Greetings Field Trip Teachers!

Thank you for your field trip reservation.  We are looking forward to spending this time with your group in the Garden Classroom.

Please read this information thoroughly and pass the relevant details on to all adults who will be accompanying your group on your scheduled field trip.

For all field trips:

Where to Park: Great news! Field Trip parking has moved back to the dirt lot at the Farm Back Gate.   Click here to download a parking map, and please print a copy for each driver.

Parking Permits: We have sent you (via U.S. Mail) the parking permits you ordered (if any) for your drivers to display on their cars. Make sure to fill out the date on the parking pass, in black felt pen (such as a Sharpie). UCSC parking enforcement is quite strict. If you need more passes, please call Life Lab at 459-4035. If you purchased too many, unmarked passes can be refunded by Life Lab staff. 

Plan on arriving 20 minutes early! It always seems to take a little longer than planned to get here and walking from the parking area to the farm can take up to fifteen minutes with a group of children. Also, it’s a good idea to have a few extra minutes for the students to have a snack before the field trip begins. Being on time is important because we want to maximize the time we have with your students, and also as a courtesy to our volunteers who make time in their schedules to teach the field trips.

Role of Chaperones: We invite all accompanying parents/chaperones to join in on the field trips and encourage them to help shepherd the students in their group. With their help, the guides will be free to focus on field trip activities, not crowd control. Also, keep in mind that the field trip is oriented towards children, so please ask chaperones to refrain from asking "adult" questions during the program. We’ll be happy to answer more technical garden questions and provide gardening literature after the program.

Groups: Please divide the children into small groups ahead of time, so that after our introduction we can efficiently split up.  For 1st grade and up, we split into three groups; for the pre & K program we aim for about 6 children per group, and can do up to four groups.

Nametags are a great help to us, especially if they are color-coded for the groups (the red group, the blue group, etc.).

Dress appropriately, with closed-toed shoes. Make sure students are prepared for the weather and keep in mind that this is a hands-on experience — they may get dirty.

Weather: If it looks like there will be light rain during your visit please encourage your students to bring rainwear and boots if they have them. Light rain is no problem, but heavy rain will cancel a field trip and we will call the morning of the field trip if the rain is too heavy.

Cancellations: Please call us (459-4035) as much in advance as possible if you need to cancel your field trip. If you cancel your field trip less than two weeks prior to the field trip date, the field trip fee will not be refunded or credited to later field trips. Payment for parking passes will be refunded if parking passes are returned unused.

For 1st grade and up field trips (scroll down for pre & K):

Lunches: Please have students bring a lunch to eat at our 11:40 lunchtime. Please challenge yourselves to bring low-waste lunches (packed in reusable containers). Due to limited garbage facilities, we ask that you pack out your garbage; recycling is available for cans and bottles.

Lesson Packet: Included in this field trip is a unit including pre- and post-visit activities for you to do with your class. We have also included the lessons that your students will do during their visit. Consider your visit to the Garden Classroom just one part of a whole unit you can share with your class. Download your lesson packet: 

• Spring Science Exploration 1st grade – Pondering Plants
• Spring Science Exploration 2nd grade – Soil Stories 
• Spring Science Exploration 3rd grade – Garden Pollinators
• Spring Science Exploration 4th grade – Garden Habitats
• Spring Science Exploration 5th & up – Investigating Agriculture
• Fall Farm to Fork (1st grade & up)
• Winter Feeling Fine with Fresh Foods (4th & 5th grades)

Field Trip Agenda:

For Seeds of Wonder pre & K field trips:

Field Trip Agenda (field trips run 9:00-10:15 or 11:00-12:15):
Large Group Introduction, then split into small groups
Activity Stations — We will rotate through 4 stations, 15 min/station.
Large Group Wrap-up

Allergies: This program may include tasting of seeds, including walnuts. Please let us know if your class includes children who are allergic to tree nuts.

General Information

Life Lab Science Program is an independent nonprofit based on the UCSC campus. The Life Lab Garden Classroom is located on the 25-acre CASFS Farm near the base of campus. The Garden Classroom is an outdoor discovery laboratory.In the Garden Classroom you will find composting demonstrations, chickens, educational displays, a children’s vegetable garden, a pond and much more.

The farm is managed by the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems and serves as a training and research center for sustainable agriculture activities and produces an array of mixed fruits and vegetables.

On Tuesdays and Fridays from Noon – 6:00 (early June – October) produce is sold at the base of the campus at the Farm’s market cart. You are welcome to visit the produce cart after your field trip to make the connection from the farm to the consumer.

Life Lab offers a variety of field trips fall, winter, and spring. Click here for more information on our field trip programs.

Registration for fall and winter opens February 1st; registration for spring opens September 1st.

Thanks for your interest in the Life Lab Garden Classroom & the CASFS Farm. We’re looking forward to your visit!

Amy Carlson, Garden Education Coordinator
Life Lab Science Program
gardened@lifelab.org
(831) 459-4035