will have a chance to experience the creatures one-on-one, but no one will be forced to do anything they don’t want to do. 

Handling is also at the consent of the animals: we monitor them closely for fatigue and body language, and adapt accordingly to their behaviors, which may include removing the animal from an interactive role.

Full payment is due a minimum of 1 business day prior to the date of the presentation. Weekends, evenings, and stat holidays do not constitute appropriate payment timelines.  Failure to pay does not constitute a cancellation. Your presenter has been booked and may no longer be able to find other work. Our team often has to book these days off from other jobs to confirm availability your event, and if we cannot find another client to take on your booking, a rescheduling fee will apply to cover the cost of your presenter’s labor. Rescheduling fees are minimum 50% of the cost of your booking and will be applied in event of late payment or failure to pay.

Your presenter cannot accept payment. 

You will be provided with a payment link alongside your invoice: we prefer if you pay through there. 

We can also accept cheques in the mail or e-transfers.

If you need to pay in installments, you can. Just proceed through into the pay portal using the button in this email, and click "edit" on the amount. 

Successful completion of your booking relies on the accuracy of your invoice, which is used for dispatching your presenter. Please ensure you have reviewed your invoice details including but not limited to date, address, type of field trip, number of presentations, and start times.

Payment is due on or before the day of your event unless otherwise agreed to in writing and approved by one of our directors. Your presenter cannot accept payment.

We carry full commercial and general liability insurance for working with ages 3+.

Safety: We do not bring anything dangerous. None of our animals are medically significant. Attendees with shellfish allergies must refrain from consuming the invertebrates. 

Consent: Handling and interactions are with the consent of the individual participant as well as the animal guest. We do not force anyone to participate beyond what they confirm with us. We monitor our animals body language closely for fatigue and stress, and adapt accordingly to their behaviors. This may involve removing the animal mid-program if necessary for well being.

Our outreach staff carry up to date criminal record checks with vulnerable sector search. This includes ages 3 and up.

We carry full commercial and general liability insurance for working with ages 3+.

We are a registered vendor and partner with EPSB, CBE, and an acknowledged partner with ECSD.

None of our animals are medically significant or pose a threat to the well-being and safety of adults or humans. None of our animals* are suitable for human consumption, though no ingredients are toxic to humans. 

*those with shellfish allergies may be at a higher risk of being, or developing, allergies to terrestrial invertebrates such as butterflies and insects. If someone has a shellfish allergy, they should refrain from consuming or ingesting any invertebrates or invertebrate products or waste. Depending on the severity of the allergy, please ensure safety measures are in place that are compliant with those normally used for shellfish interactions with the allergic individual.

We are a community resource, not a replacement for your team. Our insurance and liability is not a replacement or substitution for your own. We cannot be held liable for incidents that occur when there is a lack of qualified supervision at your facility, venue or event. Please ensure you have proper protocols in place as well as sufficient staff who are certified to meet the requirements of your licensing and code. 

The deadline for cancelling or rescheduling your booking is 10 business days prior to your shipping or event date.*

Evenings, weekends, and stat or civic holidays are not acceptable for notification timelines.

To cancel an order: please send us an email with the subject line “ATTN: CANCEL (your invoice)”

Failure to provide sufficient notice on any order, or failure to pay, may result in application of rescheduling fees, or forefeit of payment.

For Outreach, your presenter has been booked and may no longer be able to find other work. Our team often has to book these days off from other jobs to confirm availability your event, and if we cannot find another client to take on your booking, a rescheduling fee will apply to cover the cost of your presenter’s labor. Rescheduling fees are minimum 50% of the cost of your booking. 

If it is less than 24 hours in advance of your field trip or presentation, you will forefeit the full cost of your invoice. 

*for cancellations due to emergencies such as mandated regional evacuations, pandemics, or natural disasters, please reach out to us at bugs@butterflyab.com