1st Grade Life Science Field Trips
Field Trips for 1st Grade Life Science
Structure, Function, Information Processing
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| Provider Name | Resource Link | Provider Location | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ardenwood Historic Farm | Farm Animals/Farm Chores | Fremont | Focus on farms and farm animals with hands-on activities including processing feed, animal feeding, tending crops and gardens. Program is 45 minutes long. |
| Bay Area Discovery Museum | Workshop:: Explore the Shore | Sausalito | Student biologists investigate the animals and plants in the intertidal zone of nearby Horseshoe Cove (in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a short walk from Bay Area Discovery Museum's main campus). |
| Bay Area Discovery Museum | Workshop:: Science Theater | Sausalito | Dive ‘underwater’ to meet Lottie the Otter and her river friends! This one-of-a-kind workshop explores ecosystems and builds creative problem-solving through a playful and interactive shadow puppet performance. This program was created in collaboration with The Train Theater. |
| Big Break Regional Shoreline | Delta Variety | Oakley | We’ll set up a variety of stations with a variety of opportunities to explore the unending variety of the Delta. Plants, animals, crafts, games, and other activities all guaranteed to make Delta experts out of your large groups. |
| Big Break Regional Shoreline | Creatures of the Wetland | Oakley | Discover why many different animals live at Big Break. From mammals and birds to fish and insects, students will learn how various creatures can survive and thrive in a wetland habitat. |
| Blake Garden | Tours of the Garden | Kensington | The 10.5 acre public garden, with its stunning hill views of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, is located four miles north of the Berkeley campus in the town of Kensington. Blake Garden encourages the development of the understanding and appreciation of nature in the garden environment. Our mission is to expand and sustain a well designed outdoor environment that supports teaching and research in landscape architecture and environmental planning. Tours are available for groups of 10 and more Please contact: Kendra Hauser Email: khauser@berkeley.edu Phone: 510.524.2449 |
| California Academy of Sciences | Self Guided Field Trips | San Francisco | The majority of the Academy's exhibits and programs will be available from September-May, including the Rainforest, Aquarium, African Hall, Earthquake, and Human Odyssey. However, you may want to plan your visit around temporary exhibits or the Planetarium show schedule. |
| Crab Cove Visitor Center and Aquarium | Nature Walks in the Regional Parks | Alameda | Use the parklands as your classroom! Programs are available at the following East Bay Regional Parks: Redwood, Roberts, Lake Chabot, Anthony Chabot, Huckleberry Botanic Preserve, Sibley Volcanic Preserve, Temescal, Arrowhead Marsh at MLK Jr. Shoreline, and Oyster Bay. Lake Chabot boat tours aboard the “Chabot Queen” may be available; separate fee applies for boat rental. |
| Crab Cove Visitor Center and Aquarium | Birds of the Bay | Alameda | Students discover how the different birds of the bay use their body parts to meet their basic needs. Students also problem-solve by mimicking some of the birds’ body parts. |
| CuriOdyssey | Wildlife Program: What's on the Menu? | San Mateo | Did you know that animals eat different things? Animals are able to eat certain foods based on where they live and what they look like (their body). Students will learn about tooth structure, habitats and adaptations of herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, decomposers and experience a live animal feeding. |
| CuriOdyssey | Animal Eggsploration - Field Trip | San Mateo | This interactive class introduces students to egg-laying animals like insects, amphibians, birds, and reptiles. Students will observe and compare live animals and different types of eggs. Animal Ambassadors vary and may include: Cockroach, millipede, snake, toad, and newt. FOSS Links: Animals Two by Two, Plants and Animals, Insects and Plants. 50 minutes Also available as an in-class presentation. |
| CuriOdyssey | Self-Guided Tours | San Mateo | Self-guided Tour of the museum. |
| CuriOdyssey | Wildlife Program: Animal Super Powers | San Mateo | What if you could breathe under water, run faster, blend into your surroundings or fly? How could these skills help you? There are many animals that have their very own “super power”…..they have adaptations. Students will learn what adaptations are and how animals can use them to survive. |
| CuriOdyssey | Wildlife Program: Thrive and Survive | San Mateo | Did you know that people and animals need the same resources in order to live? What if one or more of those resources were gone? How could this affect animals? People? Students will learn how changes to the environment can affect animals. They will also discover how animals react to pesticides and what can happen if non-native animals take over resources. In this program, we will explore how people can help conserve resources such as food, water and space to help animals survive. What small changes can we make in our daily lives to help conserve and protect the natural resources we all share? |
| CuriOdyssey | Fur, Feathers, Scales, or Exoskeletons - Field Trip | San Mateo | Explore the basic coverings of mammals, birds, reptiles, and arthropods. Students can touch and talk about similarities, differences, and functions of each type of covering, plus see some wonderful live examples of animals that are covered in fur, feathers, scales, or exoskeletons. Animal Ambassadors vary and may include: Rabbit, rat, bird, snake, blue-tongued skink, tarantula, cockroach, and millipede. FOSS Links: Animals Two by Two, Plants and Animals, Insects and Plants. Also available as an in-class program. |
| CuriOdyssey | Wildlife Program: Animal Connections | San Mateo | Meet animal ambassadors from CuriOdyssey and make special connections through a variety of learning methods. This program is designed to fit and support a variety of cognitive and developmental needs. Please contact the Programs Animal Keeper for more information on how we can construct this program to fit the needs of your group. |
| CuriOdyssey | Wildlife Program: Here, There, Habitats are Everywhere | San Mateo | Could you live in the desert, tundra or both? Did you know that most animals can live in one or two types of habitats? In this program, we will learn how animals are equipped for different environments such as the heat of the desert, shadows of the forest, underground and in your backyard. Students will make a connection between the type of habitat and the adaptations needed to live there. |
| CuriOdyssey | Wildlife Program: Catch Me if You Can | San Mateo | Have you ever played tag? How did you stay away from the person who was “it”? Did you hide or run very fast? In nature, animals have to be on the look out for predators – survival is the goal! Learn how animals keep themselves alive and how they defend themselves. |
| CuriOdyssey | Wildlife Program: Sensing Animals | San Mateo | Have you ever touched a lizard, smelled a ferret or looked at the bright colors of a snake? This program teaches young students how to use their senses to learn about and understand the animal world. They will make observations using their eyes, ears, nose, and hands to learn about basic animal characteristics and what makes each Animal Ambassador unique. |
| Environmental Discovery Center of Sonoma County | Habitat & Home | Santa Rosa | Students will learn about ecosystem diversity, endangered species and the importance of wetland management through interactive displays and activities. Emphasis of activities reinforce grade-specific science standards that include habitats, animal life cycles, and adaptations for survival. Held at Spring Lake Regional Park in Santa Rosa. |
| Environmental Discovery Center of Sonoma County | Tolay Fall Festival | Santa Rosa | Hay rides with a ranger, Native American Village, Farm animals, Nature hikes, Old-fashioned games, Night creatures barn, Giant pumpkin patch. Held at Tolay Lake Regional Park in Petaluma. |
| Exploratorium | Gallery 4: Living Systems | San Francisco | Investigate the living world. Sometimes life is hard to observe, because it’s too tiny or fast or is hidden underground or in the ocean. Discover what you’ve been missing: use scientific tools to investigate living things of different sizes, the ecosystems they inhabit, and the processes they share. |
| Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden | Tours by Arrangement | Berkeley | School classes and other groups may schedule free private tours of the garden by special arrangement. Tours can be tailored to suit the group's specific needs or interests. Group tours must be arranged at least three weeks in advance and are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information or to schedule a tour, call (510) 544-3169. |
| Gardens of Golden Gate Park | Self Guided Field Trips - Free | San Francisco | You must register in advance for the free self-guided field trips. They have lots of resources on their web site to help focus your trip. |
| Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks | Grounds & Visitor's Center Tours, Special Events | Hayward | Look around you and you will find two magnificent parkland areas-Garin and Dry Creek Pioneer regional parks. Guided interpretive programs for this area are coordinated through the Coyote Hills Regional Park Visitor Center in Fremont. For information, phone (510) 544-3220. GARIN BARN VISITOR CENTER displays artifacts from the ranching and farming history of the Hayward area. There is a blacksmith shop, a tool shop and several ranching-related displays to explore. An interesting collection of antique farm machinery outside the barn augments the display. |
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area | Park as Classroom: Rings, Ripples, & Echoes | Self guided tour guides K-5 species spotters on a magical journey through Muir Woods and other natural communities along the Redwood Creek Watershed. | |
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area | Park as Classroom: Habitat Detectives | How does a healthy habitat help living things thrive? Enchant your curious little ones as they engage in an exciting habitat investigation. Students draw and share observations as they get an up-close look at woodland or lagoon habitats in the Presidio. From banana slugs to great blue herons, park wildlife offers us living lessons about nature. | |
| Happy Hollow Park & Zoo | Field Trips | San Jose | From animals to conservation, Happy Hollow offers a variety of immersion experiences. For more enhanced learning programs Happy Hollow’s Education department offers many opportunities designed to meet your standards based learning requirements |
| Joan's Farm & Pumpkin Patch | School Field Trips | Livermore | Visit a working farm to get a real feel about country life. You drive through the farm and see cattle grazing, visit the pumpkin patch which has a corn maze, an old western town, a museum of a lot of old farm equipment, visit the "old west" town which is facaded with buggies and mannequins, horses, etc. There is a chuck wagon area - a lot of picnicing facilities under the old sycamore trees -- a snack shack ( hot dogs, nachos, drinks, shave ice, etc. - Our tours for schools and groups are scheduled on a first-come first-serve basis. Tour 2 is $8.00 per student and includes a visit through the museum then a talk about farming and the old equipment, they can go through the corn maze, get a larger pumpkin, and everyone attending can visit the Old West town and meander around. A lesson on "How Corn Grows" and "All the Buzz on the Honeybee" |
| Loma Vista Farm & Garden | Loma Vista Farm Visit | Vallejo | Students go to the farm and learn about life on the farm through lessons that correspond with California State Education Standards. The children are encouraged to observe similarities and differences in the animals and use their senses such as touch and hearing. The Farm offers a great variety of plant and animal life that creates a dynamic learning environment. The educational goal of Loma Vista Farm is for students to learn about animals and plants in ways that meet the California State Standards. The Farm provides the opportunity to fulfill the educational goals of Life Science Standards and enhances math and language arts standards.Please come prepared to do hands-on lessons that your students will find meaningful and memorable. The Farm is your tool to bring learning to life. Doing a short activity in the morning and going to the farm in the afternoon is encouraged. Special program suggestions for VCUSD schools. |
| Marina Education Programs - City of Berkeley | Low Tide Programs | Berkeley | When the children arrive for their three hour Low Tide program, they meet in the Nature Center for a 40 minute interactive multimedia presentation, to review and learn about the marine inhabitants along the Berkeley waterfront. They observe the aquariums, the touch table and then depending on the tide, they explore the rocky shore, return for a break, and then explore the dock. Cost for three hours and packet materials is $194. 9:30a.m.-12:30p.m. programs. Each program requires a mandatory teacher's IN-SERVICE training workshop during which teachers preview the site, update staff for their current science program, and naturalists add to it with a packet of informational lesson plans for pre- and post-trip lessons geared to their class' grade level. These lessons were written by our staff, and correlate with the California State Science Framework and include 47 large animal identification cards and pictures. |
| Math Science Nucleus | Self-Guided Tour of Children's Natural History Museum | Fremont | Explore a world of fossils from long ago including those from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. Walk to more modern times with fossils of mammoths, sabertooth cats, sloths, camels, and other large mammals. Discover modern day animals through their bones. Visit the Boy Paleontologist room to see how they discovered the fossils in Fremont in the 1940’s. View the Minerals and Rocks, Hall of Small Wonders and Tools of Early Humans. Hands-on activities for small groups are located throughout the museum. |
| Math Science Nucleus | Tule Ponds - Plant Structures | Fremont | Children take a tour of Tule Ponds with a focus on investigating plant structures, learning functions of plant parts, and observing animal behaviors. They make an elderberry “instrument” like that of the early Ohlone Indians |
| Monterey Bay Aquarium | Discovery Lab Workshop | Monterey | In an interactive classroom setting, your students will get a fun, hands-on introduction to some of Monterey Bay's most precious habitats and the animals that live there. All programs include time for self-guided exploration of the Aquarium. |
| Monterey Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center | Beach Exploration | Santa Cruz | From large birds and mammals, to small insects and algae, the beach is home to lots of different creatures. What makes this habitat special and how can people help keep it safe for the creatures that call it home? Students will participate in a beach scavenger hunt to explore this ecosystem, then investigate what they found using their senses and science tools. |
| Monterey Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center | Guided Tours | Santa Cruz | Experience the Exploration Center with your own personal tour guide. Your group will be split into smaller groups of 8-12 to explore our exhibits with a trained docent who will provide an orientation, focused discussions and observations. 75 minutes Group Size: Maximum of 35 participants *Not including Chaperones *Chaperones are free |
| Monterey Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center | Self-Guided Tours | Santa Cruz | You determine the focus and set the pace. Docents will welcome your group to the Center and be available to assist while you explore the exhibits and answer any questions you may have. |
| Oakland Zoo | ZooSchool | Oakland | Bring your class to the Zoo and experience a day full of adventure! Upon arrival each class will be greeted by an Education Specialist, who will bring you to a classroom and introduce your theme. Then you will venture in to the Zoo to explore and observe the plants and animals on a guided tour. After your tour, you will return to your classroom to wrap up and review the day's activities. After your program has ended you can head back into the Zoo to eat a picnic lunch, or back to visit the animals until your departure time. FREE or DISCOUNTED for East Bay Title 1 schools, Apply to the Zoo to Community Program at http://www.oaklandzoo.org/Zoo_to_Community.php |
| Oakland Zoo | Wildlife Assembly at the Zoo | Oakland | our 45-minute interactive program hosted by an Oakland Zoo Education Specialist in our Clorox Wildlife Theater in the Valley Children's Zoo, will provide an opportunity to explore animal adaptations through games, songs and a live animal presentation. After your program ends, your class, using their honed observational skills, can explore the Zoo at your own pace. Younger Grades (Kindergarten - 2nd) - Happy, Healthy Families; Ooh, That Smells So Good On My Tongue!; Baby Talk Older Grades (3rd - 5th) - Home is Where the Habitat Is; Chew On This, Poop - the Best Gift EverFREE or DISCOUNTED for East Bay Title 1 schools, Apply to the Zoo to Community Program at http://www.oaklandzoo.org/Zoo_to_Community.php |
| Old Borges Ranch | Old Borges Ranch Tour | Walnut Creek | Historic working cattle ranch on 2500 acres. Kids get to see sheep, chickens, turkeys, geese, and rabbits. Kids also get to see a blacksmith shop, try an old-fashioned water pump, and check out the lake. |
| Pacific Grove Museum Monarch Sanctuary | Monarch Butterflies Field Trip | Pacific Grove | Visit the Pacific Grove Butterfly Sanctuary (south of Monterey). During the entire Monarch over wintering season (October through February), trained docents stand under the Butterfly Trees explaining the phenomenon to visitors coming to Pacific Grove's sanctuary. You may want to combine this visit with the butterfly exhibit at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, 12 blocks away, or visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, 2 miles away. Visitors may combine a tour of the habitat with a visit to the Museum of Natural History where they are welcome to view a large Monarch butterfly display on the main and second floors. A video allows a close-up view of the Monarch's magical metamorphosis from egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly. Let the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History supplement and enrich your Science or History/Social Studies curriculum. We offer fieldtrip programs and outreach kits that address state and national standards. For the most engaging experience, we suggest that you have your students participate in a topic-specific, hands-on program in the Education Room. These programs last approximately half an hour and can accommodate up to 20 students at a time. Possible topics include fossils, life cycles, animal adaptations, rocks and minerals, California Indian artifacts, local animals and their habitats, or special requests. |
| Point Bonita YMCA | Introduction to the Marin Headlands | Sausalito | Explore the natural and cultural history of the Marin Headlands on an engaging hike along the trails and batteries near Point Bonita YMCA's campus. Learn about the plants, animals, minerals and people that have inhabited this national park. Depending on Park availability, a tour of the historic Point Bonita Lighthouse can be requested as part of this program. |
| Point Reyes National Seashore | Morgan Horse Ranch | Point Reyes Station | This working horse ranch for horses used by National Park Rangers in wilderness areas and for backcountry patrol has trailside exhibits focusing on the characteristics, breeding and history of Morgan horses. The Morgan horse is the first American breed of horse. Self-guided exhibits, corrals and demonstrations are a part of the ongoing interpretive program of the ranch. Allow 20-30 minutes to tour the Horse Ranch. Park at the south end of the Bear Valley Visitor Center parking lot and follow the signs from the Bear Valley Trailhead up a small hill. 0.5 mile round-trip walk. Some buildings open for public entry. Handicapped parking area available at ranch. |
| Randall Museum | Animal Presentations: The Food Web - Predator and Prey | San Francisco | Learn about this connection through our different animal ambassadors and their place in the food chain. |
| Randall Museum | Animal Presentations: Reptiles and Amphibians | San Francisco | Through interactions with our Animal Ambassadors, students will learn about what makes reptiles different from amphibians. |
| Randall Museum | Animal Presentations: Super Senses | San Francisco | Learn about the special ways animals sense with different body parts and how these are different from how we do it! |
| Randall Museum | Animal Presentations: Amazing Invertebrates | San Francisco | Learn about the differences between insects and arachnids and why they are so important for the ecosystem. |
| Randall Museum | Animal Presentations: Oceans: Intertidal Ecosystem | San Francisco | In the ocean exhibit, students will see some of native intertidal species. Learn about the bizarre sea urchin, see the tube feet of the sea star, and maybe even see the pipefish eat! |
| Randall Museum | Green and Growing - Grades K - 3 | San Francisco | Students learn that every object they use in daily life is either a plant or is produced from plants. Green and Growing encourages students to understand their own roles in ecological systems including being consumers, producers and good stewards of our environment. |
| San Francisco Zoo | Close Encounters - The Wild City | San Francisco | There is nothing quite as memorable to a child as touching the sleek scales of a snake or petting the soft fur of a chinchilla. Close Encounters offer an up-close, hands-on experience with animals in the Zoo Classroom. These programs, designed to complement your science curriculum, draw students into the wonders of nature while educating them about the animals who share their world. |
| San Francisco Zoo | Close Encounters: How Animals Grow | San Francisco | This lesson will explore the unique and amazing ways that different types of animals grow from young to adult. Some hatch from eggs while others are born live. Some change form completely while others become larger versions of their baby selves. |
| San Francisco Zoo | Animal Adaptations - Docent guided tour | San Francisco | Concentrates on visible external adaptations that animals have to allow them to survive. Teacher Guides available online. |
| Seymour Marine Discovery Center | Guided Tours of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center | Santa Cruz | Reserve your own docent to guide your students through the amazing sights and sounds of a working marine lab. Discover where, what, and how ocean scientists learn about marine mammals and their incredible abilities. Your students will peer at some special marine mammals residing at the lab to help scientists investigate how their well-adapted bodies function. Learn how ongoing science at Long Marine Lab can help conservation efforts for animals in the wild. Before or after your guided tour, students can explore how scientists work through interactive exhibits and aquaria |
| Stepping Out Stepping In | Bay Discovery! | Oakland | Pre-Trip Visit: Your program will start with a Presentation in your classroom via Zoom! A naturalist will arrive vitually to your classroom and provide an interactive live slide presentation for your students so they will be well prepared for their in-person field trip to Middle Harbor Shoreline Park. They will learn key vocabulary such as habitat, mud flat, estuary and begin to understand the ecologiccal connections of the many creatures that make the SF Bay their home. Field Trip to Middle Harbor Shoreline Park: Discover the wild animals and plants who call the San Francisco Bay Estuary home. Students will engage in hands on activities, such as collecting mud, holding a baby crab and exploration along the shoreline, while learning how this habitat is connected to their lives. |
| Sulphur Creek Nature Center | Learning Labs: Feathers | Hayward | The education staff will immerse you in the study of Feathers |
| Sulphur Creek Nature Center | Learning Labs: Vertebrates | Hayward | The education staff will immerse you in the study of Vertebrates |
| Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness | Amazing Adaptations of the East Bay | Sunol | Discover how adaptations allow animals to survive in ever changing East Bay habitats. Meet our animal ambassadors and learn all about surviving and thriving in the diverse East Bay habitats. |
| The Gardens at Heather Farms | Bug Buddies Field Trip | Walnut Creek | Peek into the amazing world of insects, the most successful life form on the planet. Young entomologists will observe and handle live mini-beasts to experience a bug's life, learn about creature features, and test their bug IQ. Also available as in-class presentation. 1 hour |
| The Gardens at Heather Farms | Sensory Garden | Walnut Creek | Through this sensory exploration of the garden we’ll investigate how the smells, shapes, textures and colors of plants help them to survive. Classes will receive a plant to take back to school. 30 minutes |
| The Gardens at Heather Farms | Seed Secrets at the Garden | Walnut Creek | Students work together to dissect lima beans. They learn and identify each part of a seed and its function. Students will become familiar with the life cycle of a plant, and discover the importance of seeds for plant reproduction. Students will also have the opportunity to plant a seed that can be used as an in class extension. |
| The Gardens at Heather Farms | The Power of Pollination at The Gardens | Walnut Creek | Butterflies, bees, and more! Learn about the animals that move pollen from plant to plant to generate seeds and create fruit. Students will discover how pollinators are crucial to a plants' life cycle through a hands-on pollination activity to see how important these tiny animals really are. Find out how pollinators and plants communicate with each other to help our gardens grow and give us the delicious food we enjoy. Students will end class searching for pollinators in our own garden. |
| The Lawrence | Self-Guided Visit | Berkeley | Take your students to the Lawrence Hall of Science to enjoy the exhibits. Outdoor Nature Lab Animal Explorations Well Played Young Explorers Area Planetarium Hands-on Biotech Forces that Shape the Bay |
| Tilden Nature Area-Tilden Regional Park | Farm Tour (Year round) | Berkeley | Meet the animals at the Tilden Little Farm, and learn the importance of agriculture in our daily lives. |
| Tilden Nature Area-Tilden Regional Park | Pond Study (March-Oct.) | Berkeley | Explore the wet and wonderful world of the Nature Area’s ponds: insects, amphibians and more (perhaps even a garter snake!). |
| Tilden Nature Area-Tilden Regional Park | Wildlife (Year round): | Berkeley | Focus on various animal classes during an interactive hike. 60-90 minutes. Choose from one or more of the following topics: -Reptiles (year round) -Amphibians (Nov.-May) -Birds (year round) -Mammals (year round) -Insects (March-Oct.) -Spiders (Sept.-Oct. and March) |
| Tilden Nature Area-Tilden Regional Park | Nature Ramble (Year round): | Berkeley | An exploration of the Nature Area’s flora and fauna —anything can happen! This walk easily accommodates a topic of your choice. 60-90 minutes |
| Tilden Nature Area-Tilden Regional Park | Tailored Naturalist Program: Habitats | Berkeley | the Tilden Naturalists can adapt their programs to meet the specific needs of your science unit. Sign up for a fieldtrip via the lottery system and give them a call once you are selected. |
| UC Botanical Garden | Plant Travelers | Berkeley | Can plants really travel? Marvel at the slingshots, parachutes, hitchhikers, helicopters and other mechanisms that propel plant seeds around the Garden. |
| UC Botanical Garden | Patterns in Nature - Math in the Garden | Berkeley | Develop your mathematical skills and powers of observation as you apply them to the beauty and diversity of plants surrounding you in the Garden. Look for geometric shapes, angles, symmetry, and patterns, even fractals and Fibonacci numbers! Discover how nature’s designs are adaptations helping plants to survive. Activities will be selected to be grade-level appropriate. |