Hands On Science & Service Learning
Program Rates
$45 per hour/ per naturalist (up to 15 students per naturalist). Price does not include transportation to the Marin Headlands. Minimum program time is generally four hours.
Program and transporation scholarships are sometimes available for schools in need. Download financial aid application here.
For more information or to schedule a visit, contact Rochelle Tolbert for reservations or Kyyio Cecil-Raditz for program inquiries at (415)331-9622.
Affordable field trips to the Marin Headlands, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, bring science and community service to life! Curriculum packets provide pre and post-trip classroom learning for integration into your science curriculum. Bring your students back into nature with the following real-world investigations:
Pacific Mole Crab Monitoring
Bring your students to the beach for hand-on science in the sand! in partnership with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association (FMSA) LiMPETS program, our naturalists lead students in an ongoing effort to monitor the population of Pacific Mole crabs (aka sand crabs, Emerita analoga) along California's coastline.
Students get their hands wet and sandy looking for sand crabs with specially designed equipment. Using their field observation and data collection skills, students use an established protocaol to ID and survey the distribution and abundance of sand crabs on our local beach. This authentic data will be logged on data sheets and added to the FMSA online Pacific Mole crab database, used to assess ecological damage after events like our recent oil spill.
Classroom and Field Trip Resources:
Pacific Mole Crab Monitoring Teacher's Curriculum Packet
Pacific Mole Crab Monitoring Student Packet
Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association LiMPETS Program website
Pond Study & Water Quality Monitoring
This hands-on study begins by assessing the health of our fresh-water pond using biological indicators. Students collect, observe, identify, and record the various invertebrate species living in Rodeo Pond, gaining a larger understanding of the importance of biodiversity. Students then use a non-toxic chemical water quality testing kit to measure and record the physical and chemical properties of the pond.
Our naturalists also help students to interpret the results, prompting students to identify potential casues of pollution and ways to avoid it, as well as its consequences on ecological and human health. Students' results are aggregated in an ongoing study being conducted by the GGNRA!
Classroom and Field Trip Resources:
Pond Study & Water Quality Monitoring Teacher's Curriculum Packet
Pond Study & Water Quality Monitoring Student Packet
Habitat Restoration
Help the National Park Service in its master plan to restore native habitats! Students learn about the natural history of the GGNRA, comparing the present species population makeup with that of the past. Visits to undisturbed areas demonstrate how native habitats support native biodiversity. Students make comparisons with disturbed areas, where introduced species dominate the landscape, gaining an understanding of the ecological effects of invasive plants. Then, students take action, getting their hands dirty and using some muscle to remove non-natives!