School Field Trips
Classic Field Trips: These hands-on, interactive field trips to our West Rock campus last 60-90 minutes and cost just $10 per student.
Full Day Trips: Bring up to two classes of students for two of our nature experiences above, plus enjoy some nature-based recreation time! This 3-4 hour adventure costs $25 per student.
Each class will participate in one Nature Experience in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. In between, the classes will join together for a picnic lunch. Bring your lunch and our staff team will help you supervise a picnic and recreation time in our outdoor classroom playspaces
Full Day Trip: Pizza & Hike
Full Day Trip: Wetland & Hike
Full Day Trip: Campfire & Hike
Seasonal Farm Tour
pre-K - 8th | fall and spring
Join us for a farm tour to witness the exciting changes that happen each season. Students will meet our goat and sheep, spend time in the chicken yard, and taste different foods in the garden.
In the fall, we are harvesting the garden and preparing for winter. Springtime brings seedlings and the addition of new chicks and life on the farm. Classes are encouraged to visit in both fall and spring in order to fully appreciate the seasonal changes on the farm.
Harvest Pizza
K - 8th | fall and winter
Students will trace the path of pizza from the farm to our table and explore the important role of sun, soil, water, and air in everything that we eat.
Each student will make an individual pizza from scratch and top it with fresh veggies and herbs from the garden. Fall is harvest time and students will taste and harvest in our garden. In winter, we can visit our greenhouses to harvest some cold weather crops like herbs, spinach, and other greens!
Eggs, Chicks, and Chickens
pre-K - 3rd | spring only
Students will learn about the journey from egg to chick to chicken through observation, demonstration, and hands-on investigation. They will spend time observing and interacting with our chickens in the poultry yard, see where the hens lay their eggs, meet a baby chick, and examine the parts of an egg.
Maple Sugaring
K - 8th | Feb - Mar only
New England forests are rich with natural resources, the sweetest of which is maple syrup!
Students will identify a maple tree, collect and measure sap, explore the tools we use to tap trees, and learn how we boil the sap down into thick sweet syrup. Students will also learn the history of sugaring in New England, discover the biology of maple trees, and taste different kinds of syrup.
Sheep & Wool
pre-K - 3rd | late fall and winter
Students will participate in activities to demonstrate the sheep to sweater process. They will meet our sheep, compare different varieties of wool, learn the history and process of shearing sheep, try their hand at carding and spinning wool. Each student will create a piece of wool or yarn to take home.
Campfire Cooking
3rd - 8th | fall and winter
Enjoy the cooler air of fall as we take a short hike through the woods, ending at our campfire circle. Students will learn about combustion and fire safety as we gather materials to build a fire together, followed by wrapping dough around sticks and roasting bannock bread to eat!
This warm and social program is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate as a class and to build group spirit and teamwork among your students.
Wetland Exploration
K - 8th | fall and spring
Tadpoles, frogs, newts, turtles, aquatic insects, and more all find a home in our campus wetland! Students will learn about wetland habitats and their importance in the ecosystem and will use nets and other tools to catch, identify, and observe many kinds of wildlife!
Nature Playdate
pre-K - 2nd | fall and spring
Time to play and explore in nature is essential for young children. Treat your class to a playdate at Common Ground! Imaginative, open ended play is the focus in our nature play areas. Activities may include balls & tubes, balance scales, blocks, mud kitchen, sandbox, fort building, nature collections.
Wildlife Adventure Hike
K - 8th | fall and spring
The diversity of wildlife and the unique habitats found in West Rock Park offer many opportunities for urban ecological study. Students will hike through a variety of wildlife habitats including forest, meadow and aquatic habitats while learning about native species and how their needs are met in an urban forest.
The specific trail can be tailored to meet the needs of your students, from mostly flat - great for inexperienced hikers - to bigger challenges for energetic groups!