Education

Bay to Dunes School Field Trip Program

The Bay to Dunes program is a fall and spring field trip program for schools designed for 3rd-6th grades. Prior to the field trip, a presenter visits the class and gives a colorful PowerPoint presentation followed by hands-on activities to prepare students for their visit. On field trip day, classes are broken up into smaller groups of 8-12 and led by a trained guide through a variety of fun and educational activities and games in the dunes and at the bay. On the Bay portion of the field trip, we dip net for invertebrates, frogs and salamanders in the freshwater marsh, explore the salt marsh with "bug boxes" and binoculars, dig in the bay mud for worms and clams, play predator-prey and create a web of life. In the dunes, we pull invasive European Beachgrass, identify animal tracks, learn how the sand moves to form the dunes, use field guides to identify plants and have some free time at the beach.

Field trips begin and end at the Manila Community Center. Each session of the field trip is approximately 1.5-2 hours, with a 30 minute break for lunch in between. Field trips are on Tuesdays and Fridays and begin between 9 and 9:30 a.m. and end at 1:30 or 2 p.m., depending on the scheduling needs of the visiting school.