Teacher-guided Field Trips

Teachers are encouraged to bring students of any age to the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center in Ventura to learn about the Channel Islands. Visits are free of charge, but reservations are required and should be made at least three weeks in advance.

 

NPS/Robert Cromwell

Logistics

Group size

Spaces and activities work best for groups of up to 48 students. Groups of more than 20 students will be divided into smaller groups to rotate through activities.

One adult chaperone is required for every eight students.

Available days and times

Teacher-guided visitor center field trips are offered during the following dates and times:

• September: Monday through Friday between 9 am and 5 pm
• October through February: Monday and Tuesday between 9 am and 5 pm
• March through April: Monday between 9 am and 5 pm
• May and June: Monday and Tuesday between 9 am and 5 pm

Guidelines for Adult Chaperones

Chaperones are key players in your day at the park. Make them aware of your expectations and needs for the trip:

• Guide the learning process and help focus students on the activity or speaker.
• Assist with safety. It will be one of your primary duties as a chaperone.
• Provide guidance to students for lunch and clean-up.
• Help set boundaries and provide leadership.
• Do not bring siblings who are not part of the class. Your full attention is needed to help monitor the students assigned to you that day.
• Most importantly… go with the flow, adapt, and have fun! The students pick up on how you react… if you are having fun, they will too!

 

Students participate in an observation activity.

NPS/Robert Cromwell

Suggested Activities

The following activities typically take 1.5 hours to complete. All activities are led by teachers or adult chaperones, with guidance from park staff.

Welcome and Orientation

All students receive a 10-minute welcome and orientation from park staff in the amphitheater.

For students in grades TK–2

Divide into groups of up to eight students and one adult and rotate through seven-minute activities:

• Explore visitor center exhibits and complete a seashell matching activity.
• Choose a head, body, and legs or tail to create a happy animal.
• Admire the view from the observation tower.
• Match outlines to leaves in the native plant garden.
• Describe today's weather at the flagpole.
• Move like animals in different habitats in the amphitheater.

For students in grades 3–6

Watch the park film A Treasure in the Sea, then divide into groups of up to sixteen students and two adults and use a park-provided activity book to rotate through the visitor center, observation tower, island models, and native plant garden.

For students in grades 6–12

Depending on learning objectives, explore exhibits in the visitor center, observation tower, and native plant garden, and choose from the following activities:

• Tidepool Talk with a ranger (15 min)—Life in the kelp forests and intertidal zone.
• Treasure in the Sea video (25 min)—Introduction to the park’s nature and history.
• The Rainbow Bridge video (5 min)—Creation of the Chumash people as told by Julie Tumamait-Stenslie
• Restoring Balance: Santa Cruz Island video (20 min)—Restoration of island foxes and bald eagles on Santa Cruz Island
• Restoring Balance: Anacapa Island video (30 min)—Restoration of nesting seabirds on Anacapa Island
• Achieving Balance: Anacapa Island video (20 min)—Ten years of habitat recovery on Anacapa Island

 

Schedule Your Teacher-Guided Field Trip

Complete and submit the Education Reservation Request Form - NPS Form 10-1750 below.

• For Program Name, enter "Teacher-guided."
• Choose from the days and times and enter a preferred option and two alternative options.
• Check for a confirmation email verifying your program day(s) and time(s) within one week. If you do not receive confirmation, email us at [e-mail].

NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/31/2025

Learning Accommodations

Does anyone in your group need any accommodations?

Yes No

If yes, describe the accommodation need.

Next Step

School / Organization Contact Information

School / Organization Name (required)

Name of Requester/Contact Person (required)

Title / Position (required)

Contact Email Address (required)

Contact Phone Number (required)
123-456-7890 extension if any

Mailing Address (required)

City (required)

State (required)

Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas Armed Forces - Americas Armed Forces - Europe Armed Forces - Pacific California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

ZIP (required)
Five digit ZIP code [99999]

Next Step

Group Details - Park Visit/ Field Trip

Name of Primary Contact Visiting if Different Than Above (optional)

Title / Position of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Email Address of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Phone Number of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)
Format: 123-456-7890

Program Name or Subject Requested/Self-Guided

Grade Level(s) of Students (required)

Number of Staff / Chaperones (required)

Number of Students (required)

Preferred Date of Visit (required)
format mmddyyyy

My preferred date has been confirmed by the park (required)

Yes No

Preferred Program Start Time (required)

Alternative Date(s) (required)
Enter one or more dates .

Anticipated Arrival Time (required)

Anticipated Departure Time (required)

Mode of Transportation (required)

Disclaimer:

A park representative will follow-up to confirm group details once this request has been received and reviewed.

Submit my Education Reservation Request

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NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/31/2025

Notices

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: Public Law 114-289 National Park Service Centennial Act and 54 U.S.C. 100701 Protection, interpretation, and research in System.

Purpose: To administer education programs for education audiences including but not limited to school groups, scouting groups, extracurricular groups, and home school groups.

Routine Uses: To effectively manage requests for education received by the NPS, the Education Reservation Request Form is used to collect basic education reservation information to facilitate operational aspects of scheduling groups for park education programs, including in-park education programs, ranger in classroom programs, and/or online distance learning programs.

Disclosure: Voluntary, however, failure to provide the requested information may impede the ability to grant your education reservation request.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) to provide park managers and educators the information needed to schedule and conduct education program activities. All applicable parts of the form must be completed in order for your request to be considered. You are not required to respond to this or any other Federal agency-sponsored information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned control number 1024-0288.

Estimated Burden Statement

Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Do not send your completed form to this address.