School Programs

WREN offers field trips and outreach programs for students of all ages. They are correlated to Oregon state benchmark standards and are presented to classes in the southern Willamette Valley including the 4J, Bethel, Veneta, Elmira, Crow-Applegate-Lorane, Cottage Grove, Pleasant Hill and Springfield school districts, as well as private and charter schools.

Contact Carrie Karl, WREN Environmental Education Assistant at 683-6483 or carrie@wewetlands.org to register your class for a field trip to the wetlands or an outreach program in your classrooms.

We charge a program fee of $35 for our classroom outreach and field trip programs. This fee is waived for all Title 1 or low-income schools. Payments can be made by cash or check only and are due on the day of the program.

Classroom Outreach Programs

Elementary

"What is a Wetland?" Available to 1st through 8th grade classes, students will discover the sensory experiences they would encounter on a visit to the wetlands when they explore a “Wetland Mystery” box full of wetland objects.
"Scales and Tails" This program is designed for 1st and 2nd graders and answers the question: who has scales and tails in the wetlands? Students will explore the major differences between both groups of “herps” through hands-on activities.
"Flowers to Food" This program is available to 3rd grade classes. By getting up close and personal with real flowers and bees (not live bees, of course) students will learn how flowers are pollinated and why this is important to our food supply as well as our wetland plants.
"Wings Over the Wetlands" 3rd through 5th grade students will learn about migratory wetland birds that fly thousands of miles each year to other parts of the world. Why do they to it? What dangers lurk for them along the way? Interactive activities will bring some of these wetland birds to life as students explore the answers to these and other questions.
"Mammals Like Me!" 3rd grade students will investigate the true identity of various mystery wetland mammals as they rotate through stations featuring (fake) scat, tracks and bones.

Middle school

"What is a Wetland?" Available to 1st through 8th grade classes, students will discover the sensory experiences they would encounter on a visit to the wetlands when they explore a Wetland Mystery Box full of wetland objects.
"Reptiles and Amphibians of the Wetlands" This program is available to 6th through 8th grade students and teaches them to use a dichotomous key to identify local reptiles and amphibians.
"Mammals Like Me!" 6th through 8th grade students will investigate the true identity of various mystery wetland mammals as they rotate through stations featuring (fake) scat, tracks and bones.
"Birds of the West Eugene Wetlands" By studying the beaks and feet of 10 wetland birds, students will learn how these animals are adapted to live in this unique habitat.

Field trip Programs

Explore the wild West Eugene Wetlands with WREN's talented interpretive education guides. Students will experience hands-on, science based learning in the heart of the Bethel neighborhood. During each program students become wetland scientists discovering our native Willamette west prairie and upland habitats. Activities can include inspired exploration, learning wetland functions in the ecosystem, role-playing native species survival, studying key wetland and upland species and seasonally identifying macro-invertebrates WREN strives for an interdisciplinary and interpretive approach in our programs which are correlated to Oregon State Benchmark Standards.

Tailor your field trip to your needs! Let us know when scheduling what key vocabulary or environmental education topics you'd like to make sure we cover. We want to help you make the most of your field experience.

Field trips take place in the West Eugene Wetlands and are available to grades K-8. If you are planning a field trip to the wetlands, your students MUST fill out and return WREN’s medical/photo release form. Please bring these completed forms with you on your field trip and give them to the lead staff person.

Questions on WREN programs or curricula development?
Contact Jules Abbott, WREN Environmental Education Specialist at jules@wewetlands.org

Want to schedule a program?
Contact Carrie Karl, WREN Environmental Education Assistant to schedule at 683-6483 or carrie@wewetlands.org

Read about community programs also offered by WREN.