Project Description

  • School bus parked at Cedar Haven.
  • Two people, one child and one adult, looking into a nest box to inspect eggs,
  • Swallow landing on nest box.
  • Person in a blue jacket, walking away from the camera through a field with trees on either side of them.
  • Forest floor and trees.

We offer field trips on a variety of topics that connect children and youth with the natural world! We believe in hands-on science-based education that fosters lifelong curiosity about nature.

Each of our field trips include immersive, science-based nature experiences and up-close encounters with living things. We’ve designed our field trips to complement the various age-appropriate learning goals outlined in the Ontario Science Curriculum, and we are more than happy to collaborate with you to reach your group’s specific learning objectives.

Pricing

The cost is $15 per student (with a minimum total cost of $90).

Field Trip Length

Field trips are 3 hours in length and can typically be booked between the hours of 10AM and 2PM. 

Group Size

In order to provide the best possible experience for your students and to care well for the land, we cap our field trips at 30 students. If your group exceeds 30, we ask that you split the group into multiple field trip bookings.

Topics

Depending on the season (spring or fall), students will encounter how various species adapt when the season changes! How do plants grow in the spring? What is dormancy in plants? Which creatures in Ontario hibernate? Who is staying awake all winter and how do they survive? Who wakes up first in the spring? Students will get a close-up nature immersion experience exploring our property and learning about the signs and characteristics of the changing seasons.

May, October, November | Grades: JK – 4

In this encounter, students will learn about the “ingredients” needed for healthy soil. As they explore soil, students will be challenged to see how soil connects and contributes to the health of the ecosystem, which includes us! Students will build their own soil sample, as well as learn various ways of testing soil in different locations on site. We will also take time to learn about and discuss the importance of decomposers in the soil. As we take time to hike around the property, we will pay close attention to the soil under our feet, investigating the plants, decomposers, moss and fungi that live there.

May, June, September, October | Grades: JK – 8

In this encounter, students will get to observe various bird species up close! They will learn about our bird monitoring efforts while getting a close up look at birds at various life stages in our nest boxes! Students will learn about the lifecycle of birds and how to determine bird species by observing flight patterns, different types of nests, eggs and chicks. They will learn about bird species at risk, and what birds need to thrive here in Ontario.

Late May , June | Grades: JK – 11

In this encounter, students will have the opportunity to get close up to pollinators by spending time netting insects in a flower-filled meadow. Students will learn how to put insects into a vial so they can closely investigate its characteristics. We will discuss the importance of pollination and how it connects to us and the food we eat. We will also spend time looking closely at wildflowers and learn how to identify the species of flowers at the A Rocha Ontario Centre.

May, June, September | Grades: 1 – 4

In this encounter, students will learn how everything around them requires a respiratory system to survive! Through a series of science lessons, hands-on activities and science experiments, we will explore and observe the respiratory systems of plants, insects, birds and fish! How do fish breathe underwater? Do plants breathe? After we learn about the amazing respiratory systems around us, we will test our own respiratory systems by engaging in a fun “lung olympics” activity.

May, June, September, October, November | Grades: 4 – 11

In this encounter, students will deepen their understanding of biodiversity. Through hands-on learning activities, we will focus on learning the importance of classifying biodiversity through genetics, species and ecosystems. We will look closely at the biodiversity in soil, and species biodiversity at our field centre. We will also discuss the threats to biodiversity and think through what actions we do that can impact (positively and negatively) the biodiversity we find around us. We will go on a “biodiversity hike” where we will consider the biodiversity in the fields and wetland. At the end, students will participate in a hands-on activity to contribute to the health of biodiversity at the centre.

May, June, September, October | Grades: 6 – 11

Book a Field Trip

Booking for fall (September – November) is now open! Please use the inquiry form below to make a field trip request, and we will get back to you to confirm details and finalize your booking. Contact us at ontario@arocha.ca if you have any questions.