Raincoast Field School
“The goal of the Raincoast Field School is to increase outdoor learning opportunities for students in our local public schools.”
Raincoast Field School is an outdoor education program designed to meet BC curricular outcomes while providing hands-on learning opportunities for students in our local public schools. It is a collaborative program developed by the Raincoast Education Society (RES) and the teachers at the Tofino and Ucluelet elementary schools.
Field trips and activities are led by a qualified full-time instructor with extensive experience as a science educator, and encompass multiple aspects of curricular outcomes including science, numeracy and literacy. Many outings also feature traditional Aboriginal knowledge provided by a First Nations Cultural Educator. The program is constantly evolving, with lessons being built or recycled to best fit with the unique themes of each class as determined by the teacher.
Making Connections
Raincoast Field School is designed to complement classroom lessons taught by each class’s teacher. The program provides education about the environment in a natural setting and incorporates physical education while reviewing mathematics, English language, arts and social studies concepts that students have learned in class.
Ultimately, the material covered in each class is based on specific requests from the teacher which the Field School instructor then incorporates into a unique activity or lesson plan.
Progress
Full programming is provided to the Wickaninnish Community School in Tofino (since 2014) and the Ucluelet Elementary School (since 2018) through Raincoast Field School. Each and every student from K to grade 7 gets to participate in at least one field trip per month during the school year – that’s over 200 Raincoast Field School trips delivered per year!
Follow along
Raincoast Field School programs are currently being run in Tofino and Ucluelet elementary schools (K-7). Follow along with our programs below.
#tofinofieldschool
Adaptations at Tofino Sea Kayaking with Maddy
Ms. Roe’s Grade 6/7 class was excited to continue with their theme of adaptations and evolution by natural selection.
We headed off that morning to Tofino Sea Kayaking for a beach seine! 🌊 We were excited to see what kind of adaptations the animals in eelgrass beds ...
Jun 29
Adaptations at Tofino Sea Kayaking with Maddy
Ms. Roe’s Grade 6/7 class was excited to continue with their theme of adaptations and evolution by natural selection.
We headed off that morning to Tofino Sea Kayaking for a beach seine! 🌊 We were excited to see what kind of adaptations the animals in eelgrass beds had for surviving and thriving in their environment. We began by discussing what eelgrass beds were and their local and global importance. 🦀 Next, with our volunteer Brooke, we did three beach seine in the eelgrass bed! Much to our surprise and a Raincoast first, we only found a few ghost shrimp! 🦐 The class was disappointed, however this did not stop us from having a good time! The class hypothesized why we might not have seen any animals and the tide and time of year played into our educated guesses. 🤨
We played a few rounds of human knot and then moved on to our creative activity! 🪢 The class split into groups and each group used materials from the beach, including sea glass, garbage and shells, to make a diagram of their own imaginary animal with two adaptations! There were some very creative students in the class! The class had so much fun coming up with imaginary animals and adaptations and we all look forward to coming back and doing another beach seine next time to hopefully find some critters! 🙏🏽@tofinosekayaking
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#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #steam #stem #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Invertebrate Nervous Systems at Frank Island with Maddy 🪱
Mr. Redicans’ Grade 5/6 class has been learning about the human nervous system in the classroom, however we were hoping to expand our learning at the beach today. .🌊
We started our day defining what an invertebrate was and how they were different from ...
May 26
Invertebrate Nervous Systems at Frank Island with Maddy 🪱
Mr. Redicans’ Grade 5/6 class has been learning about the human nervous system in the classroom, however we were hoping to expand our learning at the beach today. .🌊
We started our day defining what an invertebrate was and how they were different from us! Once we arrived at South Chesterman we headed out to Frank Island and enjoyed the beautiful sunny walk out along the tombolo. ⏳ At Frank Island, we split into groups and each group had to find a local invertebrate. Once groups found an invertebrate, they were given a local intertidal invertebrate to study. Each group had to study this animal, learn about their nervous system and make a diagram of their nervous system out of items they could find on the island. The groups spent a while gathering information and making anatomically correct diagrams. We learned lots of new neurological terms like “neuron” and “ganglia”. The diagrams looked great and we all took turns presenting our diagrams to the class. The class voted on their favourite presentation and diagram and while it was a tough decision, the sea star group took the final winning prize! ⭐️ We ended our beautiful day with some fun neuron tag. 🤸🏿♂️ T
he class had a great day and we look forward to applying our learning about nervous systems in the future 🙏🏽
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#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #steam #stem #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Thornton Creek Hatchery with Maddy and Dave 🐟
It was such a fun and beautiful morning to head out to Thornton Creek. Ms. Bruhwiler’s Kindergarten class had been studying up the salmon life cycle. 😎 The class has their own coho fry and have been able to see the salmon develop in the classroom!
However, today ...
May 20
Thornton Creek Hatchery with Maddy and Dave 🐟
It was such a fun and beautiful morning to head out to Thornton Creek. Ms. Bruhwiler’s Kindergarten class had been studying up the salmon life cycle. 😎 The class has their own coho fry and have been able to see the salmon develop in the classroom!
However, today we headed to the hatchery to see some more live salmon and the Thornton Creek Hatchery in action. When we arrived, each student had a turn at spinning the “wheel of death”! We pretended we were salmon and spun a wheel to see if we would survive to spawn or not. We were surprised as to how many of us actually survived, however none of us made it to the age of spawning unfortunately. 💦 We learnt from Dave how few salmon survive in the wild (only about 4% of a females fertilized eggs). Next, we headed over to look at the bear pelt, where we talked about how the bear uses its body to eat salmon. 🏞
Our next station involved some live invertebrates that were salmon fry prey and the class had lots of fun catching the bugs and inspecting them. Our final station involved some specimens showing the salmon life cycle and we got to head over to the tanks to look at some real life salmon! The class had so much fun learning about salmon and we are so excited to release the classroom fry back into the wild on our next field school. 🌄
🙏🏽@thorntoncreek & Dave!
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #steam #stem #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Intertidal Stormy Day with Maddy ⛈
It was a stormy day for Ms. Thompson’s Grade 1 class to learn about the intertidal zone. 🌊 We started in the classroom and discussed what the term “intertidal” meant. The class brainstormed and we broke down the word to help us decipher it. We also discussed what the animals in the ...
May 18
Intertidal Stormy Day with Maddy ⛈
It was a stormy day for Ms. Thompson’s Grade 1 class to learn about the intertidal zone. 🌊 We started in the classroom and discussed what the term “intertidal” meant. The class brainstormed and we broke down the word to help us decipher it. We also discussed what the animals in the intertidal zone have to do to survive being under the water and out of the water for equal parts of their day. 🐚 The class had so much fun imagining what they would do if their house was underwater for half the day!
We headed to Cox Bay and walked down to the beach however, the stormy winds made it unsafe for us to head to the intertidal zone. 🌀 So, we headed back to the classroom, but not before noting all the adaptations animals would have to make to deal with a storm of this size! 🦀
When we arrived back at the classroom, we played a fun intertidal game where everyone got to play a role in a tide pool story. This story helped prepare us for next time when we actually enter the intertidal zone and get to explore! The class will be very excited to finally explore the intertidal zone next time when the weather allows! ☔️
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #steam #stem #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Water cycle at South Chesterman Beach 🌊
Mr. Holt’s Grade 2 class were keen to head out on this beautiful day to South Chesterman. 🤩 We arrived at the beach excited to get some energy out and the students all had a chance to run around and review some signs of the water cycle. 🤸🏿♂️ We noted clouds, river ...
May 18
Water cycle at South Chesterman Beach 🌊
Mr. Holt’s Grade 2 class were keen to head out on this beautiful day to South Chesterman. 🤩 We arrived at the beach excited to get some energy out and the students all had a chance to run around and review some signs of the water cycle. 🤸🏿♂️ We noted clouds, river outflows, wet soil, the ocean and wet leaves transpiring!
Next, it was our turn to play a fun, water cycle game to help us visualize the stages of the water cycle. 💦 Students transformed into rain drops and we all took turns cycling through different stages of the water cycle. The students were surprised to learn that water droplets often return to stages of the water cycle and don’t always move in a perfect cycle! 💧 This was a great learning lesson and we ended making our own little ecosystems in a jar to visualize transpiration from moss. 🍃The class loved making their ecosystems and they are all going to keep Maddy updated when they see transpiration occurring in their ecosystems in a jar! 🧫
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
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#raincoast #outdooreducation #steam #stem #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
#ukeefieldschool
Mr. Garand’s class and Kira spent a morning learning about plankton. 🌊
They discussed the difference between zooplankton and phytoplankton, and the fundamental role plankton plays in our surrounding ocean environment. Afterwards they headed to Whisky dock to collect samples using a plankton tow. Each student collected a sample ...
Aug 2
Mr. Garand’s class and Kira spent a morning learning about plankton. 🌊
They discussed the difference between zooplankton and phytoplankton, and the fundamental role plankton plays in our surrounding ocean environment. Afterwards they headed to Whisky dock to collect samples using a plankton tow. Each student collected a sample that they brought back to the class for further examination. The group was very fortunate to have Jenn, a current Raincoast intern, join them for the morning and provide an excellent introduction to dissecting and compound microscopes. After some practice with classroom items, the groups prepared samples from their plankton collection to examine in the two kinds of microscopes. 🔬
It was a great learning experience, and everyone really enjoyed using the microscopes! 🧫
t🙏🏽 Mr. Garand’s class!
#ukeefieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #streamecology #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #ucluelet #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc #outdooreducation #learning #learnoutside
Field School Flash with Kira spending a couple mornings with the kindergarten classes identifying and observing signs of spring. 🌼
Before venturing to Terrace Beach, they discussed how the days are getting long, the temperature is warming up, animals are migrating north and there is a fresh floral scent in the air. On the way to ...
Jul 22
Field School Flash with Kira spending a couple mornings with the kindergarten classes identifying and observing signs of spring. 🌼
Before venturing to Terrace Beach, they discussed how the days are getting long, the temperature is warming up, animals are migrating north and there is a fresh floral scent in the air. On the way to Terrace Beach the students spotted a flower of every color in the rainbow and Ms. Williamson’s class watched a large flock of ducks fly north over head. 🦆
After snack and recess they ventured around Terrace Beach observing signs of spring. They spotted a Sitka spruce with new growth of their reproduction system and several plants were adorned with their beautiful flowers. Using magnifying glasses, they were able to get a up close look at all the different parts of a plant, while learning the roles. 🌻
They finished off their mornings with a fun shorebird migration game and then headed back to UES for lunch. 🤸🏿♂️
#ukeefieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety #raincoast #streamecology #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #ucluelet #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc #outdooreducation #learning #learnoutside
Temperate Rainforest Biome🏞
Ms. Lefevre’s grade 4 class and Kira enjoyed a misty morning at the Rainforest Trail between Ucluelet and Tofino. No better place to learn about the makeup of a temperate rainforest biome!
We started with a favorite, sensory warm up activity: Meet a Tree! 🌲 Afterwards they had a ...
Jun 21
Temperate Rainforest Biome🏞
Ms. Lefevre’s grade 4 class and Kira enjoyed a misty morning at the Rainforest Trail between Ucluelet and Tofino. No better place to learn about the makeup of a temperate rainforest biome!
We started with a favorite, sensory warm up activity: Meet a Tree! 🌲 Afterwards they had a quick snack and then set off on the loop.🥾 On their walk they first discovered the transition zone between previously deforested area and the climax forest, the difference in undergrowth and tree size was very noticeable. As they kept walking they learned about the complexities of each layer of a rainforest: underground, forest floor, understory, and canopy.🌿 Throughout the loop the students spotted several different plant, animal and fungus species and noticed some lived in all the layers!
🙏🏽 Thanks for an adventurous morning Ms. Lefevre’s class!
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#raincoasteducationsociety#raincoast
#streamecology #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #ucluelet #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc #outdooreducation #learning #learnoutside
Living vs. Non-living Classification 🤸🏿♂️
Ms. Sigmund’s grade 1 class headed down to Big Beach with Kira to explore the classification of living and non-living things. 🌊
This may sound easy, but certain objects in the surrounding environment can be difficult to classify, for example, a decaying stump,...
Jun 15
Living vs. Non-living Classification 🤸🏿♂️
Ms. Sigmund’s grade 1 class headed down to Big Beach with Kira to explore the classification of living and non-living things. 🌊
This may sound easy, but certain objects in the surrounding environment can be difficult to classify, for example, a decaying stump, dirt and even water! 💦 Kira reviewed some yes or no questions the students can ask themselves to guide their classification and then they jumped into a scavenger hunt that helped them practice classifying objects. 🔬
Afterwards they looked over their answers as a class and discussed how western science is a common practice used to classify living and non-living things in BC, but by no means the only practice and knowledge used. 🧫. After some free time at Big Beach the group headed back to UES.
🙏🏽 Thanks for the engaging afternoon Ms. Sigmund’s class!.
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#ukeefieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety #raincoast #streamecology #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #ucluelet #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc #outdooreducation #learning #learnoutside
Coastal Ecosystems ☀️
Kira and Ms. Comtois’ class enjoyed a beautiful sunny morning down at Big Beach learning about the intricacies of the surrounding coastal ecosystem. 🦀
The group worked their way up the beach and into the forest looking at the different mini-ecosystems or bio-bands within the larger ...
Jun 14
Coastal Ecosystems ☀️
Kira and Ms. Comtois’ class enjoyed a beautiful sunny morning down at Big Beach learning about the intricacies of the surrounding coastal ecosystem. 🦀
The group worked their way up the beach and into the forest looking at the different mini-ecosystems or bio-bands within the larger coastal ecosystem. They started in the intertidal zone, then worked their way through the sandy beach band, the beach grass band and into the temperate forest. 🌲 Within each bio band, each group used a quadrat to determine a study zone and worked together to discuss the biotic and abiotic features, as well as the biological relationships present. 🌊
The group finished off their morning with a fun game modelling the food web in a coastal ecosystem. 🤸🏿♂️
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#ukeefieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety #raincoast
#streamecology #outdoored #experientallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #learningoutside #natureschool #ucluelet #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc #outdooreducation #learning #learnoutside
Support
Raincoast Field School is made possible with the support of the administration and teaching staff at local schools, and the generosity of organizations, businesses, and individuals within the community. The curriculum is designed to build upon itself each year, representing a long-term commitment to the students. Our instructors are highly skilled educators in a full-time position with the RES, committed to the program, and the community they teach in.
Need help?
If you have any questions about our courses, our events, or just us in general – we’re here to help!
