Schedule an Instructor-Led Field Trip

Announcement! 

Instructor-led field trips are all booked for the 2019-20 school year. Self-guided field trip registration for all groups is available and open all year. 

Instructor-Led Field Trip Program Description

We provide free field trips to support place-based discovery of our waterwise landscapes and exploration of the relationship between people and the environment. Trips are 2 to 3 hours and include a Science or Engineering Lab and a collection of field observation activities. Groups must have at least 30 students to be eligible for an instructor-led field trip (and at least 45 students to be eligible for bus reimbursement if in our service area), but self-guided field trips are available to groups of any size.

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Once Field Trip is Confirmed...

  • Respond with more details about your group to help us ensure accessible to all and supports your learning goals
  • Make lunch plans: You are welcome to eat in our park after your trip. Shaded picnic tables and a grassy area for playing are available. Feel free to bring balls and games.
  • Arrange transportation: Teachers reserve their own bus and apply for reimbursement from the Center after the trip. 
  • Sign up chaperones: Chaperones and teacher assistance is critical to a successful trip. Up to six chaperones may attend and at least two chaperones per class are REQUIRED. 
  • Watch the weather. Trips can be rescheduled if the forecast 24 hours prior to your trip predicts a 40% or higher chance of rain. However, we love to teach in the rain and encourage you to keep your field trip on a rainy day to see the water cycle in action.

Prepare for your Trip

  • Visit the Prepare for your Trip page to review the Field Trip Expectations and tips to make your trip a success!

After the trip

Program Offerings

Program Description Grade Length Classroom-Adapted Lesson
Water Cycle Discover how water cycles around the planet by exploring cause and effect with scientific models. Learn a dance and make a bracelet to model the cycle and identify the water resources that are used for our everyday life.  TK-1 2.25 hours  
Plants and Pollinators Explore parts of plants and seasonal happenings in the garden including the relationship between plants and pollinators, plant reproduction, and the needs of living things. Collect and interpret data in the garden to explore pollinator behavior. K-3 2.25 hours  
Watershed Stewards Build a watershed model and investigate where water is found and how it moves through landscapes. Critically analyze human impacts on water quality and availability. Brainstorm potential solutions to community water issues.  2-8 2.75 hours Watershed Stewards
Plant Adaptations Discover how various plants have adapted to be waterwise by obtaining information and communicating about plants in our garden to co-create a scavenger hunt. Explore structure and function of plants with waterwise adaptations.  3-6 2.75 hours Schoolyard Adaptations
Dig in! Soil Exploration Carry out an investigation of soils to draw connections between soil properties and water conservation. Develop hypotheses and test how quickly water moves through three different soil types.  3-12 2.75 hours  
Natural Resources & People Investigate how different people groups have used natural resources and how we can manage human impact for a sustainable future. Identify medicinal, nutritional, and other benefits of native plants. Students will be able to process plants firsthand. 3-12 2.75 hours  
Groundwater 
Guardians		 Implement the engineering and design process to create and test filters to purify water. Identify sources of water pollution in our community and brainstorm potential solutions to water issues.  3-12 2.75 hours  
Capture that Rain! Engineer and test models in a team competition to capture and store rainwater on a model schoolyard. Discover the relationship between urban development and water availability through a mapping exploration of our community. 4-12 2.75 hours