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School Field Trips

Spark Passion

American River Conservancy wants to host your next class field trip at Wakamatsu Farm. Our beautiful 272 acre property is home to an organic farm, large ponds, oak woodland, historical artifacts and our outdoor learning campus. Your students will engage in science practices and apply the big ideas of science as they learn. Our teaching focuses on sparking students’ passion for science through direct experience with real phenomena.
All field trips are outdoors. A covered pavilion is used during inclement weather. Scroll to bottom for FAQ & Map.

 

SCHEDULE A FIELD TRIP

Field Trip Descriptions

Each Field Trip is 2.5 hours and $10/student with a $300 minimum fee

KINDERGARTEN

Patterns in Nature

Your students will use their senses to explore the natural patterns around them and record them in their Nature Journals. Our youngest explorers will discover how colors and patterns help animals blend into or stand out in their environment and discuss why these visual cues are important to their survival. Students will learn what it takes to survive as a deer in their habitat and explore the adaptations that help tiny critters make it in a big world.

1ST GRADE

SOUNDS AND SURVIVAL

Explorers will turn off their eyes and tune in their ears as they pay attention to the sounds around them and create a soundscape in their Nature Journals. After listening to all those birds, they will then take their turn at protecting their nest from rival birds in a fun game of Jays and Juncos. Building off a discussion of how animals survive in the face of competition, explorers discover the signs that animals have left behind and then use natural materials that they have found to create a shelter that an animal might use.
Standards

2ND GRADE

Busy Bees, Busy Blooms

Your students will become bees and flowers to model the process of pollination using a fun interactive game. After learning about pollination, explorers will then explore seeds and the different ways in which they can be dispersed, then they will design their own seed with a unique dispersal method. In their Nature Journals, students will record observations of the things they find in the garden, while focusing on how they make connections with the natural objects they discover.
Standards

3rd Grade

Home Wet Home

The land of Wakamatsu farm has been home to many plants, animals and people who have all relied on water to thrive. Together we will explore how a permanent water source has reduced the impact of drought on the inhabitants of this farm. Students will study the existing beaver dam analogs and design their own models of solutions for on-site water storage and habitat restoration. After meeting aquatic macroinvertebrates through a mini pond bio-blitz, students will construct arguments from evidence about particular habitats and the organisms that survive within. Explorers will use their Nature Journals to describe in detail a natural item and then see if a fellow explorer can find the plant using just the observations recorded in the journal.
standards

4th Grade

Spectacular Senses

Your students will use their Nature Journals to draw a map of the Native Plant Garden and learn how we use maps to help us visualize our world. Our explorers will then interact with the world using different adaptations found in some of our animal friends. Are bats really blind? How do foxes catch their prey? Students will find out as they practice their “Fox Walk” and become “blind” bats trying to find their moth treats.
Standards

5th Grade

Moving Matter

Explorers will practice how to observe nature from different perspectives by zooming in and zooming out on their specimens in their Nature Journals. Your students will explore the energy cycle by searching for evidence of decomposers in the environment and comparing samples of decomposing matter. They will use reasoning to determine the levels or decomposition and create a model of their understanding. Students will then become part of the energy cycle through a game of “Grass-Shrub-Tree” that represents the cycle of succession in a forest.
Standards

6th Grade

Ecosystem Interactions

Your students will put on their scientist hats and take on the role of wildlife biologists as they use real-world techniques to collect data about the population of deer at Wakamatsu Farm. Explorers will then become the deer themselves in a game that mimics how environmental factors restrict the population of deer in a particular ecosystem. They will graph their data and come up with the factors that might influence carrying capacity. In another activity, students determine how certain critters can fill a role in an ecosystem and become helpful to the humans they share space with. Explorers will use their Nature Journals to describe in detail their “Secret Plant” then see if a fellow explorer can find the plant using just the observations recorded in the journal.
Standards

7th Grade

On the Map! Orienteering at Wakamatsu Farm

Wakamatsu Farm provides the outdoor space for a rich focus on life science. Students will have an introduction to maps before being trained in orienteering and sent on a mission of discovery through our rolling hills. Explorers will use their Nature Journals to create their own maps of the local area and include directionality and a legend.
Standards

8th Grade - High school

Custom Trips

Field trip experiences at Wakamatsu Farm are happily tailored to the needs of your high school group. Contact us to learn about current participatory science, stewardship and learning opportunities. With 272 acres of land to explore, two farms, ponds and gardens, the learning and service opportunities are varied. Let’s collaborate to create a truly memorable field trip for your students.
Standards

Past Fieldtrips

Frequently asked questions

Absolutely!  We are flexible and have many ideas to connect your students with the land.  Let’s work together to create a memorable and meaningful field trip for your students.

Teachers are welcome to supervise their students during lunch at the farm in an agreed upon location.  We enjoy offering this relaxing treat to our field trip attendees, but we are not able to offer trash service.  Please plan to remove all trash created by your group.

If you need to cancel your program for any reason, please email [email protected] so that we have it in writing.  We will respond via email that we received your cancellation.  If you do not receive a response to your email, please call (530) 621-1224 and speak with Nic or Megan.  If cancellations occur at least two weeks before the program, no fees apply.  If cancellations occur within two weeks of the scheduled program, the minimum fee for the scheduled program will be charged.  Fees do not apply if cancellations occur due to extreme weather or poor air quality.

Payment for field trips can be made by check or credit card.  Contact [email protected] for specifics on payment for your group.

Our Visitors say

“My entire group was raving about the field trip today! Your volunteers were incredible!” - Homeschool Parent
You had such a variety of experiences for our students that touched on all the important aspects of the farm. The kids were very engaged and learned a lot about our area. The volunteers were very knowledgeable and loved working with our kids!" -Teacher, 1st grade
"The staff is very friendly and resourceful. The activities were engaging to all our students. The site is open and clean, and we felt welcomed to the farm." - Teacher, 3rd grade
"Our students LOVED this field trip! It touched on history, geography, and ecology. The volunteers were patient and were able to answer questions from even our moist enthusiastic learners. Lots of hands on as well. Very nice trip."- Teacher, 4th grade

Directions

From Hwy 50/West: Take US Highway 50 until you reach the Ponderosa Road/North Shingle Road exit. Turn left and then take the first right onto North Shingle Road once you cross over the freeway. North Shingle Road turns into Green Valley Road which then turns into Lotus Road. Continue straight on this road for about 6-7 miles, and then turn right onto Gold Hill Road, across the street from Sutter’s Mill School. Continue for approx. 2 miles, and then turn left onto Cold Springs Road at the 4-way stop. In ¾-mile, turn right into the GREEN GATE entrance (on the right past South Fork Farm and the wooden barn). Continue up the gravel driveway to the parking area.

From Auburn/Cool area: Take Highway 49 to Coloma. After you exit the State Park, the road seems to split in two directions. Continue straight, up the hill, which puts you on Cold Springs Road (do not turn left/stay on 49). Continue on Cold Springs Road for about 2.5 miles, past Gold Trail School. About ¼-mile past the school on the left, turn left into the gravel driveway through the green gate. Continue to the parking area