Field Trips for K-12 Students
Click here to register for the 2023-2024 school year.
Field Trip Details & Logistics
- Field trips are offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
- Chaperones: minimum of one adult chaperone for each station
Discover the Flyway field trips start at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Headquarters. Students rotate through wetland themed science learning activities or a social science unit (see options below). All activities are hands-on, interactive, and inquiry based.
The morning activities are followed by a 20 – 30 minute break for lunch (not provided) at the Demonstration Area. The field trip continues after lunch with the distribution of loaner binoculars and bird I.D. cards to each student followed by a binocular lesson. Then students load up in their bus or chaperoned cars and caravan to the nearby Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area for a time of discovery before returning to school.
Discover the Flyway Field Trip Options:
Science Field Trips
Three Activity Science Field Trip – $275.00
- 15 minimum 30 maximum students
- 3.5 hour minimum, 4 hour maximum
- 3 learning activities
Four Activity Science Field Trip – $300.00
- 15 minimum, 40 maximum students
- 4 hour minimum, 4.5 hour maximum
- 4 learning activities
Social Science Field Trips
Patwin Life (3rd Grade) and Feeding the People (4th Grade) – $325.00
- 15 minimum, 40 maximum students
- 4.5 hour minimum, 5 hour maximum
- Each social science unit has four activities
Science Learning Activities
Science learning activities and suggested grade levels are listed below. Choose 3 activities for a three activity science field trip. Choose 4 activities for a four activity science field trip.
Animal Activities
Critter Caper (1st – 4th)
Salmon Senses (2nd – 6th)
Tracks, Scat and Signs (1st – 6th)
Bird Activities
Feathered Friends (K – 2nd)
How do I Compare to an Egret? (K – 1st)
Migration Madness (3rd – 6th)
What Can I Eat with this Beak? (3rd – 6th)
Owl Pellets (4th – 12th)
Plant Activities
Leaf Identification (K – 2nd)
Wetland Plant ID (3rd – 12th)
Soil Activities
Sinking into Soil (K – 1st)
The Great Percolation Race (2nd – 12th)
Water Activities
Water Quality Testing (6th – 12th)
Wetland Pond Study (K – 12th)
Land Stewardship Activities
Un-Nature Trail (K – 2nd)
Critter Caper (5th – 12th)
Social Science Units
Patwin Life (3rd and 4th Grade)
Autumn: Acorn Season
Spring: Salmon Run!
Summer: Tule Cordage
Winter: Valley Villages
Feeding the People (4th Grade)
Changing Swampland to Farmland
Irrigation: Moving Water to the Farm
Seeds and Grains of the Yolo Basin
Transportation: Food on the Move
Wetland tours take place at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area
Program Terms and Conditions
Click here to read the program Terms and Conditions before reserving a Discover the Flyway school program.
Transportation Funding Assistance
Transportation funding assistance is available to Title I schools through the Transportation Mini-Grant Program. Contact Heidi Satter, hsatter@yolobasin.org, for more information.
Wild About Wetlands Kits
Wild About Wetlands Kits are available to teachers to prepare students for their Discover the Flyway program or to supplement wetland education. Kits include activities and lessons with all materials provided. Teachers or other youth leaders can check out kits for two weeks.
Teachers must pick up and return kits at the Yolo Basin Foundation office. To reserve a kit, email Corky Quirk at cquirk@yolobasin.org.