In-class Activities for 1st-5th Grade Students

Discover the Flyway In-class Activities bring the wetlands to you. Based on Discover the Flyway Field Trip activities, In-class Activities provide hands-on, inquiry-based science and social science for 1st through 12th grade students.

Reservations can be made on request.

In-class Activities

In-class Activity Name	Suggested Grade Levels	Program Length
Wetland Pond Study (science)	1st-5th	45 minutes
Salmon in the Wetlands (science)	1st-2nd	45 minutes
Birds in the Wetlands (science)	3rd-5th	45 minutes
Patwin Life – Autumn: Acorn Season (social science)	3rd-4th	1 hour

In-class Activity Descriptions

Wetland Pond Study Activity – 1st-5th Grades
Discover the Flyway educators lead students as they collect live aquatic invertebrates from wetland pond water to view, identify, and record. They discover how these animals survive by exploring their movement, adaptations, interactions within the environment, food chains, and life cycles.

Salmon Senses Activity – 1st-2nd Grades 
Discover the Flyway educators lead students as they immerse themselves in the habitats, adaptations, and life cycle of Chinook salmon.

What Can I Eat with This Beak? Activity – 3rd-5th Grades
Discover the Flyway educators lead students as they research wetland bird biodiversity through hands-on activities and record their findings about bird beaks and diet. Students use various props as beaks to feed on wetland animals and plants to explore co-existence and biodiversity.

Patwin Life – Autumn Acorn Season (3rd Grade)
In an earlier time, the Central Valley contained enormous stands of oak trees. The nut – or seed – of the oak tree, the acorn, provided an important food source for the Patwin who lived around the edges of the Yolo Basin. Students discover the steps and tools required to process this nutritious and storable native seed in an interactive presentation and hands-on activity.

Program Details

• Discover the Flyway In-class Activities can be scheduled upon request.
• One to three presentations of the same program can be offered per date.
• Due to materials and set-up, the program needs to be set-up in one location on the school campus. (This could be in one classroom, the auditorium, library, or an outside field or covered area.) Setting up all activities outside or one inside and one outside are both good options.
• 15 minutes is required between programs.
• Maximum number of students per program is 30.
• Minimum number of students per program is 10.

Program Fees

Program costs per day:

1 Presentation: $200
2 Presentations: $300
3 Presentations: $400

Travel Fee: Schools or organizations located more than 25 miles away from the Yolo Basin Foundation office will be charged a travel fee of $0.60 per mile for each additional mile (round-trip).

Questions?

Contact Heidi Satter at hsatter@yolobasin.org.