A field trip or South Slough Reserve school visit supports science learning and enhances lesson plans. The Reserve partners with schools around the state to create educational experiences that engage students in the natural world and teach them about watersheds, salt marshes, tideflats, and water channels.
Reserve educators work with K-12 teachers to develop programming that meets learning outcomes. Field trips, classroom visits, or hybrid experiences are available. Let us know how we can support your classroom.
Plan a Field Trip
Learning becomes immersive during a field trip to the Reserve. Students can hike, dig, observe, and inquire into the natural systems around them. Reserve educators help students identify wildlife, conduct research, and learn about the importance of coastal wetlands.
Available programs vary, depending on the time of year and student grade.
On-Site Programs
- Description
Begin at the head of the freshwater and follow the creek to the estuary. Discover plants and animals along the way and observe where fresh and salt water meet.
- Length
- 3-4 hours
- Months Offered
- Tuesdays-Fridays in March-May and September-October
- Description
Discover what lies below the surface of the estuary from the platform of the Charleston Marina docks. This lesson includes water quality sampling, plankton tow, and organism sampling.
- Length
- 1 hour
- Months Offered
- Wednesdays-Fridays in March-May and September-October
- Description
Identify native tree species and learn basic forestry tools used to determine the health of a forest.
- Length
- 3 hours
- Months Offered
- Wednesdays and Thursdays in March, September, and October
- Description
Learn about the threat of invasive species to our coastal habitats by participating in an invasive species pull with South Slough Reserve staff.
- Length
- 2-4 hours
- Months Offered
- Wednesdays and Thursdays in September-May
- Description
Discover what lies beneath the mud. Dig, collect and observe organisms living between the tides.
- Length
- 2-3 hours
- Months Offered
- Wednesdays and Thursdays in April and May
- Description
The adventure begins when a treasure chest arrives in your classroom. The chest holds lesson plans, activities, and accompanying learning tools to involve students over the course of a week. When students arrive at the Reserve for their field trip, they will hike to the shoreline of the estuary and embark on an adventure along the areas’s “treasure trails.” Clues will guide students and by the end of the day, they will have learned enough to find the treasure.
- Length
- 4-5 hours
- Months Offered
- Wednesdays and Thursdays in September-October
Hybrid Options
South Slough Reserve can come to your classroom before or after the field-tip to help introduce or reinforce concepts. Activities connect field trips to the classroom, and help students recognize patterns, concepts, and ideas.
Planning Your Field Trip
Are you ready to get started?
Check out the guide we have put together to help you plan, prep your curriculum, and reinforce concepts learned at the Reserve.
Bring a Reserve Educator to Your Classroom
Bring the Reserve to your classroom. In-person and virtual visits are available. We offer engaging lessons that focus on estuary habitats, watershed concepts, climate issues, and research being conducted at the South Slough and other reserves around the country. Additionally, speakers can talk about the Reserve and discuss their careers and areas of expertise.