Environmental Education for Students
Take your class on a curriculum-based field trip
Catching grasshoppers at
Kaweah Oaks Preserve
As teachers, you play a vital role in educating the future leaders of our community and teaching them healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Environmental education programs have been shown to contribute to a variety of positive physical, mental and emotional benefits in children including: reducing ADD and obesity, improving test scores, raising self-esteem levels and increasing problem-solving skills. Furthermore, you can teach the next generation to care for and appreciate the natural world.
And, great news! Field trips to Kaweah Oaks Preserve just got a whole lot more affordable. In recognition of the difficult financial situation most schools face, SRT is only asking them to contribute $1.50 per student towards the cost of their field trip. Field trips often include 100 students or more, so SRT’s increased subsidy can reduce the schools’ costs by upwards of $300. Also,Tulare County’s LOOP Bus is now available—for free—to transport at-risk students to the Kaweah Oaks Preserve. Read more about this exciting news.
If you’d like to integrate nature into your curriculum, Sequoia Riverlands Trust offers a variety of environmental education resources and opportunities to make that happen:
- Standards-based school field trips to Kaweah Oaks Preserve
- Standards-based in-class programs about nature and the local environment
- Service learning opportunities for all ages, K - 12
- Lesson plans that bring nature into the curriculum
- Private educational preserve tours for groups and organizations (call or email Laura Childers at 559.738.0211, ext. 105 to arrange your tour)
School Field Trips
Curriculum-based field trips to the Kaweah Oaks Preserve (KOP) teach your students about the habitat and wildlife near their homes and provide environmental education while preparing them for the STAR test. Our curriculum follows state standards in Math, and Language Arts. Elementary school students benefit from the early exposure to outdoor environmental education because it facilitates a more meaningful 6th grade field trip to SCICON, with whom we partner.
Nature is a classroom
At KOP, trails wind through groves of ancient valley oaks, and quiet spaces for your students to play learning games, hike, draw, and write.
KOP is just minutes from downtown Visalia and preserves a remnant landscape and working land that is home to native plant and animal species, as well as grazing livestock. By visiting this preserve, students learn about the value of natural spaces in their community.
Field trips are a cooperative effort involving SRT, volunteer naturalists, parent chaperones, and teacher participation. Volunteer naturalists generously donate their time to lead your students on interpretive hikes and through learning games. Teachers are expected to provide a sufficient number of parent chaperones and are responsible for maintaining student discipline. If volunteers are not available on the day of the field trip, teachers will be asked to lead learning activities themselves, which requires approximately 20 minutes of preparation.
Currently, schools are asked to contribute $1.50 per student to support the education program. Field trips cost SRT $9 per student, so your school’s contribution matches ours and allows twice as many students to participate.
To schedule a field trip, please fill out the online Field Trip Request Form or download it and fax/mail it to us at 559-622-9477 (fax) or 427 S. Garden St, Visalia, CA 93277.
In-Class Programs
Standards-based in-class programs about nature allow your students to learn about the natural world without leaving the school grounds. The content of these classroom visits is tailored to state standards in Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, Art and Life Sciences. Presentations are intended for grades 1 – 5, but exceptions can be made with sufficient notice. These programs lay the foundation for a more meaningful 6th grade field trip to SCICON, with whom we partner.
To learn more about our other educational programs take a look at our online brochure!
Lesson Plans
Bring nature into the classroom! Use SRT’s “Nature Week” lesson plan set to plan a solid week of nature-related activities for your students. We also have assorted nature craft projects, slide shows, and activities available for download.
These lesson plans will help prepare your students for a field trip to Kaweah Oaks Preserve by teaching them about wildlife, plants, and other natural phenomena.
We also have an updated Teacher Resource Guide that contains information on: environmental education trainings, recommended reading, and local opportunities to get your students outside.
Our assorted craft projects, slide shows, and activities can be modified for almost any classroom. Click on the titles below to view the lesson plans:
- 3D Valley Oak Tree
- Lesson Plan
- Wildlife & Habitat Slide Show
- Valley Oak Leaf Images
- Wildlife Clipart
- Wildlife & Habitat slide show notes
- Animal Tracks Book-on-a-String Necklace
- What’s in Your Water?
- Lesson Plan: lower grades, upper grades
- Monitoring Macroinvertebrates Worksheet
- Macroinvertebrates Identification Guide
- Dichotomous Key to Macroinvertebrates
- Slide Show: lower grades, upper grades
- Places to Get Pond or River Water Samples
- Nature Whirly-Gigs
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Nature Week
Service Learning
Service learning projects give students hands-on experience in wetland, woodland, grassland and riparian restoration that can be applied to a variety of classroom subjects, including Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Students may participate by planting seeds, trees, or reconstructing habitat through other means.
Other examples of service learning opportunities include several projects completed by Eagle Scouts at our preserves. Eagle Scouts have built auditorium-style bench seating for school tours on Kaweah Oaks Preserve trails for school tours, interpretive signage, and a shade house and work area for the Dry Creek Native Plant Nursery.
If you are interested in learning more about our service learning opportunities, please fill out this online form or download it and mail/fax it to us, 559-622-9477 (fax) or
427 S. Garden St, Visalia, CA 93277.