When:
Sep-November and February-June Size: up to 120 students for most focus areas Time: Tuesday - Friday, 8am - 3pm (3 hrs per field trip) Cost: $9 per student
The 3-hour Eco Exploration field trip
program brings students deep into Seward Park for field study,
investigation, and hands-on exploration of Seward Park ecology.
All of Eco Explorations educational programs teach the large
scale concepts of chemistry, food chains, systems, ecology,
habitats, and ethnobotany by exploring the ecosystems at the
park: the old-growth forest, the oak savannah, and Lake Washington.
To schedule an Eco Explorations Field
Trip, please download, fill out, and submit a scheduling application.
If you have any questions, feel free to
contact the Education Director, Annie Morton, via email or by phone at 206-652-2444 ext 102. We look forward to speaking
with you about this exciting opportunity for your school!
Focus Areas At the time of registration teachers choose
one of our four focus areas Old-Growth Forests, Oak Savannahs,
Lake Washington, and Arts and Nature. On the day of the program,
participants are divided up into small groups of 10-15 and
rotate through several outdoor learning stations for 50-60
minutes per station. This format allows naturalists to connect
with students in smaller groups where communication and learning
are intimate and funderstanding is easy!
Introduce your students to Lake Washington
and its watershed and learn the important concepts of the
water cycle, hydrology, water pollution, and water chemistry.
Students test the water for many chemical parameters and
compare their results to those of other program participants
over time, study fish morphology and adaptations, sample
the waters for benthic macroinvertebrates, and learn about
riparian botany.
Garry Oak Ecosystems and Habitats
and Ecology
GLEs 6-12: 1.1.6, 1.2.1, 1.3.8, 1.3.9, 1.3.10, 2.1.3, 2.2.1,
2.2.2, 2.2.3, 3.2.1, 3.2.3, & 3.2.4
Oak Savannahs have long been a part
of Northwestern habitats and ecology, and they are rapidly
disappearing. Students learn the why’s and how’s
of the loss of this important ecosystem through an exploration
of its micro-habitats and the fauna that inhabit them. We
also study historical ethnobotany and food chains and pyramids.
What’s for lunch in the old growth
forest? Come with us on a journey deep into the Magnificent
Forest of Seward Park and explore the links among producers,
consumers, and decomposers, and among food chains, pyramids,
and webs. Students learn about the complex ideas of biomagnification,
and bioaccumulation and the issues that can disrupt the
forest ecosystem and food webs. After they learn about the
vital ecological roles of producers students discover the
fantastic lives of Seward Park’s charismatic mega
flora through botany scavenger hunts and GPS geocaching
adventures.
Arts and Nature
GLEs 6-12: 1.1.6, 1.2.1, 1.3.8, 1.3.9, 1.3.10, 2.1.3, 2.2.1,
2.2.2, 2.2.3, 3.2.1, 3.2.3, & 3.2.4
Engage your artistic and right brained
youth in learning about their natural environment via languages
that they understand: creativity, language, visual information,
varying perspectives, and aesthetics. By introducing them
to ecology and the natural world via art we will give them
an understanding and appreciation for the natural world
through hands-on ethnobotanical studies, illustration, creative
writing, nature journaling, and photography.
Scholarships Discounts are available for schools and are based on the percentage of free and reduced lunches or scholarships for your school as reported in school annual reports for the preceding school year. Private schools should contact us for discount information.
If you feel that your school needs additional
discounts and scholarships, please contact us and we will
do our best to accommodate your needs.
Eco Explorations
