Overnight Trips
Limantour Beach
Our first overnight field trip of the year will be to the Clem Miller Environmental Education Center located in the Point Reyes National Seashore. This facility is tucked in a beautiful valley about three miles from Limantour beach. Students will take part in several amazing experiences, including a guided nature hike with Mr. Science, a ranger led beach clean-up Mole Crab study, whale watching, animal/habitat presentations, storytelling, bow-drill fire-making, poetry, skits, hiking, and much more! This trip is four days/three nights long and is a truly wonderful experience for all involved!
Tour Through Gold Country-Old Town Sacramento
One of my favorite field trips entails bringing the fourth grade classes to my hometown (located in the Sierra Nevada Foothills) as part of our Tour Through Gold Country three day overnight. We start our journey in Coloma where gold was first discovered. Students tour the site and even load a covered wagon is if they were pioneers from the 1800's. Later that day, we travel to and camp along the Bear River, where students partake in many activities. Students watch a comical Gold Rush film (in an outdoor theater the teachers set up) based on a novel we read aloud in class called By the Great Horn Spoon.
The following day, we visit the historic Empire Mine in Grass Valley where students learn all about blacksmithing and underground mining. Students even get to visit an old ghost town and explore the original 1800's buildings by participating in a scavenger hunt! They pan for gold in Humbug creek and visit the town of Grass Valley for dinner.
The last day, students "travel back in time" in Old Town Sacramento to attend a class in an old school house as if it were the 1800's. They learn how to curtsey and bow before they share an answer (which they display on their chalkboards of course)! Students also visit the Sacramento History Museum, where they learn all about Gold Rush History. They even get to pan for gold!
It is such a wonderful feeling to get to share with students our love of the foothills and all the history that goes along with the area!
The following day, we visit the historic Empire Mine in Grass Valley where students learn all about blacksmithing and underground mining. Students even get to visit an old ghost town and explore the original 1800's buildings by participating in a scavenger hunt! They pan for gold in Humbug creek and visit the town of Grass Valley for dinner.
The last day, students "travel back in time" in Old Town Sacramento to attend a class in an old school house as if it were the 1800's. They learn how to curtsey and bow before they share an answer (which they display on their chalkboards of course)! Students also visit the Sacramento History Museum, where they learn all about Gold Rush History. They even get to pan for gold!
It is such a wonderful feeling to get to share with students our love of the foothills and all the history that goes along with the area!
Fort Ross
Fort Ross is a two day trip and is one of the highlights of the fourth grade year. In May, our class lives and breathes Fort Ross history! This amazing Living History Project brings the past alive for students through role play. Students become someone who actually lived at the Fort during its time of operation. They change their name tags on their desks to represent their Fort Ross character name. Students learn Russian in class, dance the Troika, write research reports, and make leather pouches, water-bottle holders, and journals. They even get to present to parents and third graders in a wax museum style presentation (where their character comes to life)!
While at the fort, students have unique and varying experiences depending on their role group they are a part of. Some members of our class will learn how to fire the cannon while others fish in the ocean. The artisans paint beautiful landscapes and build lanterns while the gardeners harvest and plant food. Everyone involved dresses in costume (including chaperones who attend). A night watch is also part of this trip, during which time role groups "guard" the fort, star gaze, and eat Russian Tea Cakes, and have hot cocoa by the fire. This trip is amazing and not only makes history real, but it leaves an indelible imprint on the minds of all who participated. It has impacted me greatly as an educator and has truly influenced my teaching philosophy.
While at the fort, students have unique and varying experiences depending on their role group they are a part of. Some members of our class will learn how to fire the cannon while others fish in the ocean. The artisans paint beautiful landscapes and build lanterns while the gardeners harvest and plant food. Everyone involved dresses in costume (including chaperones who attend). A night watch is also part of this trip, during which time role groups "guard" the fort, star gaze, and eat Russian Tea Cakes, and have hot cocoa by the fire. This trip is amazing and not only makes history real, but it leaves an indelible imprint on the minds of all who participated. It has impacted me greatly as an educator and has truly influenced my teaching philosophy.
Day Trips
Bikes at Julliard Park
The first Bike Trip of the year is our annual ride along the Joe Rodota Trail. We will meet at the trail head in Sebastopol (near The Feed Store) and ride as a group to Julliard Park in Santa Rosa. Here, we have a restful lunch with time for play and then ride back to Sebastopol. Prior to the trip, we review bike safety rules with students. We have also been fortunate enough to have been escorted along the trail by CHP officers on motorcycles. They help us with all the street crossings and any other issues that may arise along the trail. This is a wonderful trip and a great way to promote health within our schools!
Marin Museum of the
American Indian
One unit of study in 4th Grade Social Studies is Early California, with a specific emphasis on the California Native Americans. We learn how the regions in which they lived impacted their way of life. Native Americans living in a coastal climate, for example, would gather shells, eat abalone, catch fish, etc. This differs greatly from Native Americans living in the desert as the resources available to them varied significantly. We learn about trade, traditions, and perhaps most importantly, the respect the Native Americans had for the land. Students gain an appreciate for Native American culture and also learn about present day life at the Marin Museum of the American Indian.
General Vallejo's Home
Sonoma Mission and General Vallejo's Home is another invaluable field trip taken in the 4th grade.. This trip aligns with our Social Studies units that focus on the Spanish and Mexican influence on California. We begin our day at the mission in Sonoma. From here, we visit the Sonoma Barracks, where students participate in a historical scavenger hunt. After lunch at the park, we go on a nice mile hike to General Vallejo's home where students learn all about General Vallejo and his family. We tour the grounds, including the Vallejo's old family home and learn about what life would have been like in the 1800's.
Petaluma Adobe provides a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about General Vallejo's local rancho and how it was operated in the 1800's. It ties in nicely with our trip to Sonoma Mission and supports the history of California that we study in class. We will enjoy lunch on the grounds after our tour!
Angel Island
Our final trip of the year will be to Angel Island where students learn about and tour the immigration station. Students will ride the ferry over to the island, picnic, and have an amazing experience learning about this historical California site.
