This week we’ve continued to receive a wonderful requests from teachers excited to take their students out of the classroom! Below are some of the highlights:

Aquarium of the Bay – Millsmont Academy, Oakland: Ms. Jennifer Albinson was awarded an Excursion Grant to take 92 K-1st grade students to the Aquarium of the Bay. In her request, Ms. Albinson wrote:

At the Aquarium of the Bay students will get to see – and more importantly touch – parts of the natural world that they never get to experience in East Oakland. This amazing institution is only 15 miles away from our school, but none of our students have been there before.

The Elves and the Shoemaker – Henry Ford Elementary School, Redwood City: 90 kindergarten students from Henry Ford Elementary School will be traveling to Santa Clara University to see the holiday production of “The Elves and the Shoemaker”. In the request, Ms. Barasch points out:

For many of our students, this will be their first exposure to a live theater production, as well as their first trip on a school bus!

Lawrence Hall of Science – Futures Elementary School: Ms. Galina Yakovenko, a 2nd grade teacher, was awarded an Excursion Grant to take her students to the Lawrence Hall of Science. Here, the three classes of second graders will:

Become geologists as they explore the Earth’s layers with clay models. Using rock samples, they investigate Earth’s crust by performing tests on igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.

Vida Verde – Willow Oaks School, Menlo Park: 5th grade students in Ms. Mikeala McKenna and Ms. Lisa Pietsch’s class will be attending Vida Verde, an environmental learning program.

Vida Verde offers inner-city students opportunities that can ignite imagination, link classroom lessons to reality and boost confidence. Children will walk in the redwoods, explore the beach, gaze at the stars, and sing songs around a campfire.

Marine Science Institute – Orion School, Redwood City: Ms. Veronica Georges’ third grade students will be visiting the Marine Science Institute to take part in the “Shoreside” program.

This program is an exciting opportunity for my students to experience, hands-on, how marine biologists study in the field, to gain an understanding and respect for this local estuary, and to examine our human responsibility to the natural world around us.

Mosiac Project Outdoor School – Learning Without Limits, Oakland: Ms. Morgan Alconcher, a fifth grade teacher, received a grant for her students to attend the Mosiac Project Outdoor School, which, as she explained in her grant request, is about more than learning about the outdoors:

In our community in east Oakland, our families and students come from a wealth of culture and diversity. Unfortunately, they also face the daily task of navigating violence and distractions that permeate many of their lives. The opportunity to be at Mosaic allows them time to be reflective, and really make decisions about the people they want to be. The Project gives them the language, a way of thinking, and space to practice spreading peace rather than poison.

Discovery Voyage – La Honda Elementary, La Honda: Fifth grade students in Mr. Mitchell Slater’s class will be attending the Discovery Voyage through the Marine Science Institute because of an Excursion Grant.

This trip is a unique opportunity for students to spend time on an actual research vessel in the San Francisco Bay, doing hands-on science experiments and observing wildlife. Students collect and examine plankton, run hydrology tests, and observe wetland ecology from the ship.

California Railroad Museum – Lincoln Elementary, Oakland: Ms. Allison McGuirk has been awarded a grant to take her students on an Amtrak ride to visit the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento.

The scenic ride and field trip will broaden and enhance the students’ understanding; for many of them, this excursion will be their first experience visiting cities other than their hometown of Oakland. The knowledge and experience that the students will gain from this excursion will be far more than any textbook can offer.