School Field Trips

Since 1978, Shelburne Farms has offered seasonal one-day field trips for preschool-8th grade students and their teachers. These include:

School-year field trips to the Farm;
School-year field trips to a site in your community;
Children's Farmyard field trips, mid-May to mid-October (info: cwright@shelburnefarms.org)

Due to demand, programs are scheduled by a lottery system in May for the following school year.
Download 2013-2014 Application.
Download complete 2013-2014 Field Trip Brochure.

Use the filter below to find programs that fit the needs of your class and curriculum.

Farm To You

September

Discover the importance of farms as our source of food. Students collaborate to make pizza from scratch! Grind wheat berries and make dough! milk a cow and make cheese! harvest fresh vegetables for sauce and toppings.

Grades: K-3

S1-2 GE’s: 31(a); 34(a); 35(a); 41(a,b); 47(a); 49(a)

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 31(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a); 41(a); 49(a,b)

Standards: natural resources, 7.16; Sustainability, 3.9; understanding Place, 4.6
Fall Forest Ecology

October

Gain insight into the value of the forest as a habitat and as a natural resource. Connect to the land through sensory exploration. examine forest life cycles through hands–on tree anatomy and identification activities.
* Place Based Programming Is Available

Grades: K-3

S1-2 GE’s: 31(a); 34(a); 35(a); 39(a); 47(a); 48(a,b); 49(a)

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 31(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a); 46(a); 49(a,b)

Standards: Organisms, evolution, & Interdependence, 7.13; understanding Place, 4.6; Investigation, 7.2
Children's Farmyard - Fall

October, November

Fall is an excellent time to visit the Farmyard! With fewer vacationing visitors, the pace is a bit slower, which can allow for a more personal, oneon-one, experience. A fall field trip is a unique opportunity to engage and interact with your students at the beginning of the school year!

Grades: K-3, 4-8
Hike - Don't Hibernate!

January

Learn about winter adventure and survival. Experience fundamental teambuilding concepts on a winter trek. Practice orienteering, animal tracking, fire building, and more.
* Place Based Programming Is Available

Grades: 4-8

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 34(a); 41(a); 48(a); 49(a,b)

S5-6 GE’s: 33(a); 34(a,b); 39(a); 41(a,b); 49(a)

Standards: Problem Solving Process, 2.2; application, 2.6; Information, 2.7; Taking risks, 2.8; Persevering, 2.9; Fluency, 2.10; Flexibility, 2.12; Informed Decisions, 3.7 relationships, 3.10 - 3.13; Geography, 6.7
Active In Winter

January, February

Investigate your schoolyard, community, or Shelburne Farms for signs of active animals in winter. Examine the adaptations and strategies Vermont animals use to survive winter. Develop track identification and observational skills.
* Place Based Programming Is Available

Grades: K-3

S1-2 GE’s: 35(a); 39(a); 41(a,b,c); 47(a); 48(a,b); 49(a)

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 31(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a)

Standards: Problem Solving Process, 2.2; Types of Problems, 2.3; Organisms, Evolution, & Interdependence, 7.13
Pond Life Cycles & Adaptations

May, June

Explore a pond ecosystem to experience the sights sounds and smells of spring. Investigate life cycles and adaptations of pond insects and amphibians. Discover how creatures adapt to eating, moving, and surviving in their watery world.
* Place Based Programming Is Available

Grades: K-3

S1-2 GE’s: 31(a); 34(a); 35(a); 39(a); 47(a); 48(a,b); 49(a)

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 31(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a); 49(a,b)

Standards: Organisms, Evolution, and Interdependence, 7.13; Problem Solving Process, 2.2; Understanding Place, 4.6
Children's Farmyard - Spring

May, June

Spring marks the opening of the Farmyard, with all its new arrivals. From chicks to lambs, and from calves to piglets, the farm's newborns are sure to make a visit to the Farmyard a memorable experience.

Grades: Preschool, K-3, 4-8
Farm Life and History

November

Connect past to present and explore the value of agriculture in our lives. Investigate tools from the past and discover change over time. Through chores such as candle making and spinning wool, gain a sense of life on a Vermont farm in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

Grades: K-3

S1-2 GE’s: 35(a); 41(a,b,c); 47(a); 49(a)

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 49(a,b)

Standards: Historical Connections, 6.4; Being a Historian, 6.5
Sugaring Time

March

Investigate the science and wonder of maple sugaring! Follow the entire process from tapping to tasting. Identify and tap a sugar maple, gather sap, visit the sugar maker in the sugar house, and experience the history of sugaring!

Grades: K-3

S1-2 GE’s: 35(a); 47(a); 48(a,b); 49(a)

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 31(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a); 48(a,b,c,d); 49(a,b)

Standards: Historical Connection, 6.4; Roles and Responsibilities, 7.5; Natural Resoures, 7.16; Understanding Place, 4.6
Join the Flock

April

Explore the life cycle of a sheep from its birth and care to the harvest of its wool fibers. Spend time with newborn lambs and their moms and work with wool: carding, spinning, and felting.

Grades: K-3

S1-2 GE’s: 9(a,b); 31(a,b); 35(a); 47(a); 48(a,b); 49(a)

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 31(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a); 49(a,b)

Standards: Visual Arts, 5.29
Super Soil

April, May

Connect to the world beneath your feet and discover why soil is the basis of life on earth. Explore soil properties and composition. Meet worms and learn how they contribute to soil health with natural decomposition and composting.
* Place Based Programming Is Available

Grades: K-3

S1-2 GE’s: 34(a); 35(a); 46(a,b); 47(a); 48(a,b); 49(a)

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a); 46(a,b,c); 47(a); 48(a,b); 49(a,b)

Standards: Investigation, 7.2; Theories, Systems and Forces, 7.15
Milk and More

May

Explore a Vermont dairy farm! Visit our milking parlor, calving barn, feed alley, and manure pit to understand the processes and cycles of cows. Milk a cow and identify cow products! Process cream into butter and view cheese making!

Grades: K-3

S1-2 GE’s: 31(a); 34(a); 35(a); 48(a,b); 49(a,b)

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 31(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a); 49(a,b)

Standards: Sustainability, 3.9; Understanding Place, 4.6
Wetland Investigation

September

Discover the functions and characteristics of wetlands through hands-on activities. Identify adaptations of common wetland plants and critters, dig into properties of wetland soil, and determine water quality using biotic factors!
* Place Based Programming Is Available

Grades: 4-8

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 31(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a); 46(a,b); 49(a,b)

S5-6 GE’s: 30(a); 33(a); 34(a,b); 35(a); 36(a); 37(a); 39(a); 48(a); 49(a)

Standards: Analysis, 7.11; Organisms, Evolution, and Interdependence, 7.13; Understanding Place, 4.6
Stories in Stone

September, October

Explore basic geologic processes that have shaped and transformed our earth, including rock formation and weathering. Discover the rich geologic history of our region through hands on activities and scientific exploration.

Grades: 4-8

S3-4 GE’s: 3(a,c); 4(a,b); 5; 6; 7; 8; 35(a,b); 36(a); 46(a,b,c,d); 47(a); 48(a,b); 49(a,b)

S5-6 GE’s: 3; 4(a); 5; 6; 7; 8; 34(a); 35(a); 36(a); 39(a); 46(a,b); 47(a,b,c); 48(a); 49(a)

Standards: Natural Resources, 7.16; Scientific Method, 7.1; Theories, Systems, and Forces, 7.15; Investigation, 7.2; Application, 2.6; Understanding Place, 4.6
Forest Stewardship, Grades 6-8

September, October

Spend a day in the forest exploring techniques used by biologists and foresters to assess woodlands as a resource and as an interdependant ecological system. We’ll employ a variety of techniques and tools to investigate the forest habitat using sustainability as a lens.

Grades: 4-8
Sugaring by the Numbers

March

Engage in the math and science of maple sugaring as students identify and measure trees to tap, calculate sap output, observe states of matter, investigate impacts of weather and climate, and experience sugaring with our educators and sugar makers.

Grades: 4-8

S3-4 GE’s: 30(a); 34(a); 35(a,b); 36(a); 38(a); 39(a); 48(a,d); 49(a,b)

S5-6 GE’s: 14(a): 34(a); 36(a); 39(a); 48(a); 49(a,b)

Standards: Arithmetic, Number, and Operation Concepts 7.6; Roles and Responsibilities 7.5; Natural Resources 7.16; Understanding Place, 4.6
Simple Machines on the Farm

April, May

From hauling bales and tilling soil to grinding grain and mucking pens, simple machines help the farm! Investigate how they work through engaging in chores, experimenting with tools, and participating in inquiry-based exploratory activities.

Grades: 4-8

S3-4 GE’s: 1; 2; 21(a,b)

S5-6 GE’s: 1; 2; 21(a,b,c); 22 (a,b)

Standards: Questioning/Problem Solving, 2.1, 2.2; Sustainability, 3.9; Understanding Place, 4.6; Inquiry, Experimentation & Theory, 7.1-7.2; History of Science, Mathematics, & Technology, 7.4; Matter, Motion, Forces, & Energy, 7.12; Organisms, Evolution, & Interdependence, 7.13; Design & Technology: Outputs & Impacts, 7.18; Designing Solutions, 7.19
Farmer for a Day

May

Experience the connections between agriculture, communities, the natural environment, and economics. Students will participate in real life farm chores and develop a farm product to advertise. Some guided pre-visit preparation is necessary.

Grades: 4-8