Field Trips
For Middle and High Schools.
All activities are FREE!
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While field trips are free for SFUSD schools, transportation may not be provided. For help funding transportation to these field trips, check out the Target Field Trip Grants or Transportation Funds from Environmental Volunteers. If you are at a Title 1 school, please also explore the SFUSD Science Enrichment Pathway, which may transportation for some field trips.
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Jump to: Carbon Neutrality | Water Resilience | Zero Waste | Connection to Nature | All
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CARBON NEUTRALITY
Power in the City
​ 25 points
Learn about urban power generation by exploring renewable energy sources on-site and options for using power sustainably at school and at home. Learn more and sign up.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Grades 4-12
WATER RESILIENCE
Planting for a Healthy Planet
​​​ 25 points ​​​​ Cross-listed under Connection to Nature
Learn how to take care of our environment through place appropriate planting by field sketching and working with drought-tolerant and water-loving plants on site. Learn more and sign up.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Grades 2-12
Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour
​ 25 points
Have you ever wondered what happens to the dirty water from your shower, laundry and toilet after it goes down the drain? What about the runoff from lawns and gardens, and rainwater and car washing?
Find out by taking a free tour of one of San Francisco's Wastewater Treatment Plants. You'll learn about the history of wastewater treatment in San Francisco and plans to upgrade our aging sewer system, tips on preventing pollution of our Bay and Ocean, and best of all, you'll go behind the scenes to see (and smell!) how this vital infrastructure works. Learn more.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Middle and High School
Watershed and Water System
​ 25 points
Energize Schools is able to bring classrooms on a field trip related to their Watershed and Public Water System curriculum. Past field trips have included trips to the local wastewater treatment facility and working with NOAA staff, scientists, and engineers to help with data collection points and to assist with instruction and to describe their personal career pathways. Contact Energize Schools at energizeschools@seiinc.org to learn more and schedule.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
High School
ZERO WASTE
Beach Cleanup
​ 25 points
Take your students to visit Ocean Beach or Baker Beach for a 1-2 hour cleanup and collect data on the plastics you find. To schedule, email Eva at RAP@sf.surfrider.org with the subject line "Beach Cleanup for (Your School), Earth Day Every Day".
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Optionally, take it full circle by reusing the (cleaned) plastics your students find to create ocean pollution-inspired art with SF Surfrider Foundation volunteers back in your classroom. Art pieces may be included in the Surfrider Foundation's annual gallery show, "Message in a Bottle". Find this as a separate activity under Classroom Presentations.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
All grades
Full Cycle
​ 25 points
Investigate how the city recycles materials by learning about our compost bins, worm bin, and composting toilet (one of the city’s first), and observing microorganisms under a microscope. Learn more and sign up.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Grades 3-5, but can make exceptions for Middle and High schools
CONNECTION TO NATURE
Wetlands: At Your Service
​​​​ 25 points ​​​​
Wetlands provide many ecosystem services—from flood control to food production—that help support human wellbeing. Delve into the story of California’s wetlands while exploring the wetlands at the EcoCenter and in Heron’s Head Park in this 1 hour long, NGSS aligned program. Learn more and sign up.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Middle Schools
Climate Stewards
​​​​ 25 points ​​​​
What’s happening with our climate and how can we take care of it? Explore climate change basics, how animals and ecosystems are being affected, and what we can all do to make a positive difference in our communities in this 1 hour long, NGSS aligned program at the EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
High Schools
Environmental Justice in SF
​​​​ 25 points ​​​​
Literacy for Environmental Justice provides educational experiences that are pioneering education rooted in environmental justice. This field trip provokes participants to think critically about their surrounding environments. Students learn how environmental stewardship and native ecology are powerful solutions to environmental and social justice issues in southeast San Francisco and beyond. Email Ryan Tachibana at ryan.tachibana@lejyouth.org to learn more and schedule.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Middle Schools, High Schools
Planting for a Healthy Planet
​​​ 25 points ​​​​ Cross-listed under Water Resilience
Learn how to take care of our environment through place appropriate planting by field sketching and working with drought-tolerant and water-loving plants on site. Learn more.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Grades 2-12
Our Shared Habitat
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
Explore the various habitat examples on the site through a scavenger hunt and learn how to help create a biodiverse and interdependent city through stewardship. Learn more and sign up.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Grades K-12
Urban Food Systems
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
Discover how to grow healthy, sustainable food in the city by helping us care for our food garden. Learn more.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Grades K-12
California Academy of Sciences
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
The Academy is the only place where you'll find an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum all under one living roof. Book a planetarium show, enjoy drop-in presentations, and explore endless exhibits!
School field trips to the California Academy of Sciences are available year-round for school groups bringing grades preK-12, including preschool. Bring one class, or the entire grade! Admission is FREE for San Francisco schools. Learn more and apply.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
All grades
Habitat Restoration and Stewardship Work
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
Become a Park Steward and help restore unique San Francisco coastal habitat at Lands End, Fort Funston, and along the Presidio coastal bluffs. Our program offers great opportunity for those interested in ecological science. Enhance your studies, explore new habitats, and learn about local wildlife and plants with us. Weekly volunteer activities focus on weeding in the summer and planting in the winter, as well as seed collection, landscape beautification, and trail maintenance. Email Yakuta Poonawalla at ypoonawalla@parksconservancy.org to schedule.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
All Grades
Youth Stewardshp Program: Sense of Place
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
YSP offers two programs to choose from: YSP Full (5 trips) and YSP Abbreviated (1- 3 trips). Each program trip can be tailored to meet the needs of teachers and fall within one of our five themes: Sense of Place, Plant Adaptation, Water and Soil, Animal Adaptation and Interdependence. Each program trip includes an environmental education and habitat restoration component. All programs are free of cost and include an introductory in-class presentation. Learn more and apply.
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Field Trip - Partner visits school, Partner hosts
Grades 1-12
Youth Stewardshp Program: Plant Adaptations
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
YSP offers two programs to choose from: YSP Full (5 trips) and YSP Abbreviated (1- 3 trips). Each program trip can be tailored to meet the needs of teachers and fall within one of our five themes: Sense of Place, Plant Adaptation, Water and Soil, Animal Adaptation and Interdependence. Each program trip includes an environmental education and habitat restoration component. All programs are free of cost and include an introductory in-class presentation. Learn more and apply.
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Field Trip - Partner visits school, Partner hosts
Grades 1-12
Youth Stewardshp Program: Water and Soil
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
YSP offers two programs to choose from: YSP Full (5 trips) and YSP Abbreviated (1- 3 trips). Each program trip can be tailored to meet the needs of teachers and fall within one of our five themes: Sense of Place, Plant Adaptation, Water and Soil, Animal Adaptation and Interdependence. Each program trip includes an environmental education and habitat restoration component. All programs are free of cost and include an introductory in-class presentation. Learn more and apply.
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Field Trip - Partner visits school, Partner hosts
Grades 1-12
Youth Stewardshp Program: Animal Adaptations
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
YSP offers two programs to choose from: YSP Full (5 trips) and YSP Abbreviated (1- 3 trips). Each program trip can be tailored to meet the needs of teachers and fall within one of our five themes: Sense of Place, Plant Adaptation, Water and Soil, Animal Adaptation and Interdependence. Each program trip includes an environmental education and habitat restoration component. All programs are free of cost and include an introductory in-class presentation. Learn more and apply.
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Field Trip - Partner visits school, Partner hosts
Grades 1-12
Youth Stewardshp Program: Interdependence
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
YSP offers two programs to choose from: YSP Full (5 trips) and YSP Abbreviated (1- 3 trips). Each program trip can be tailored to meet the needs of teachers and fall within one of our five themes: Sense of Place, Plant Adaptation, Water and Soil, Animal Adaptation and Interdependence. Each program trip includes an environmental education and habitat restoration component. All programs are free of cost and include an introductory in-class presentation. Learn more and apply.
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Field Trip - Partner visits school, Partner hosts
Grades 1-12
Guided Tours of the Bay Model
​​​ 25 points ​​​​
Bay Model is a scale hydraulic model of the Bay and Delta. We simulate the tides and currents of the Bay. An excellent place to learn about the SF Bay watershed and how human activities impact the Bay ecosystems. Visitor Center is open Tuesday through Saturday 9am-4pm. Learn more and call 415-289-3007 to schedule and personalize your experience.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Grades 3-6
ALL
Living City Site Exploration at College Hill Learning Garden
​ 25 points Applicable for points toward any sustainability goal​
Come explore the College Hill Learning Garden through a self-guided scavenger hunt that brings each student through the seven main themes of city sustainability demonstrated on the site. Learn more and sign up.
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Field Trip - Partner hosts
Grades K-12