Field Trips for Your Class or Group
We offer exciting historical field trips in Cottage Grove during the school year, September through June. We’ve been leading field trips for over 10 years. Our costumed instructors are trained to bring history to life in engaging ways for your class.
Scroll down to view the different field trips we offer. Would you like a custom field trip? Contact us to share your needs.
Our goals for your class field trip are:
Hands-on Learning
Inquiry and Discussion
Critical Thinking
Cultural Appreciation
Outdoor time
Connecting the dots/ Relatable history
Big picture thinking/ tying it all together
TRAVEL IN TIME Field Trip
Go back in time and experience local history at our beautiful park next to the Coast Fork Willamette River! Your 3rd – 5th grade school group will learn about life as a pioneer, trapper, and Kalapuya Indian with hands-on experience, outdoor activities and more. The trip begins at our historic Snapp House, then your class will break into three groups that will have different adventures with a costumed interpreter as a guide. The Kalapuya group will go to a beautiful camp under the trees to learn about foods, housing, tools, language and more. Trappers will walk to a camp spot with a tent and cooking ring, sit on tree stumps and learn about trade, early tools, lifestyle, and animals then go for a walk to the river to search for tracks. The pioneer group will start at the house and learn about early maps of the Willamette Valley, work the loom and go for a nature walk to the river to record observations in their field journals. Each group will make a craft to take home.
We re-convene at the house for a final wrap up and to get back on the bus. The three groups do not rotate; each one has a unique experience. Use this as an opportunity to have a representative from each group share with your class about what they learned.
LEWIS & CLARK: EXPLORERS Field Trip
Go back in time and help discover Oregon on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, with fun hands-on activities! Your third, fourth, or fifth grade class will learn about the Corp of Discovery and their famous expedition to find the Northwest Passage, establish peace with the Native Americans, map the American West, and discover new species along the way. This famous journey (1803 – 1806) paved the way for westward expansion and brought new scientific and practical knowledge. Learn about the people who went on the journey, some of the adventures, about the Natives encountered along the way, and make a few discoveries and a map of your own in your journal (provided.) Your class will split into three groups and each will be led by a costumed interpreter from the journey. Learn about trade items, Native language and customs, over-wintering at the fort, map making, local plants and animals, and about Seaman the dog. We re-convene at the house for a final wrap up and travel forward in time to the present.
This field trip includes a 20 minute classroom slideshow presentation by one of our staff in person beforehand. This “prep session” will give them some background on the Expedition and expectations for the field trip.
“Singing Creek Educational Center is great! I attended with my ten year old son who has a disability and they were very supportive in listening to what his needs were and allowing him to participate as fully as any other child would. I fully recommend anyone to this wonderful organization.”
“Thank you so much for coming to our first ever stay-at-school field trip which was the end of our Oregon Trail Unit. The kids had such a great day and so much fun! I think overall, their favorites were your two stations, the Gold Panning and the Corn Doll Making!”
“My class had a great time at the Singing Creek Center! They especially liked all the hands-on activities. They really enjoyed trying to write their names and drawing maps using the quill pens. The staff at the Singing Creek Center even dressed up to enhance the experience. We are looking forward to coming back again next year!”
Field Trip Pricing
$5 per child, with a $75 minimum. Adult Chaperones are free.
If you have a small group we can do the field trip with one or two groups only. Our maximum is 35 kids.
12 children or less, ONE GROUP
13-21 children, TWO GROUPS
22-35 children, THREE GROUPS
Field trips last for two hours and are usually scheduled from 9:30am to 11:30am. The best days for us are Mondays and Fridays. After your field trip, your group is welcome to stay and eat lunch in the adjoining Prospector’s Park. There is a covered picnic bench area.
We will send you a packet of information about preparing for your field trip as well as background information and what to expect.
Contact our Director, Karen Rainsong, for more information.
Want more information about local history and nature? Check out our Resources page with over 60 links to educational resources on the web!
Custom Homeschool Field Trips too!