Placer Nature Center (School Field Trips)

Environmental Education Programs
for all Grade Levels

Offered at our 60-acre foothill site,
brought to your classroom, or presented in the field.

We engage students in learning through real-world experiences with a focus on environmental literacy:

Learning about and caring for the total environment
Understanding how humans interact with and are dependent on natural ecosystems
Developing critical-thinking skills to resolve environmental concerns

All programs are aligned with the California State Science Standards and are presented by staff naturalists and trained volunteer docents who actively engage students using an interdisciplinary and interactive approach.

Fieldtrips to our Foothill Facility
Preschool through High School
Natural and cultural history programs offer hands-on, interactive learning in our Exhibit Hall or WaterShed Learning Center and include a nature walk through our natural foothill environment with its rich diversity of plant and animal life.

Fieldtrip Extension Options
Creative arts or current issues programs can be added to enhance your fieldtrip program.

Science Learning Brought to Your Classroom
Second to Sixth Grade
If transportation or weather problems prevent you from coming to us, let us bring a program to you with Environmental Science Travels.

Outdoor Off-Site Programs
Fifth Grade to High School
The great outdoors becomes the classroom for interdisciplinary discovery in Learning from the Land or one of our Field Studies courses.

Teacher Workshops
Learn new activities to incorporate environmental education in your lesson plans across the curricula.

Scheduling and Registration Information

For an Adobe Acrobat version of the Environmental Education Programs
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Field Trips to Our Site

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. Our facilities include:

Exhibit Hall – Interactive displays, beautiful murals and learning tools appropriate for all grades
WaterShed Learning Center – Interactive exhibits focused on water resources
Discovery Lab – Our hands-on science room provides activities for each thematic program
Courtyard with picnic tables and pond – for playing nature games or enjoying lunch while observing wildlife
Nisenan Village – A replica of a Native American foothill family encampment
Demonstration Garden – Themed garden beds of native and cultivated plants and a compost education center
Amphitheater – An outdoor performance space
Nature Shop – A variety of nature items and educational toys for all ages. Open by teacher request.

Field trip Program Fees:

$6.00 per student for elementary groups under 26, and 7th through 12 grade

$5.00 per student for elementary groups of 26 or more.

Minimum $70. There is no fee for teachers and parent helpers.

Maximum 70 students per day for Natural and Cultural History Programs; 40 students per day for WaterShed Programs.

Natural and Cultural History Programs

These 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.

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 – The Nisenan
3rd Grade • 2 hours
The Nisenan are Native Americans in the foothill area who had a flourishing culture before the Gold Rush. The Nisenan perspective and use of the environment was different that ours today. Students will examine Nisenan artifacts, explore the Nisenan’s relationship to the earth and visit a replica Nisenan 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.

Energy Lab
6th to 8th Grade • 2 hours
What can we do to conserve energy? Students rotate through three interactive labs to investigate control devices that save energy, efficiency in lighting and heating and cooling strategies for conservation.

Your Role: Closing the Loop - Recycling by Humans and Nature
7th to 12th Grade • 3 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!

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.

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 5th Grade • 2¼ hours
Students in grades 3 to 5 will 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 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.

Fieldtrip Extension Options

Current Issues and Creative Arts 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 Fieldtrip 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.

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.

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.

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! Choose either Trickster Coyote (Native American Tales) or John Muir.
Fee: $100 up to 40 students. $150 up to 70 students. 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: $150 up to 40 students. $200 up to 70 students. Deposit: $50 due 30 days in advance.

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 every day things or look at lunch the same way again.
Fee: $50. Deposit: $25 due two weeks in advance.

Puppet Theater
All ages • 45 minutes
Environmental theater using puppet characters and audience participation. The puppet play engages students in a real world drama that explores animal and human interaction in a natural ecosystem.
Fee: $100 (limited to 40 students per performance). Deposit: $25 due two weeks in advance.

Nature Art
All ages • 1 hour
Artists have a unique way of seeing nature. In this option, a professional artist teaches watercolor painting in an outdoor setting with palette, fine watercolor paints, brushes and watercolor paper provided.
Fee: $ 7.50 per student (Minimum Charge $150.) Deposit: $50 due two weeks 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.

Teacher Workshops

Learn to use environmental education to enhance and enrich learning for your students in all areas of the curriculum. Fill in a registration form to let us know you are interested and we will contact you when the workshops are scheduled.

Project Learning Tree, Project Wild, Project Aquatic, Project WET, and Close the Loop
Looking for inspiration and fun new activities you can use across the curriculum? Placer Nature Center offers educator workshops that provide interdisciplinary lessons and activities teachers of all grade levels can use to introduce environmental awareness while teaching math, science, history, language arts and social sciences.

Nature Bowl Coaches Workshop
For teachers of 3rd to 6th Grade and Parent Volunteers
This workshop provides all the information and materials needed to successfully coach a student team to compete in the regional Nature Bowl, a fun, friendly competition where students in grades three through six demonstrate their knowledge of nature and our local environment. Activities include team problem solving, a nature relay, creation of an “enviro-mercial,” outdoor investigations and a fast-paced, Jeopardy-like game called “Bell-Ringers.”

Off Site Programs

Environmental Science Travels!

When you can’t come to Placer Nature Center because of weather or transportation – let us bring our experiential science learning programs to you!

Each program begins with a group introduction to the theme. Children then rotate through three hands-on, interactive stations where they engage in activities designed to enhance and reinforce theme concepts.

Wings: Birds, Bats, and Bugs
2nd to 6th Grade • 1-¼ hour
This program focuses on the adaptations of these winged creatures. Feathers, bat puppets and plastic bugs are all used to create an understanding of the adaptation concept in a fun interactive format.

Natural Resource Conservation
2nd to 6th Grade • 1-¼ hour
From composting to recycling there’s much we can do to reduce our solid waste stream to the landfill. This program educates on the how and why we each must do our part in using the 3 R’s everyday!

Food Chains
2nd to 6th Grade • 1-¼ hour
This program stresses the interrelationships found in the local ecosystem. From bugs to mountain lions and aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems, the children will gain a solid understanding of the web of life.

Waterworks
2nd to 6th Grade • 1-¼ hour
This program introduces the children to the concept of watershed. What is their watershed address? How does water move through it? What living things are dependent on the watershed? Children explore the answers to these questions and more, through investigation of watershed-related activities and terminology; while concluding with activities that explore water conservation.

Field Studies
2nd to 6th Grade • 1-¼ hour
Nature is everywhere! Using hand lenses, binoculars, and collection nets to investigate the plants, birds and insects around the school yard, students discover that the wonders of the natural world surround them everyday, right where they live.

Smart Energy Choices
6th to 8th Grade • 50 to 75 minutes, adaped to your school schedule
After an informal introduction about the energy demands and environmental impacts created by student behaviors and purchases, interactive activities show how energy concepts are related to everyday products and inspire students to consider choices they can make to practice conservation.

Environmental Science Travels Program Fees:

$150 per presentation, maximum 40 students per presentation
Discount offered for consecutive presentations on the same day:
$220 for two programs, $270 for three programs, $310 for four programs
Travel Fee: $1.00 per mile for distance travelled round trip from Placer Nature Center

Field Courses

Learning from the Land
5th to 8th Grade • 5-½ hours
A full day of investigations and observations at Traylor Ranch Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary in Penryn. A one hour pre-visit classroom orientation by Placer Nature Center staff prepares students for a day on the land. Once on-site, PNC staff will guide students in small groups through three inquiry-based discovery stations that explore stream and grassland ecology and the cultural history of the land. After a lunch break, students come together to perform a riparian restoration project and then end the day with a reflective writing activity. Offered during Fall and Spring. Maximum 60 students per day.
Fees: $10 per student, minimum $200.

Field Studies
7th to 12th Grade,GATE Classes, Home-school Programs • 2 to 3 hours
Outdoor enrichment classes that use the environment to engage students in scientific learning. A range of special interest topics are offered throughout the year at locations throughout Placer and Nevada counties. All are taught by experts in the field of study or Placer Nature Center staff. Past topics have included Orienteering, Astronomy, Tree Identification, Tracking, Wildlife and Geology. Get on our distribution list to receive notice of classes as they are scheduled by sending in a registration form, or contact us with your special interests and we will tailor a field studies program to meet your needs.
Fees: Variable

How to Schedule a Program

Fill in the Registration Form enclosed with this brochure or downloaded from our website: www.placernaturecenter.org. (Click on Education Programs and then select the program you wish to register for.) Reservations are accepted on a first come first serve basis.

Please fill out all contact information and the section for the program you have chosen: Natural and Cultural History Fieldtrips to our site, Environmental Science Travels, or Learning from the Land.

To register for a program, you may:

Mail the form to 3700 Christian Valley Road, Auburn, CA 95602
Fax the form to (530) 878-6053
Call or leave a message at (530) 878-6053, being sure to clearly leave your name and phone number. Our scheduler will contact you to get your registration information.

If you have questions, please call (530) 878-6053 or email

Staff members are usually available from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
or you may leave a message and we will return your call.

If you register by mail or fax, you will receive a call or email to confirm the date and time of your fieldtrip 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.

Important Information

Directions: Placer Nature Center is located four miles east of Auburn. To reach Placer Nature Center from areas west of Auburn, travel east on I-80 and exit at Dry Creek Road. Cross over the freeway and take a left turn at Dry Creek Road. At the next stop sign, turn right onto Christian Valley Road. Placer Nature Center is located at the end of Christian Valley Road, approximately four miles from I-80. Enter the California Conservation Corps gate and turn left onto the gravel road. 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. Energy Lab, 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 fieldtrips 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 handicap 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. 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¢ pencils to $4.00 native dolls to $20 bat houses.