Teachers' Guide to Surviving a Field Trip to the Wetlands


Sandy Greene (Sandy.Greene@va.nacdnet.net 540-248-6218 ext 3) at Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) can help with information about field trips to the Wetlands. Sandy coordinates with the North River Ranger District and maintains the equipment and materials. She can help facilitate the day or you can run it yourself. Here is an overview of the typical field trip Wetland field trip overview.

Typically 2nd and 3rd grade teachers use 6 hosted 20-minute learning stations and rotate 6 equal sized groups through these stations. This structured part of the day will usually last from 10am to noon. Bring bag lunches and have lunch on the boardwalk and students may be shocked to see a giant dragonfly nymph and adult (teen hosts in costume). Hosts should arrive by 8:30, and elementary studentsat 9:45am.in the parking lot.

After scheduling a field trip date (and a raindate) with Sandy, you will receive a letter than is similar to the following:
confirmation letter pg1
confirmation letter pg2

When you arrive, someone will greet you in the parking lot. The students will gather in groups and travel together to the circular boardwalk to meet their volunteer station leaders. (If you will be volunteering, visit the volunteer page) There will be an short opening and the parents/chaperones will receive a bingo card. It has items on it to look for in the wetlands and gives students and chaperones the opportunity to explore while traveling between stations. See a sample Bingo card. You can also create your own Bingo with this bingo template.

The volunteer program that has worked the best at Augusta Springs is for the elementary school to match up with their own high school students to host the stations. This way a partnership is formed that can be continued every year. We can help coordinate and set up the materials, or make them available to you.

Augusta Springs field trips provide students opportunities for a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE). To learn more about what fits the definition of a MWEE, click on the following links.
MWEE pg1
MWEE pg2
MWEE pg3
MWEE pg4



Checklist:
  • Bag lunches
  • Name Tags for everyone (inc chaperones) with group name or symbol on them (try our Name Tag template)
  • Check the weather for appropriate attire (Compared to Staunton weather, in the fall it's slightly warmer and in the spring it's slightly cooler bc of the water.)
  • Suggest students wear old clothes, with extra warm layers for the extended outdoor time. Bring hats and gloves.
  • Trash Bag - We ask that school bring trash bags, and take their own trash away with them since trash can space and volunteer trash haulers are very limited. Thank you.
  • Encourage the use of re-useable containers (to minimize trash and to reinforce the conservation message. We support conservation by providing a recycling center for aluminum, clean, dry paper and cardboard, glass, and #1 and #2 plastics. Thank you for the good stewardship of actively recycling.)

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