Education

Educational Escapades

FOR’s Field Trips for All Grade Levels

Our Field Trip Programs provide students with interactive, outdoor science and history education opportunities. Our goal is to give teachers and students a safe, fun, hands-on experience that will inspire respect and stewardship for the Rappahannock and its watershed. Our curriculum is aligned with the VA Standards of Learning and National Science Standards and includes programs suitable for preschool through high school and beyond.

Registration Information

Program Fees: $10 per attendee (teachers excluded). The balance will be due on or after your field trip date(s). Minimum group visit is $175. No fee for teachers. Special arrangements may be possible for groups where cost would otherwise prevent participation.

To Register for a Field Trip: Please contact us at fieldtrips@riverfriends.org with the following information:

– Your school or group name

– The program you are interested in attending

– The grade level of the students attending

– The number of classes and the total number of students attending

SUMMER PROGRAM FIELD TRIPS

Summer program field trips are available on select Tuesdays and Thursdays in June and July. Please contact fieldtrips@riverfriends.org for a list of available programs and dates.

Please note: You will receive a confirmation letter when scheduled. Please let us know of special needs, and we will try to accommodate them. All programs include river safety and trail safety instruction. Programs may be altered during inclement weather. Exceptions to the maximum chaperone limit include special-needs children, homeschoolers, small preschools, and scout groups. No siblings, please.

Cancellation Policy: Classes are conducted rain or shine unless weather is a safety issue. We will contact you as soon as possible to notify you of the cancellation. If you wish to cancel a program, please do so at least 4 weeks prior to your scheduled program to receive a registration fee refund. We maintain a waitlist of schools wanting to attend a field trip.

Location: River’s Edge Nature Preserve is located at 3219 Fall Hill Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

CHAPERONES: Please make sure the school approves all attending adults. We are not open to the public. We require at least two adults per class (including the teacher), and recommend 1 for every 5 students. Teachers and chaperones MUST remain with their group and help with class management. Chaperones who are not school staff should have a school-issued visitor’s pass in view at all times.

Descriptions of our programs and registration information follow. Please contact us at fieldtrips@riverfriends.org for more information.

Field Trip

Grade Level(s)

Region

Preschool: Walking the Path of the American Indian

Preschool

Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg

Preschool: Walk Like the Animals

Preschool

Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg

Preschool: Water Properties

Preschool

Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg

Kindergarten & 1st: River Investigation

1st Grade, Kindergarten

Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg

Approx. Time: 3 hrs

VA Science SOL’s: K.1, K.3, K.4, K.5, K.6, K.7, K.9, 1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8

River Investigation Hike – Investigate the river habitat with your senses – observing, describing, and charting. Discover how animals use their senses for survival.
Trees – Gain a better understanding of tree parts, trees as a resource, and why trees are so important to our river.
Life in the River Habitat – Explore many different plants and animals along the river and discover why they live next to the river.
Environmental STEM or E-STEM – Our E-STEM program offerings engage students in learning about the renewable natural resources of water, wind, or solar energy. Students design, engineer, and test solutions to environmental challenges while completing design challenges. E-STEM is creativity and functionality in one succinct bundle of environmental fun.

You can also add an E-STEM program to your field trip.

Environmental STEM or E-STEM – Our E-STEM program offerings engage students in learning about the renewable natural resources of water, wind, or solar energy. Students design, engineer, and test solutions to environmental challenges while completing design challenges. E-STEM is creativity and functionality in one succinct bundle of environmental fun.

Choose one of the E-STEM challenges below (Option 1 or Option 2) and one of the above offerings to create your own experience.

E-STEM Option 1: Storm Drain Litter Catcher Design Challenge – Learn the top pollutants in the Rappahannock River while discovering the importance of our stormdrain systems. How can humans use storm drains to keep our water clean?
E-STEM Option 2: Build A Barge – The Rappahannock River is used for travel, commerce, and recreation. Students experiment with the properties that cause items to sink and float, then design and build their own barges. Which team’s barge will float the most weight!?!

Second & Third Grade: Wetlands, Food Web, Water Cycle & Ecosystem

2nd Grade, 3rd Grade

Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg

Second & Third Grade: Seasonal Change & Rappahannock Connections

2nd Grade, 3rd Grade

Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg

4th Grade MWEE

4th Grade, MWEE

Lower Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg, Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula, Upper Rappahannock, Upper Rappahannock & Rapidan

MWEE

Fourth & Fifth Grade: Watersheds

4th Grade, 5th Grade

Lower Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg, Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula, Upper Rappahannock, Upper Rappahannock & Rapidan

Fourth & Fifth Grade: Rappahannock History

4th Grade, 5th Grade

Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg

Approx. Time: 3.5

History and Social Science SOLs: VS.1, VS.2, VS.3, VS.4; USI.1, USI.2, USI.3, USI.5; VA Science SOLs: 4.3, 4.8, 5.9

Survivor: John Smith – Visit the northwest extent of John Smith’s exploration of the Rappahannock, comparing Virginia resources now and then. Through tasks and role playing, simulate the Jamestown settlers’ effort to survive and fulfill responsibilities to the Virginia Company and the King.
Rappahannock Connections – Discover how the Rappahannocks, an American Indian Tribe of the Eastern Woodlands, adapted to their environment and used their natural resources. Investigate their respect for nature through pottery, artifacts, and oral tradition.

Health SOLs: 4.1. 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2
Learn to evaluate river safety conditions to enjoy the river safely. Interactive and hands-on, but all on dry land.

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You can also add an E-STEM program to one of the above programmatic elements.

Environmental STEM or E-STEM – Our E-STEM program offerings engage students in learning about the renewable natural resources of water, wind, or solar energy. Students design, engineer, and test solutions to environmental challenges while completing design challenges. E-STEM is creativity and functionality in one succinct bundle of environmental fun.

Choose one of the E-STEM challenges below to go with the programs offered above.

E-STEM Option 1 Stormwater Sediment Filter Design Challenge – Learn the top pollutants in the Rappahannock River while discovering the importance of our stormdrain systems. Students learn while they engineer stormwater filters for the top pollutant.
E-STEM Option 2 Hydro Power Design Challenge – Students will discover how humans harness and use the renewable natural resource of water as they design and test their own prototypes.
After you have chosen E-STEM Option 1 or 2, pick a bullet from Program A or B to design the unique field trip for your students.

Additional Programming: Nature Journaling

2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, Additional Programming

Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg

6th & 9th MWEE

6th Grade, 9th Grade, MWEE, Secondary (6th-12th)

Lower Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg, Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula, Upper Rappahannock, Upper Rappahannock & Rapidan

MWEE

Sixth – Twelfth Grade: Water Quality & Protection

10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, Secondary (6th-12th)

Lower Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock, Middle Rappahannock & Greater Fredericksburg, Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula, Upper Rappahannock, Upper Rappahannock & Rapidan

Approx. Time: 3.5 hours

Science SOLs: 6.1, 6.6, 6.8, 6.9; LS.1, LS.3, LS.4, LS.5, LS.6, LS.7, LS.8, LS.9, LS.10, LS.11; ES.1, ES.6, ES.8, ES.10; Environmental Science; Ecology ·

Water Quality and Protection – Students will perform both biological and chemical water quality tests. Biological tests include benthic macro invertebrate sampling; chemical tests include data collection via handheld digital probeware and traditional chemical tests.
Riparian Buffer Hike or Wetlands Hike (choose 1) – Students will learn why these ecosystems are important by investigating their impact on our watershed.

Health SOLs: 4.1. 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2
Learn to evaluate river safety conditions to enjoy the river safely. Interactive and hands-on, but all on dry land.

_______

Choose an all-E-STEM field trip or a combination! Either choose two of the E-STEM challenges below (Option 1, Option 2, or Option 3) or one E-STEM option and one of the above program offerings to create your own experience. VA Science SOLs: 6.1, 6.4, 6.6, 6.8, 6.9

E-STEM Option 1 Stormwater Sediment Filter Design Challenge – Learn the top pollutants in the Rappahannock River while discovering the importance of our stormdrain systems. Students learn while they engineer stormwater filters for the top pollutant.
E-STEM Option 2 Hydro Power Design Challenge – Students will discover how humans harness and use the renewable natural resource of water as they design and test their own prototypes. Extenstions include testing how much load prototypes can pull and how much energy is generated using an ammeter.
E-STEM Option 3 Wind Turbine Design Challenge – Students will discover how humans harness and use the renewable natural resource of wind as they design and test their own prototypes. Extensions include testing how much load prototypes lift and how many LED lights will stay lit.