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School 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 Unified School District, 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 mschnur-salimbene@riverparkway.org.
(Includes FUSD 3rd & 4th grade GOAL2 trips)
1st - 5th Grade Field Trips
Give your students the opportunity of a lifetime with an outdoor education experience along the San Joaquin River. Field trips typically consist of 3-4 activity stations including nature walks, educational activities and games, and art or poetry. The Docent in charge of your trip will meet your group as it arrives, provide an opening presentation to the whole group, and then the students will divide into groups and proceed with the activities. Groups rotate from station to station, typically spending about 45 minutes on each activity. Our staff and volunteers will lead the majority of the activities, but teachers may need to lead one station (typically the scavenger hunt). All activity materials and supplies will be provided. If you have questions regarding choosing the activities for your trip, contact our office at (559) 248-8480 ext. 104.
Activities and Curriculum
All activities include grade level-specific NGSS correlations, pre-trip information, full activity information, and post-trip follow-up activities. Most activities are easily adapted for any grade level; teachers are welcome to choose activities from outside of their grade level as part of their trip. The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust partners with FUSD Curriculum & Instruction to provide activities that meet CA NGSS standards.
View Activites
Time Frame and Price
TIME: Very flexible and dependent on bus schedules. Trips are usually from about 9:30 am to 1 pm. Students bring lunch and eat on site. PRICE: $190 per classroom
No charge for adults accompanying the class (2-4 chaperones per class recommended) Maximum 4 classrooms, minimum 1 classroom per field trip.
All trips must be paid in advance of the field trip date.
Registration
To sign up, please click on your preferred date below. You will be notified if your selected date is unavailable. We allow for a maximum of 4 classrooms. If you have more than 4 classrooms you will need to schedule 2 dates.
Locations
All field trip locations are outdoor locations with full bathroom facilities. Field trip activities take place outdoors with the goal of introducing students to the local environment. Please have students dress accordingly.
Coke Hallowell Center for River Studies (River Center) - 11605 Old Friant Rd, Fresno, CA
Owned and operated by the River Parkway Trust, the River Center is a more maintained facility offering historical, natural, and educational experiences to students with our 1880s Ranch House, Hidden Homes habitat nature walk, demonstration orchard, vineyard, and open spaces. **The River Center does not currently offer direct river access.**
Owl Hollow - Located next to the River Center
Owned and operated by the River Parkway Trust, Owl Hollow is a riverfront property with an outdoor amphitheater, picnic shelter, direct river access, and a secluded feel. This location is located next to the River Center, but uses a different access point and requires a short (less than half a mile) drive down a flat dirt road.
Lost Lake County Park - 16385 N Friant Rd, Friant, CA
A Fresno County Park, Lost Lake offers a historic nature trail, park atmosphere, and open spaces along the river. It is a public park and the condition and availability of shared facilities cannot always be guaranteed.
Madera Unified 6th Grade Program
In the 2019-2020 school year the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust and Madera Unified School District are once again partnering to offer a 3-experience program for every 6th-grade classroom. Students will receive an in-class presentation from River Parkway staff or volunteers and then participate in two field trips along the San Joaquin River. During each experience, they will do activities and play games that highlight the river ecosystem and reinforce Next Generation Science Standards.
PROGRAM CURRICULUM AND TEACHER RESOURCES
Phase 1: In-Class Presentation:
A River Parkway Trust docent will come to your classroom and provide a ~60-minute presentation including games and activities.
Topics to be covered in the presentation:
  • What is a watershed? (Activity: Crumpled Paper Watershed)
  • The Lifecycle of Chinook Salmon (Activity: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Salmon)
Classroom preparation materials:
Pre-trip Information Slide Show *Please review the slide show with your class prior to the trip
Phase 2: Owl Hollow Field Trip:
Your 6th-grade classrooms will visit Owl Hollow and rotate through 3-4 activities. *Teachers may be responsible for leading 1 activity during the field trip.
Topics and activities to be covered:
Classroom preparation materials:
Liability Release Form (English) or Liability Release Form (Spanish) -ALL students, teachers, and chaperones that wish to participate in teambuilding on any of the built elements MUST submit a completed Liability Release Form to the lead Field Trip Docent on the day of the trip.
Phase 3: Sycamore Island Field Trip:
To sign up, please click on your preferred date below. You will be notified if your selected date is unavailable. We allow for a maximum of 4 classrooms. If you have more than 4 classrooms you will need to schedule 2 dates.
Topics to be covered:
  • Aquatic habitats & water quality (Activity: Creepy Crawly River Critters)
  • Exploring nature (Activity: Photo Scavenger Hunt)
  • Outdoor recreation (Activity: Canoeing!)
  • Team Building Games *4th activity for schools with 4 classrooms only. Teachers may be responsible for leading Team Building Games*
Classroom preparation materials:
River Buddies Pre-K/K Field Trips
Activities and Curriculum
River Buddies Field Trips typically include a nature walk, craft activity, song and story time, and interactive or sensory activity.
Program activities will follow one of 3 themes:
  • Bug Buddies
  • Bird Buddies
  • Pond Pals
View Overview of Programs
Time Frame and Price
TIME: 2-hour docent-led field trip. Field trips usually take place from 9:00 am - 11:00 am, though the timing is flexible. PRICE: Cost is $10/child with a $100 minimum. There is no charge for chaperones.
All trips must be paid in advance of the field trip date.
Registration
To book a trip contact Community Programs Director, Molly Schnur-Salimbene at mschnur-salimbene@riverparkway.org or (559) 248-8480 ext. 104.
Virtual "Field Trips" Presentions
Our Virtual Field Trip presentations bring environmental education to you! Presentations are a combination of pre-recorded material, live interaction, and class participation led by trained staff or volunteer docents. During the presentation, we'll introduce a topic and guide students through an activity that they can complete using only paper, pencils, and markers in their classroom or from home. Virtual presentations can also be used as an introduction to a topic before your in-person field trip, allowing us to dive right into the hands-on version of the activity with less time spent on background information introduction on the day of your trip!
Activities and Curriculum
Presentations are adapted versions of our in-person field trip activities and are correlated to NGSS standards by grade level.
Time Frame and Price
TIME: Each presentation is approximately 45 minutes in length. Timing is flexible based on your schedule. PRICE: Cost is $80/presentation.
All trips must be paid in advance of the field trip date.
Registration
To book a trip contact Community Programs Director, Molly Schnur-Salimbene at mschnur-salimbene@riverparkway.org or (559) 248-8480 ext. 104.