Beginning in 3rd grade, students embark on field trips to augment their learning in our classrooms. By studying farming, geology, and the history of Native Californian peoples, students engage directly with the incredible historical, cultural, and natural resources of the Bay Area and Northern California.
They also participate in “camping week” at the end of the year, where classes 4-8 leave campus for locations in California where they will camp out and experience learning related to their main lesson. For example, as students in the 3rd grade study the practical skills of living, including growing food, our students spend a week at Live Power Community Farm – a biodynamic farm powered without the use of fossil fuels. In this incredible location with seasoned farmers committed to the practice of biodynamics — Rudolf Steiner’s organic and celestial approach to farming — they participate in the rhythms of farm life and sustainable agriculture, develop practical skills, and have an experience they will never forget.
Camping Week
The next to last week of school is devoted to camping trip for grades 4-8. Each grade heads off to learn and explore topics related to their main lesson curriculum: California history, botany, geology, etc. In 8th grade, the class takes a final service trip somewhere on the West Coast.
From these trips, students gain experiential knowledge, but also independence, self-confidence, and inner strength as they also weave together the social fabric of the class.
