School Field trips about nature, science and cultural history at Placer Nature Center

Field trips to Placer Nature Center

Placer Nature Center is located a few miles east of Auburn in the heart of the Sierra Nevada foothill ecosystem. The rich diversity of foothill plant life is well represented on our 60-acre site and a variety of animal species live in or use the nature preserve. Nature trails, which meander through the acreage, are fertile ground for teaching and exploration.

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"Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand.."

- Native American Saying

Natural & Cultural History | WaterShed Learning
Field trip Extensions| Outdoor Off-Site Programs (EST)
Scheduling, Registration & Downloadable Brochure
Important Information
Adherence to CA Content Standards (opens new page)

Be sure and visit the Just for Teacher's page for information on grants, scholarships and more!
You could get your field trip for funded!

Field trip subjects are built around our local natural and cultural history or our local watershed. Choose a program from one or the other, or better yet, take full advantage of the seasons! In the Fall book a Natural & Cultural History Program when we search for seeds and explore changes in the leaves. Follow up in the Spring with a Watershed Learning Program when the streams are flowing and wildflowers color the landscape! Each season and curriculum bring new discoveries and learning opportunities!

If you are looking for programs delivered in your classroom or out want us to meet in the field please visit our Environmental Science Travels page.

Natural & Cultural History Programs

These field trip programs are the core of our environmental education programming and have delighted and informed thousands of school children for over a decade. The thematic explorations are designed to promote an understanding and awareness of the natural environment, cultivate scientific literacy and stimulate stewardship attitudes toward the earth.

Docents reinforce concepts in an interdisciplinary and interactive approach as students, in groups of 10 to 12, rotate through activities in the Exhibit Hall, Discovery Lab and Courtyard and experience the environment firsthand on a trail walk. Click here to read more about our facilities. (opens new page)

Foothill Discovery – Fur and Feathers
Preschool • 1 hour
How do humans and animals explore and get information from their environment? In this program, children will experience the environment in a multi-sensory approach designed to promote long-lasting learning.

Foothill Environment – Exploring With Senses
Kindergarten • 1-½ hour
People and animals use their senses to survive. Sensory awareness is emphasized as children discover the diversity of the foothill environment. Using all five senses, students will explore how living things get information from their environment.

Habitat – A Place To Live
1st Grade • 1-½ hour
What is your ecological address? By observing and discussing the places where animals live, students learn the concept of habitat. Students will explore the components of habitat, food, shelter, water and space - and find how each is important to the survival of living things.

Life Cycles – Growing Up, Seed or Frog
2nd Grade • 1-½ hour
Plants and animals go through a life cycle-with some stages appearing deceptively unlike the adult. What is your life cycle? Does a rock have a life cycle? By investigating seeds and studying the various stages of animal development, students explore the interrelationships of plants and animals in their life cycles.

Native Americans of the Foothills
3rd Grade • 2 hours
Learn about the Maidu perspective and how their use of the environment was different from ours today. Students will examine Maidu artifacts, explore the Maidu's relationship to the earth and visit a replica Maidu family encampment.

Food Chains – Who’s Eating Whom?
4th Grade • 2 hours
Students will develop an understanding of the role of producers, herbivores, omnivores, carnivores and decomposers in a food chain. They will create a food web using foothill plants and animals and explore the flow of energy from the sun to plants and animals through the food chain.

Ecology – Everything is Connected
5th Grade • 2 hours
The interrelationships of living things are an ecological drama involving living and non-living things. Students explore the relationships of living things within the abiotic world: in soil, among large species and through a microscope in a drop of pond water. How do we humans fit into this interconnected world?

Natural Resource Conservation – What are the 3 R’s?
6th Grade • 2 hours
What is a natural resource? What does conservation mean? Resources are either renewable or non-renewable. How can we use them wisely? Students explore values humans have assigned to natural resources and ways we can reduce our impact on them through the 3 R's: reduce, reuse, recycle.

Your Role: Closing the Loop - Recycling by Humans and Nature
7th to 12th Grade • 2-1/2 hours
Do you live a "closed loop" life? What is your role in closing the loop of the solid waste stream? These questions set the stage for an interactive exploration of "waste" generated in the natural environment, decomposition, and issues of waste disposal of human products introduced into the environment. Recycling can make a difference!

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Natural & Cultural History | WaterShed Learning
Field trip Extensions
Scheduling, Registration & Downloadable Brochure
Important Information
Adherence to CA Content Standards (opens new page)

Be sure and visit the Just for Teacher's page for information on grants, scholarships and more!

Field trip Extension Options

Extend your visit to Placer Nature Center by adding a Current Issues or Creative Arts Extension Option. These programs are appropriate for all ages. Option fees are in addition to Field trip program fees.

Environmental education connects many subjects within the curricula. Science, history and social science learning combines as students consider current "real world" issues and are empowered to create and initiate solutions.

Current Issues

Talk About Trees ™ *
3rd grade & up • 30 minutes
Using visual and kinesthetic exercises to enhance the experience, this program teaches students about tree biology, physiology, gifts from trees and other topics to help them start to understand the complex issues of forestry in California.

*Free when booked with a Field Trip program! Call at least 2 weeks in advance to determine availability. Maximum 30 students per presentation; 2 presentations may be booked back-to-back.

My Lunch and the Landfill
All ages • 30 minutes
What is a no garbage lunch? Explore issues of solid waste disposal and resource consumption. You'll never believe the life of everyday things or look at lunch the same way again.
Fee: $60.
Deposit: $25 due two weeks in advance.

Wild Things
All ages • 1 hour
As development encroaches on natural habitats, contact between humans and wildlife increases. In this up-close, hands-on experience, students meet and learn the natural history and life stories of live animals of the foothills.
(Available September to mid-December only)
Fee: $200 for all group sizes
Deposit: $50 due 30 days in advance

Edible and Useable Plants
All ages • 45 minutes
What are plants used for? Using the Placer Nature Center demonstration garden, students explore the parts of plants and make the connection between plants, food, medicine and clothing.
Fee: $75 (limited to 40 students per program)
Deposit: $25 due two weeks in advance

Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release
All ages • Varies
What happens when wildlife meet people? Presenters can focus on wildlife habitat, natural history, or how to keep wildlife wild. Typically 3 non-releasable's in their care are brought as the focus of the presentation (most are raptors).
Fee: $105/one hour presentation
Deposit: $25 due two weeks in advance

Creative Arts Options

Our Creative Arts Options inspire children to embrace the creative spirits of naturalists, painters, and performers. Students gain an appreciation for their natural surroundings and develop a heightened sensitivity to the total environment.

Trickster Coyote or John Muir Performance
All ages • 45 minutes
Live theater is an unforgettable experience for children. A professional actor creates a memorable character and tells stories for learning and fun!
Fee: $100 up to 60 students. $150 up to 70 students.
Deposit: $25 due two weeks in advance.

Nature Art
All ages • 1 hour
Artists have a unique way of seeing nature. With a professional artist, learn watercolor painting in an outdoor setting. Palette, fine watercolor paints, brushes and watercolor paper provided.
Fee: $ 6.00 per student (Minimum Charge $120.)
Deposit: $50 due two weeks in advance.

WaterShed Learning Center Programs

Become a WaterShed Explorer! Our WaterShed Learning Center is equipped with stunning exhibits and state of the art equipment designed to challenge and engage students in hands-on investigations and critical thinking about our water resources. Programs include a docent-led tour of the WaterShed Learning Center's interactive exhibits and investigations that explore the themes of Water and Nature, Water and People, and Water Conservation. A hike on our nature trail further explores the theme. Click here to read more about our facilities. (opens new page)

Pond Paddlers
Kindergarten to 2nd Grade • 1 hour 50 minutes
Students will review the water cycle and follow a drop of water as it enters and flows through the watershed. By following the flow of water, its importance as a necessity of life will be demonstrated. Students will examine how people use water and look for ways it can become polluted. The conservation of water resources in nature and at home will also be examined.

Stream Swimmers
3rd to 6th Grade • 2-¼ hours
Students will learn to define a watershed and engage in explorations of water environments within a watershed. Through hands-on experimentation, students will determine the special qualities of water and the importance of water quality on natural ecosystems and life itself. Students will develop an understanding of California's complex water distribution and identify their own watershed. The complex issues of water treatment and water pollution will be explored before investigating the stream and pond on our nature walk.

River Runners
6th to 8th Grade • 2-¼ hours
Students in grades 6 to 8 will explore the dynamics of water in a watershed by observing and interpreting how it transforms the landscape. Unseen, yet tapped, ground water will be explored through experimentation. Students will recognize major sources of aquatic pollution and make inferences about pollution effects on watershed health. While exploring water conservation strategies, students will develop critical thinking skills to resolve water resource issues.

Return to Top
Natural & Cultural History | WaterShed Learning
Field trip Extensions
Scheduling, Registration & Downloadable Brochure
Important Information
Adherence to CA Content Standards (opens new page)

Be sure and visit the Just for Teacher's page for information on grants, scholarships and more!

Scheduling & Registration

How to Schedule a Program
Fill in the Registration Form (Program brochure and registration form below). Reservations are accepted on a first come first serve basis. Please be sure to fill-in the whole form, including all contact information and preferred dates and program information. Once complete, please submit Registration Form by:

Mail to:
Placer Nature Center
3700 Christian Valley Road
Auburn, CA 95602

Fax to: (530) 878-4940

If you have questions, please call (530) 878-6053 or email linda@placernaturecenter.orgStaff members are usually available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or you may leave a message and we will return your call.

After your Registration Form is received you will receive a call or email to confirm the date and time of your field trip or off-site visit. Please submit any required deposits within the time frame outlined in the program description.

Two weeks before your scheduled program, we will mail you pre-visit information and preparation activities, a summary of the program, and post-visit follow-up activities for your classroom.

Download:

School Program Information Brochure

Registration Form

If the files will not open for you, then you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader. It is a free program.

Important Information

Directions: For directions click here. Parking is available for buses and cars.

Group Size: Natural and Cultural History Programs and Learning from the Land are limited to 70 students per day. WaterShed Learning and Environmental Science Travels programs are limited to 40 students at a time. It is helpful if you organize your class into groups of 10 to 12 students each for field trips to Placer Nature Center and into three separate groups for Learning from the Land and Environmental Science Travels off-site programs.

Special Needs: Please inform us of any special-needs students in your class. Our Exhibit Halls, Discovery Room and bathrooms are wheelchair accessible. We have a separate special-needs nature trail, too. There is designated disabled parking closer to the buildings for those arriving by car.

Payment: A payment envelope is sent with your pre-visit packet. Please be sure it is filled out and ready upon arrival. Payment must be exact for the number of students receiving the program, as changes cannot be made after registration. Please submit one check per program. A minimum of 15 days notice is required for cancellation (30 days for Wild Things Extension Option). Extension Option deposits are non-refundable.

Weather: Programs are delivered rain or shine unless conditions are hazardous, in which case the program will be rescheduled. Please make sure students dress appropriately for the weather and wear closed-toe shoes appropriate for walking the trail.

Snacks/Lunch: You are welcome to use our picnic facilities for a snack or lunch before or after your on-site program. Fresh air and trail walks seem to stimulate young appetites. Our programs do not allow for a snack time during the program. Please plan accordingly. Also please note we have no garbage service at our site and you will be required to take any trash back with you.

Nature Shop: At teacher request, the Nature Shop can be open during your visit, usually during lunch. A variety of nature items and educational toys are available, ranging in price from 25¢ to $25. The nature-themed items include pencils, magnifiers, necklaces, stuffed animals, balls, bird feeders, bat houses, candles, mugs and more!

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