Field Trips
Take your class to the river!
The River Parkway Trust began offering school field trips to the river in 1989, and continues to be a leader in the field. We work in partnership with the Fresno County Office of Education, Madera Unified School District, and Fresno County Parks to provide experiential learning opportunities for grades K-12. If you are associated with a specific field trip program (Fresno Unified 3rd Grade or Madera Unified 6th Grade) please click the link for your program below. If you are not affiliated with either of these programs and would like to schedule a field trip please click the General Field Trips (1st-6th grades) link or the River Buddies Pre-K link below. If you need any assistance with field trip registration, please contact Molly Schnur-Salimbene at 559-248-8480 ext. 104 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Virtual Field Trips (Grades 1-5)
River Buddies Pre-K/K Field Trips
Virtual Field Trip Presentations
Bring the outdoors to your distance learning classroom! The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust has created engaging virtual educational experiences exploring topics related to our local river ecosystem for 1st-6th grades. Virtual field trip presentations are conducted live from the River Center, our free public nature center located in Northeast Fresno, and consist of an interactive activity correlated to each grade level's NGSS standards. Each presentation is led by a River Parkway Trust staff member or educational docent and is approximately 30 minutes in duration. Presentations are a combination of pre-recorded information and live presentation/interaction with your students, and include a component for students to complete from home during the presentation (typically completing a basic "worksheet" or other written/drawn component in their workbooks; information on each grade level's activity component is included in descriptions below and will be sent directly to teachers after registration). Full information on each grade level's activity option(s) can be found below. For FUSD classrooms, upon registration a copy of the invoice will be sent the FUSD for processing through GOAL2.
COST
$70 OR $80 per classroom depending on presentation.
TIME FRAME
Each Virtual Field Trip is approximately 35 minutes in length. Time may vary based on participant questions or other variables.
Due to the varying schedules of different schools/districts, we offer four "block" sessions for teachers to choose from when registering. Within each "block" session there are four possible start times; you will choose your preferred start time during online registration.
Block 1 Presentation Start Times: 8:45 AM, 9:00 AM, 9:15 AM
Block 2 Presentation Start Times: 10:00 AM, 10:15 AM, 10:30 AM
Block 3 Presentation Start Times: 11:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 11:45 AM
Block 4 Presentation Start Times: 12:30 PM, 12:45 PM, 1:00 PM, 1:15 PM
REGISTRATION
To sign up, please click on your preferred date and time block below. You will be notified if your selected date and time block is unavailable. Please note, each date is designated to one grade level (all times on one date will be for the same grade level), and each presentation time is for one classroom only. In order for us to be able to interact with your students and make activity modifications based on student engagement and understanding, each classroom must register for their own presentation to keep group sizes small. If you have questions regarding the virtual field trip program, please contact Molly Schnur-Salimbene at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Due to the varying schedules of different schools/districts, we offer four "block" sessions for teachers to choose from when registering. Within each "block" session there are three or four possible start times; you will choose your preferred start time during online registration.
Block 1 Presentation Start Times: 8:45 AM, 9:00 AM, 9:15 AM, 9:30 AM
Block 2 Presentation Start Times: 10:00 AM, 10:15 AM, 10:30 AM
Block 3 Presentation Start Times: 11:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 11:45 AM
Block 4 Presentation Start Times: 12:30 PM, 12:45 PM, 1:00 PM, 1:15 PM
1st Grade: Seed Survival (Click for full description and NGSS correlations): Students will observe and identify different types of seed dispersal, seed and plant structure and function, and create their own seed and adult plant using the information learned. $70/classroom. Click here for upcoming presentation dates.
2nd Grade: Stream Science (Click for full description and NGSS correlations): Students will model stream or river formation, observe its effect on landforms, and predict what will happen if landforms or features on the landscape change. $80/classroom. Click here for upcoming presentation dates.
2nd Grade: Seed Survival - Animal Edition (Click for full description and NGSS correlations): Students observe and identify different types of seed dispersal with a focus on animal dispersal types, learn about seed and plant structure and function, and create their own seed and adult plant using the information learned. $70/classroom. Click here for upcoming presentation dates.
3rd Grade: Creepy Crawly River Critters (Click for full description and NGSS correlations): Students will observe and identify aquatic macroinvertebrates and their characteristics and learn about insect lifecycles. $70/classroom. Click here for upcoming presentation dates.
4th Grade:Stream Science (Click for full description and NGSS correlations): Students will model stream or river formation, observe the effects of water and weathering on landforms, and predict what will happen if landforms or features on the landscape change. $80/classroom. Click here for upcoming presentation dates.
4th Grade: Sense-ational Creatures (Click for full description and NGSS correlations): Students will design their own creature after discovering the importance of physical characteristics and how this affects the 5 senses and likelihood of survival. $70/classroom. Click here for upcoming presentation dates.
5th Grade: Where's our Water? (Click for full description and NGSS correlations). $80/classroom. Click here for upcoming presentation dates.
6th Grade: The Power of Pollinators (Click for full description NGSS correlations). Students will learn about the reproductive components of flower and the process of pollination, and will design their own flower based on specific characteristics of pollinators. $70/classroom. Click here for upcoming presentation dates.
Due to the varying schedules of different schools/districts, we offer "block" sessions for teachers to choose from when registering. Within each "block" session there are three or four possible start times; you will choose your preferred start time during online registration.
Block 1 Presentation Start Times: 8:45 AM, 9:00 AM, 9:15 AM
Block 2 Presentation Start Times: 10:00 AM, 10:15 AM, 10:30 AM
Block 4 Presentation Start Times: 11:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 11:45 AM
Block 3 Presentation Start Times: 12:30 PM, 12:45 PM, 1:00 PM, 1:15 PM
Upcoming Presentation Dates (2nd Stream Science, 4th Stream Science, 5th Where's our Water)
Due to the varying schedules of different schools/districts, we offer "block" sessions for teachers to choose from when registering. Within each "block" session there are three or four possible start times; you will choose your preferred start time during online registration.
Block 1 Presentation Start Times: 8:45 AM, 9:00 AM, 9:15 AM
Block 2 Presentation Start Times: 10:00 AM, 10:15 AM, 10:30 AM
Block 4 Presentation Start Times: 11:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 11:45 AM
Block 3 Presentation Start Times: 12:30 PM, 12:45 PM, 1:00 PM, 1:15 PM
River Buddies Pre-K Field Trips
Bring your pre-K or Kindergarten class to the River Center for a 2 hour docent-led field trip. River Buddies Field Trips follow one of 3 themes (Bug Buddies, Bird Buddies, or Pond Pals) and typically include a nature walk, craft activity, song and story time, and interactive or sensory activity. Field trips usually take place from 9:00 am - 11:00 am, though timing is flexible. Cost is $8/child with a $80 minimum. There is no charge for chaperones. Click here for a program overview.
Register Now - Click on your preferred date below.
10/6/20, 10/8/20, 10/9/20, 10/12/20, 10/13/20, 10/22/20, 10/23/20, 10/26/20, 12/4/20, 12/11/20, 12/14/20, 12/15/20, 4/8/21, 4/9/21, 4/27/21, 4/28/21, 4/29/21, 4/30/31, 5/6/21, 5/7/21
For more information regarding the River Parkway Trust's field trip programs, contact Molly Schnur-Salimbene at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (559) 248-8480 ext. 104.
