ELC Field Trips - OLWS, 2024-2025

The Environmental Learning Center offers three field trips that provide interactive, hands-on learning at the ELC’s wetland and forest ecosystems. Field trips are two hours long. All materials and equipment will be provided. Trails and grounds are ADA accessible.

• Grades: K-1~ LET’S GET DUCKY: Discovering Wetland Wildlife
• Grades: 2-3 ~ WELCOME HOME: Exploring Wetland and Forest Habitats
• Grades: 4-5 ~ HEALTHY WATERSHEDS: How Do We Get There?

Oak Lodge Water Services Sponsorship

These programs are available to all, but thanks to support from Oak Lodge Water Services, we are able to offer a limited number of free Watershed Health Field Trips to the following schools: Oak Grove Elementary; Riverside Elementary; View Acres Elementary; and Candy Lane Elementary.

Grades: K-1

Wetlands make up only about 5% of the earth’s surface, yet they are crucial habitat for a wide array of plants and animals. During their visit, students will learn about several species of wildlife that live in and around our wetland.

Field trip activities include:

• Solving wildlife mysteries
• Playing wildlife games
• Observing the wetland

NGSS Alignment: K.LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes (K.LS1.1); K.ESS2 Earth’s Systems (K.ESS2.2); K.ESS3 Earth and Human Activity (K.ESS3.1); K.PS3 Energy (K.PS3.1); and 1.LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes (1.LS1.1).

Grades: 2-3

Wetlands and forests are important habitats to a diversity of plants and animals. This field excursion will give your students a better understanding of how these habitats provide clean water, food, shelter, and space.

Field trip activities include:

• Discovering macroinvertebrates in the wetland
• Exploring the wetland and forest for suitable wildlife habitat
• Building wildlife shelters
• Observing the wetland

NGSS Alignment: 2.LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics (2.LS2.1); 2.LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity (2.LS4.1); 2.ETS1 Engineering Design (2.ETS1.2); 3.ESS3 Earth and Human Activity (3.ESS3.1); 3.LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes (3.LS1.1); 3.LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics (3.LS2.1); and 3.LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity (3.LS4.2, 3.LS4.3, 3-LS4.4).

Grades: 4-5

We all live in a watershed, but what does that really mean? In this field trip, a variety of activities will engage students in learning about the inter-connections that exist within a watershed, including how our actions can impact the water quality, the people, and the wildlife within it.

Field trip activities include:

• Measuring the quality of water in our wetland, including sampling for macroinvertebrates
• Experimenting with the role that soil plays in filtering pollutants from the water
• Observing the wetland

NGSS Alignment: 4.ESS2 Earth’s Systems (4.ESS2.2); 4.ESS3 Earth and Human Activity (4.ESS3.2); 4.LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes (4.LS1.1, 4.LS1.2); 5.ESS3 Earth and Human Activity (5.ESS3.1); and 5.LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics (5.LS2.1).

Building mallard nests in the Let's Get Ducky field trip.

In the Welcome Home and Healthy Watershed field trips, students dip for macroinvertebrates in Newell Creek at the ELC.

Students build mini wildlife shelters in the Welcome Home field trip.

In the Healthy Watershed field trip, fourth and fifth grade students experiment with different soils to determine which soils best filter out pollutants.

Thank you Oak Lodge Water Services for supporting school field trips at the ELC!

Thanks to support from Oak Lodge Water Services, we are able to offer a limited number of free Watershed Health Field Trips to the following schools: Oak Grove Elementary; Riverside Elementary; View Acres Elementary; and Candy Lane Elementary.

If your school is not on the Supported Schools list, or if all of the free field trips have been taken, please visit ELC Field Trips to sign up for a paid field trip, or request a scholarship.

ELC field trip pricing is as follows:

• $200 for up to 15 students
• $325 for 16-30 students

School staff and chaperones are free.

The ELC has a limited number of scholarships for Title 1 schools that do not qualify for free field trips (not on the Supported Schools list) and that need financial assistance to participate. If you would like to request a scholarship, please email Sarah Bidwell, ELC Kids' Education Coordinator, [email protected].

• Fall 2024: September 23 - November 22, 2024
• Spring 2025: March 17 - June 12, 2025

Field trips are two hours long and typically run 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

• We can host up to 60 students for the same field trip (i.e. two first grade classes participating in the Let's Get Ducky field trip).
• If you would like to schedule multiple classes for a field trip, please indicate on the registration form how many classes, in addition to yours, you would like to schedule. Please select the number of tickets equal to the number of classes (3 classes = 3 tickets). We will email you to confirm dates.

• We offer a break during the field trip when students can use the restrooms and have a snack. Please have the chaperones carry the snack for their group.
• You may stay for lunch. During the field trip, we can store the lunches inside one of our classrooms. After the field trip, students can eat their lunches in the outdoor amphitheater, nearby grassy area, or on the deck of the classroom.

We ask that you provide chaperones to help with class management at a ratio of at least 1 chaperone per 8 children. For younger students, a ratio closer to 1:5 is best. Chaperones are expected to participate, assist with student behavior, and help keep them safe.

Field trips are held entirely outside and happen rain or shine. Please have students dressed for exploring outside, such as long pants and closed toe shoes. However, if the weather is extreme, we will contact you to reschedule.

For more information, contact Sarah Bidwell, ELC Kids' Education Coordinator, [email protected].

A student quietly observes a mouse during the Wetland Watch journalling field station.

Livestream programs run on Tuesday mornings, January 7 - March 11, 2025 and compliment on-site school field trips to the ELC. Teachers can use the Livestream to:

• Introduce your students to the ELC and prepare them for a field trip
• Reinforce key concepts covered during a field trip
• Engage your students in learning more about local wildlife and wetland ecology

For more information, see the links below.

• Wild About Water Livestream - grades K-3
• Wild in the Wetland Livestream - grades 4-5

If you register for a field trip, you will be asked on the order form whether or not you would like to be included in the Livestream program. If yes, then we will send you the zoom links, student activity sheets, and recordings for each of the 10 episodes.

The wetland and forest at the Environmental Learning Center.

"Amazing! SO organized, age appropriate and engaging! You ALL did a wonderful job – my class had so much fun. All of the stations were fun and kids were able to connect what they learned in the classroom to the real world. Thank you!"

"What a beautiful learning space. The activities were engaging, fun, and simple, but there was so much depth to them. Jill and Dakota were friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. I wish we could come back every day. I look forward to coming back again."

"This is our favorite field trip of the year and fits perfectly with our Environments Science unit. We love the instructors too!"

"This field trip was so amazing. Great educational experience and appropriate for our grade level. Instructors were knowledgeable and kind. Thank you for an amazing visit!"

" Thanks so much for an awesome field trip. This is such a great experience for our kids that don't have opportunities to get outside. There was lots of info and hands-on activities which was great."

School Field Trip Cancellation and Refund Policy

Refund amounts vary based on when you notify us of your cancellation.

• 2 weeks prior to the scheduled field trip: 90% refund
• Up to the day before the field trip: 50% refund
• Day of field trip: no refunds available

Host or Publisher Environmental Learning Center