All field trip programs support California State Academic Standards.
Program registration for the 2011–2012 school year is now closed.
Elementary and Middle School Programs
If you would like to be on the mailing list for the 2011–2012 school year, please call (415) 561-7755.
Flyin’ High (Grades: K, 1)
All living things need a viable habitat. Students become scientists as they exercise their observational skills to collect data on how shorebirds use Crissy Field. Through hands-on activities in the Center’s Urban Ecology Lab, students learn what makes a good habitat for birds and how human activity can have an impact on that habitat. In the Arts Workshop, students create take-home dioramas that exemplify what birds and children need in a healthy habitat. The best months for viewing our birds are October, November, December, and January. 2.5 hours
My Favorite Marsh (Grades: 2, 3, 4)
Wetlands are vital components of coastal ecosystems. They serve as filters for pollution, provide wildlife habitat, are havens for biodiversity, and are special places for human recreation and reflection. In the Urban Ecology Lab, students use marsh models to learn about the various roles that wetlands play in our urban environment and why wetlands are important to each of us. Then groups of students, equipped with digital cameras, head outside to investigate the Crissy Field marsh and dune system during an exciting game of marsh bingo. In the Arts Workshop, students express their new knowledge of wetlands through a creative art project. The best months for Crissy Field Marsh investigation are February, March, April, and May. 3 hours
Garbology 101 (Grades: 3, 4, 5)
Students will learn about the different cultures that used the Presidio by visiting several archeological sites and thinking about the trash these people left behind. As students participate in hands-on activities in the Presidio Archeology Lab, they learn how archeologists uncover the past by studying artifacts recovered from the Crissy Field landfill. Students explore decomposition in miniature landfills, consider the impact of their own garbage on the environment, and discuss alternatives for reducing waste. The experience culminates with using recycled materials to create journals in which they can reflect on their park visit. This program is co-sponsored by the Presidio Archeology Lab, a partnership of the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service. 3 hours
Budding Botanists (Grades: 4, 5, 6)
Urban youth may have little knowledge of or interaction with the plant world that ultimately sustains human life. Students learn the names and functions of the parts of plants through a flower dissection in the Crissy Field Center Urban Ecology Lab. At the Crissy Field marsh, students divide into teams of research botanists, study indigenous plants in the field, and learn to describe their discoveries to one another. In the Arts Workshop, they will have the chance to record the knowledge they have gained as they create their own field guides for the Crissy Field. The best months for studying Crissy Field plants are February, March, April, and May. 3 hours
It’s Electric! (Grades: 5, 6, 7, 8)
Climate change has the potential to impact every aspect of our lives. It is vitally important that we understand its causes and the ways we can help prevent its progress. First, students build a foundation for understanding how climate change can impact our environment and the resources in our national parks. Then students focus on the connection between climate change and energy use. Students examine the climate impact differences between fossil fuels and renewable energy. Students learn simple and practical ways that both children and adults can reduce energy use. 3 hours
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High School Programs
If you would like to be on the mailing list to receive information for the 2011–2012 school year, please call (415) 561-7755.
Project WISE (Watersheds Inspiring Student Education) >
Spending one afternoon a week for an entire school year conducting field study in the environs of the Presidio, this 10 year partnership with the Urban Watershed Project engages students from two environmental science classes at Galileo Academy of Science and Technology. The mission of Project WISE is to enable youth to discover their roles within and impact on the natural world and to realize their own potential to become socially and scientifically conscious members of their local and global communities. Over the course of the school year, WISE students consider the essential question: “how does science influence change in my community?” as the underlying question for their final team projects. This exciting project culminates each May in an inspirational and revealing student-led presentation to resource managers, teachers, families and professional staff.
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