Use these activities in the classroom before and after Outdoor School to augment the science curriculum on site. Many of these activities require technology or equipment not available at Outdoor School (such as YouTube), or require too much time to complete, making them ideal for use in the classroom rather than on site.

​Category highlights are available below. These plus additional categories can be accessed at any time using the menu to the right.

Experiments in hydropower involving water wheel construction: 3 different resources

​Hands-On Sustainability Program

Tryon Life Community Farm provides students of all ages with opportunities to connect with the natural world and each other to create a true sense of place and community. 

Our goal is to encourage people to develop a lifelong appreciation of the processes that support life, and to offer wisdom on how to steward them sustainably. To do this we offer this space for collaborative learning about social and ecological responsibility.

The Hands-On Sustainability Program offers one-time and multiple visit field trip experiences for studentsof all ages to come and learn about applied sustainability and creating community in a participatory way.

Activities include an interactive farm tour and seasonally appropriate hands-on activities and lessons on specific sustainability and ecology themes in these areas: ecological gardening, natural building, restoration and watershed ecology, and ecological living skills. We also offer service-learning projects.

Facilities include:

• "Village Green" open gathering area
  
• Outdoor kitchen (with earthen ovens)
• Ecological Living Demonstration Projects (gardens, animals, naturally built structures, etc.)
• Trail leading into Tryon Creek State Park (650-acre forest)
• Large organic garden to nibble at and work in
• goats, sheep, chickens and bees
• and much more!

Bring your group out to the farm!Field Trip Scheduling: TLC Farm offers field trips Tuesday through Saturday.  We are an all-volunter program, and will work with you to coordinate a time that is good for your group and our volunteers.  The farm is open to the public Tuesday-Sunday between 9-6pm for self-guided tours, and it is closed on Mondays.

Cost : TLC Farm runs on donations, and requests that visiting classes donate $10/visit plus $5 or more per student if at all possible.

Contact us: For further information or to arrange a visit, please contact our education coordinators, at  edu[at]tryonfarm.org or by calling 503.245.3847.

Want to volunteer? We are now recruiting volunteer teachers to help lead youth field trips and activities at TLC Farm for Spring/Summer 2011. contact brenna[at]tryonfarm.org if you are interested in volunteering with the education program.

Groups served include: Portland area schools, Boys and Girls Aid Society of Oregon, Girl Scouts, Portland Impact, Head Start, YMCA, Pacific Crest Community School, Waldorf schools, International School, charter schools, Lewis and Clark College PSU, PCC, and homeschool groups. Click here www.tryonfarm.org/share/calendar for our calendar to see who's visiting us!

Recent Recflections about the program:
"Many of the students were totally new to the concepts of intentional living and, during discussions, expressed that they got a lot out of what they experienced at the farm. We would like to (endlessly) thank you for your patience with everyone. Earthen building was their favourite activity, but canning and making cheese was also a highlight for many people during reflections throughout the rest of the trip - as well as learning about the edibility of plants like fennel & broccoli leaf. The space was excellent for the students to open up to each other." - Hannah, coordinator of a New Student Orientation group from Pacific University

Resource Links:
Interested in starting a school garden? Check out this great school garden resource web page from local group Growing Gardens.

Other local educational farms:
Zenger Farm - located in SE Portland in the Lents neighborhood
Sauvie Island Center - located north of Portland on Sauvie Island

Clean Rivers Education

Environmental Services offers free classroom and field study science education programs for K – college students within the City of Portland. Students learn about watershed health, urban ecology, the causes and effects of water pollution and what they can do to protect rivers and streams.

Clean Rivers Education programs address local water quality, environmental design and habitat issues. The program offers hands-on classroom lessons designed to complement teachers’ curricula.

Classroom programs often serve as a prelude or follow-up to a field trip.

During field experiences, students spend time outdoors observing, interpreting, exploring and connecting to local natural areas. Students apply the skills they learn through watershed investigations and stewardship / community action projects. Clean Rivers Educators work with teachers to develop a unit of study to best meet learning objectives.
​
For More Information about Clean Rivers Education
Contact Megan Hanson at 503-823-7185.

Classroom and Field Programs

• Resources for Checkout
  
• Field Trips
• Classroom Lessons

Background Information for Teachers

• Community Watershed Stewardship Program
• Fish in Portland
• Portland Watersheds
• Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Program

Maps and Posters

• Ecoroof Poster (PDF)
• Wildlife of Portland Poster (PDF)
• Invasive Plant Poster (PDF)
• Native Plant Poster (PDF)
• Map of Portland Watersheds (PDF)
• Protecting Portland Watersheds Poster (PDF)

Downloads

• Trees Coloring Page (PDF)
• Land of Bog Coloring Page (PDF)
• Recipes for Healthy Rivers (and homes) (PDF)
• What a Catch Cookbook (PDF)
• Crayfish Coloring Page (PDF)

Environmental Education
Educators are encouraged to bring their students to Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. We hope that by experiencing the Refuge through their natural sense of discovery, students will make important connections with their natural world.

Teacher Workshops
Teacher Workshops prepare educators to conduct a high-quality environmental education experience on the Refuge. Workshops are offered twice a year. Fall workshops are typically held late-September to mid-October and spring workshops are typically held early- to mid-spring. Workshops focus primarily on K-8 curriculum, however activities can be adapted for younger or older students
NOTE: Teachers must have participated in a workshop within the last two years in order to register their class for a field trip.

Contact the Refuge for more information.

Field Trips
After successful completion of a Refuge Teacher Workshop, educator's are encouraged to set up a field trip to the Refuge. Advanced registration is required for all school groups, so please plan well in advance.

Teachers can take advantage of the many environmental education facilities located at the Refuge, including:

• A one-mile nature trail
• Five environmental education study sites
• Ample bus parking
• A Tri-Met bus stop for classrooms using public transportation• Outdoor Shelter with restrooms, drinking water, and tables

A couple notes:

• There are no public telephones or garbage facilities
• Education facilities are accessible for people with disabilities

Please contact the Refuge by e-mail at [email protected] or phone at (503) 625-5944 for additional information and assistance with setting up a field trip.

Curriculum
With the assistance of local educators, and in keeping with national and Oregon State learning standards, the Refuge has produced Rhythms of the Refuge: An Educator's Guide to Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.

The guide includes information about the Refuge's habitats and wildlife, a field trip planning chapter, as well as pre-field trip, on-site field trip, and post-field trip activities. 

​More from Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge

School Programs
The Audubon Society of Portland offers the following programs for groups during the school season.

Sanctuary Tours
Traveling Programs
Overnight Programs
Half-Day Field Trips to Local Nature Preserves
Full Day Field Trips

If you would like more information regarding a specific program, please call 503-292-6855 followed by the extension listed for the program you are interested in, or email [email protected].

​Please note: We do not run school programs throughout the summer months as all of our educators are busy leading summer camps.

ECO inspires elementary school students to connect to our natural world by providing hands-on ecology enrichment programs.

WHO WE SERVE
We deliver hands-on ecology lessons to several Portland area elementary schools. Time and time again we hear from both teachers and students that ECO is the best part of school!

WE ARE ECO
We encourage students to become independent problem solvers who will be motivated to take an active role in our communities as they grow to become adult decision makers and informed citizens. 

PROGRAMS
​ECO programs are a unique way to connect elementary school students to the world around them at a time when asking questions and investigating their surroundings comes naturally.

Education at Hoyt Arboretum
Hoyt Arboretum provides a living classroom for students and teachers.

To enhance the learning that can take place in this global garden, a variety of educational and self-guided walk brochures are available at the Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center at all times.

Volunteers staff the Visitor Center and are there to answer questions and help interpret the Arboretum for the public during Visitor Center hours.

Educational tours are available for school field trips.
Kids at various grade levels learn about the watershed and water supply system.

Bull Run Watershed Tour Waivers
waiver forms for Bull Run Watershed tour

School Assembly Program
Free school assembly programs are available to schools in the Portland Water Bureau service area.

Bull Run Watershed Tours & Field Trips
Learn how to sign-up for a tour or plan a field trip to the Bull Run.

Classroom Visits
Educational classroom programs for schools

In-town Field Trips
Visits to Water Bureau Operations Facility

Children's Clean Water Festival
​The Children’s Clean Water Festival is designed for 4th and 5th grade students to learn about water and how it relates to our world.

Education Program
Exploring the roots of food and environmental stewardship

Zenger Farm's experiential and science-based programs teach youth and adults the importance of food, farming, wetland conservation and environmental stewardship. Participants learn that healthy food comes from healthy soil, which can be anywhere, even in the city. Zenger Farm provides opportunities for community members to get their hands dirty and learn where their food comes from.

Field Trips
​Through our Field Trip programs students learn about sustainable farming practices, healthy soils, beneficial insects, and wetland ecology. By participating in Service Learning projects, they have the opportunity to be farmers and stewards of the land. For more information about field trips, contact Rob Cato. Interested in volunteering with our environmental education programs or becoming a Field Trip Leader Intern? Learn more about joining Zenger.