School Field Trips
Thank you for your interest in a school field trip to the Water Resources Education Center. We will begin accepting first-come, first-served field trip reservation requests for the 2025–26 school year on Wednesday, September 3. Our fall season will start on October 21 due to limited staffing resources.
Planning your visit
Consider the following information as you plan a field trip to the Water Center:
- Programs are free of charge and scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Programs are available mornings on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
- Available start times are 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. If you need an alternate start time, let us know.
- We can accommodate a maximum of two classes per day (with the same start time).
- A minimum of 12 students are required for instructor-led school field trips. The 12-student minimum does not include siblings outside of the program’s designated grade level.
- Program durations vary. See field trip program descriptions (below). For most programs, add an additional 60 minutes if you would like time to explore the exhibit hall (30 minutes) and have lunch (30 minutes) at our outdoor picnic tables (covered, but not enclosed from the weather). Alternatively, Marine Park has a playground and covered picnic area and is a two-minute drive or 10-minute walk down the road. Restrooms at Marine Park are open April–October.
- Chaperone to student ratios:
- Grades 1 to 5: One adult per five students
- Grades 6 to 8: One adult to 10 students
- Grades 9 to 12: One adult to 15 students
Scheduling a field trip
To schedule a field trip, send an email with the following information to
Suzanne Hebert, Water Resources Educator, suzanne.hebert@cityofvancouver.us.
- Field trip organizer name
- Field trip organizer email
- Field trip organizer phone
- Name of school
- Address of school
- Grade level(s) of students
- Which program are you interested in? See field trip program descriptions below.
- When would you like to visit? Indicate if you have a preference for a particular month, week or days.
- What is your preferred start time? 10 or 10:30 a.m.? If you need an alternate start time, let us know.
- How many classes of students are you scheduling for? We can accommodate a maximum of two classes per day. If you have more than two classes of students, we will need to schedule you for more than one day of field trips.
Educator mailing list
If you would like to be notified about future educational opportunities, please sign up for our educator mailing list.
Contact
For questions and additional information, contact Suzanne Hebert, Water Resources Educator at suzanne.hebert@cityofvancouver.us or 360-487-7114.
Field trip program descriptions
Grade 1: Bugs, Bugs, Bugs
Time: 2 hours, not including lunch break or time to explore exhibits
Description: Students learn about insect life cycles and how their body parts help them to eat, move, and protect themselves. After a bug hunt in our garden, students design and build their own bug out of model magic clay to take home. Indoor and outdoor, rain or shine.
Grade 2: Trees’ Needs
Time: 2 hours, not including lunch break or time to explore exhibits
Description: Students learn what trees/plants need for survival and how they meet those needs through their structures (roots, trunk, leaves, flowers, etc.). Students then engage their senses by rotating through 5 activity stations in our outdoor garden and complete a field journal recording their observations. Indoor and outdoor, rain or shine.
Grades 3 to 4: Macroinvertebrate Investigations
Time: 2 hours, not including lunch break or time to explore exhibits
Description: Students will observe and identify macroinvertebrates (water bugs!) from a pond habitat, focusing on adaptations for survival. Students will also learn how the presence of specific species of macroinvertebrates can be indicators of good, fair, or poor water quality. Available February through May. Indoor and outdoor, rain or shine.
Grades 5 to 8: Columbia River Water Quality Monitoring
Time: 4 hours with lunch (lunch includes time to explore the Exhibit Hall)
Description: Students will investigate what makes for healthy salmon habitat, then walk to the banks of the Columbia River to make observations and perform water quality tests, collecting data to answer the question “Is the river healthy for salmon today?” Tests will include pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature and turbidity. Indoor and outdoor, rain or shine.
Grades 7 to 12: Eco Engineers: Exploring the Science and Sustainability of Wastewater Treatment
Time: 3 to 4 hours with lunch break (lunch includes time to explore the Exhibit Hall)
Description: Students will dive into the science behind Vancouver’s wastewater treatment system and understand the important role it plays in keeping our waterways clean and healthy for people and wildlife.
What’s in store for Eco Engineers?
- Tour the Marine Park Wastewater Treatment Plant*: Find out where water goes and how it’s cleaned after everyday activities like brushing teeth and washing dishes.
- Interactive experiments: Test the “flushability” of different materials and see what really happens when things go down the drain.
- Microscope investigation: Use microscopes to view the tiny microorganisms that help clean the water.
- Nature walk: Take a guided walk to the Columbia River, explore a wetland habitat, and discover the connection between what we put down the drain and the natural environment.
*Note: The treatment plant tour includes strong smells and loud noise in some areas. Some areas require stair climbing. Let us know if we can provide any accommodations for your group.