Scheduling a Field Trip with Willow Bend

Step 1: Call us to schedule a date and time for your field trip. Please note: We can only accommodate one class at a time per field trip.

Step 2: After scheduling a date, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with administrative forms. Please complete and return these forms as soon as possible.


Field Trips: Overview & Logistics

General Willow Bend Field Trip (Grades: All; 2 hours)

Bring your class to enjoy the Discovery Room and explore the interactive exhibits focusing on our very relevant and popular theme, Sustainable Living: It’s Easy Being Green! The indoor portion will introduce your students to a variety of simple ways to lessen our impact on the earth, while the outdoor portion will help connect them to nature through awareness activities.

Natural Senses Field Trip (Grade: Kindergarten; 1 hour)

This field trip helps younger students learn about nature through their senses! Through a hike and various games, students will learn about colors, shapes, textures, scents, and more in nature!

Incredible Insects: (Grade: 1st; 2 hours)

Explore the amazing world of our local insects through hands-on exploration of the Willow Bend gardens, sensory games, and recycled art! Required Pre-Trip Visit: “Incredible Insects”.

Wacky Weather Field Trip: (Grade: 2nd; 2 hours)

Learning about weather by being outside is only natural at Willow Bend! Students will hike into Sinclair Wash and explore weather through a variety of activities and games!

Plant Power FIeld Trip: (Grade: 3rd; 1 hour)

Note: We begin and end at the Rocky Mountain Research Station greenhouse. Students will learn the importance of plant identification so that we can harness the power of plants! This semester, thanks to the Rocky Mountain Research Station, this field trip is FREE! (You must provide your class' transportation to the site.) Required Pre-Trip Visit: "Plant Power".

Water Quality Field Trip: (Grade: 4th; 2 hours)

Note: We begin at Willow Bend, but end at the Rio de Flag Waste Water Facility. This field trip focuses on watershed management through water quality testing. Students will go on a learning walk along the FUTS to the Rio de Flag pond. There, students will conduct pH, DO, and other water quality tests. There may also be an opportunity for macro invertebrate testing! Required Pre-Trip Visit: "Water Quality in the Classroom".

Healthy Body, Healthy Earth Garden Field Trip: (Grade: 5th – High School; 2 hours)

Using Willow Bend’s native edibles garden, students will learn about the correlation between healthy earth and healthy bodies by examining soil composition, beneficial insects, alternative to pesticides, and more! Required Pre-Trip Visit: 5th Grade “Healthy Body, Healthy Earth: Gardening”, 6th grade “Food and Fossil Fuels”, 7th-8th “Food and Fossil Fuels” and 9th-12th “Seeds and GMO’s”.

School Site Field Trips

This semester, Willow Bend will be offering field trips at your school! Choose a spot on school grounds, and Willow Bend will send an instructor to turn your schoolyard into an explorable habitat! Both "Natural Senses Field Trip" and "New Ways of Looking Field Trip" are available as school site field trips for all ages.

Flagstaff Recycling Tour: (Grades: All; Duration: 1 hour)

Note: This field trip is conducted at the Materials Recovery Facility on Babbitt and Bulter. A Willow Bend staff member will lead a guided tour of the City Recycling Center, available Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Students will view materials as they are processed and learn more about the conservation of natural resources and ideas about how to reduce waste. Thanks to the City of Flagstaff, the tour and busing are FREE! Suggested Pre-Trip Visit: Recycling Rules or Trash and the 3 R’s

Payment

There is a $100 fee per 2-hour field trip. Your contribution helps cover our costs and provide for our continued financial health. However, please do not let lack of finances stop you from visiting. If you need a fee reduction or waiver, please let us know when you call to schedule. (Schools outside Coconino County are not eligible for fee reductions or waivers.)

Other Field Trip Opportunities

To enhance your students’ environmental experience, we often suggest follow-up field trips with other education organizations in or near Flagstaff. The organizations listed below are mentioned in many of our classroom program descriptions as supplementary experiences.