Field Trips – Pajarito Environmental Education Center

Fall 2023 field trip information coming soon!

We are excited to offer standards-based field trips with PEEC! We offer trips to the Nature Center as well as educator-led experiences at your school. Pick which field trip you’re interested in at right. Note that many field trips are seasonal and only offered during certain times of the year.

For Los Alamos schools, there is no fee for the field trip. You only need to cover transportation for the Nature Center trips. Some classes have used the Atomic City Transit to travel to the Nature Center.

Use the link below to request a field trip for your class. Contact Beth Sanchez beths@peecnature.org with any questions.

Field Trip Request

Pricing for out-of-district schools

1 to 30 students: $150

31 to 60 students: $200

Ask about funding opportunities for public schools.

We cannot accommodate groups larger than 60 at the nature center. Please schedule two visits for groups larger than this.

Pre-K

Solar Energy

1 hour activity @ the Nature Center

Description: Explore solar energy transformation, how to protect your skin from UV rays, and watch crayons transform to new shapes and colors in a solar oven.

Offered: March-May, Tuesdays and Fridays 9:30-11:30 AM and 12:30-2:30 PM

Kindergarten

Kindergarten field trips for next fall/winter will be posted.

First Grade

Senses & Signs of Spring

2 hours @ the Nature Center up to 3 classes

Description: Students will visit the planetarium, hike to look for signs of spring, and design an organism to help it survive.

Offered: Spring, Tuesdays and Fridays 9:30-11:30 AM and 12:30-2:30 PM

NGSS: 1-LS3-1, 1-LS1-1 and 1-ESS1-1

Second Grade

Weathering & Erosion

2 hours @ the Nature Center up to 3 classes

Description: Students will participate in hands-on activities to explore weathering and erosion and take a hike to look for signs of erosion.

Offered: Spring, Tuesdays and Fridays 9:30-11:30 AM and 12:30-2:30 PM

NGSS: 2-ESS1-1, 2-ESS2-1, 2-EES2-2

Third Grade

Waterwise Plants Ecology Hike (DPU)

45 min – 1 hour/class @ School Site

Description: Students will explore trails near their school. Content will focus on how adaptations allow plants to survive in our arid climate, and conduct plot study to compare “wild” and “garden” plots. Sponsored by the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities.

Offered: Wednesdays (9-12 PM) and Thursdays (9-3 PM) to Los Alamos Public Schools maximum of 3 classes per day.

NGSS: 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 3-LS4-2

Electricity & Magnetism (DPU)

45 min-1 hour lesson @ School Site

Description: Students will build an electromagnet and learn about how Los Alamos’s electricity is generated. We will also discuss ways to conserve water in daily life. Sponsored by the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities.

Offered: Fall, Winter and Spring, Wednesdays (9-12 PM) and Thursdays (9-3 PM) to Los Alamos Public Schools maximum of 3 classes per day.

NGSS: 3-PS2-3

Fourth Grade

Energy Conservation (DPU)

45 min-1 hour lesson @ School Site

Description: The Public Power Learning Lab is part of Monster Detective Collective, an energy education program. This program discusses electricity, how it is used and generated, as well as how it gets to homes and businesses. The first part of the program uses the classroom promethean board for an interactive visual discussion. Then the students experiment with hands-on activities on battery, solar, and wind power. Sponsored by the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities.

Offered: Fall, Winter or Spring. Wednesdays (9-12 PM) and Thursdays (9-3 PM) to Los Alamos Public Schools, maximum of 3 classes per day.

NGSS: 4-ESS3-1

Ecology Hike–New Mexico Geography and State Symbols

45 min-1 hour lesson @ School Site

Description: Students will explore trails near their school. Content will focus on New Mexico’s state symbols, where they are found on a map, and what makes them unique.

Offered: Wednesdays (9-12 PM) and Thursdays (9-3 PM). Maximum of 3 classes per day.

Social Studies Themes: 1-4.9 and Theme 4

Water Festival (DPU)

Description: 4th graders enjoy a day of workshops and demonstrations about water from local water experts. Sponsored by Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities.

Registration for Water Festival is a separate process; please contact Elizabeth Watts at elizabeth@peecnature.org for information.

Offered: May 18 or 19 to Los Alamos Public Schools.

Fifth Grade

Ecology Hike

45 min-1 hour/class@School Site

Description: Students will explore trails near their school. Content will focus on how energy is passed through the environment and identify producers, consumers and decomposers.

Offered: Wednesdays (9-12 PM) and Thursdays (9-3 PM). Maximum of 3 classes per day.

NGSS: 5-LS2-1

Solar Heating (DPU)

45 min-1 hour/class @ School Site

Description: Students will learn how passive solar techniques are used to heat and cool a building without consuming additional energy. This lesson works best if we can go outside to use real solar energy to test the house models. Sponsored by the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities.

Offered: Fall, Winter, or Spring, Wednesdays (9-12 PM) and Thursdays (9-3 PM) to Los Alamos Public Schools, maximum of 3 classes per day.

NGSS: 5-ESS3-1

Aquifers (DPU)

45 min-1 hour/class @ School Site

Description: Students learn about where our drinking water comes from in Los Alamos. They then build a model to learn how an aquifer is recharged as well as pumped. Sponsored by the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities.

Offered: Fall, Winter, or Spring, Wednesdays (9-12 PM) and Thursdays (9-3 PM) to Los Alamos Public Schools, maximum of 3 classes per day.

NGSS: 5-ESS2-2

Sixth Grade

Water Cycle (DPU)

45 min-1 hour/class @ School Site

Description: Students use various tools to simulate the path of water through aquifers, oceans, rivers and animals. They also observe what happens when we add in human effects on the water cycle. Sponsored by the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities.

Offered: Fall, Winter or Spring, Wednesdays (9-12 PM) and Thursdays (9-3 PM) to Los Alamos Public Schools maximum of 3 classes per day.

NGSS: MS-ESS2-4

Mon	10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tues	CLOSED
Wed	10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thurs	10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fri	10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sat	10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sun	CLOSED