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. 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
For our last field school of the year, Ms. Hirst’s class went for a quick walk to Tonquin Beach. 🌲🏖️
Here we took some time to find inspiration in the forest and shore to create some eco-art. 🎨✨
With a few pictures for inspiration and ample time to let their creativity unfold, students went off to find materials and make their own creations. 🖌️🍃
We had drip castles, sand drawings, intricate arrangements — and lots and lots of fun! 🪨🌊😁
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool #outdooreducation
#raincoasteducationsociety #raincoast #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
As spring has progressed, Ms. Bruhwiler’s class salmon have grown into fry—and the time has come for their release back into the stream. Before getting to work, we had a little extra time to explore the mudflats. We flipped over rocks in search of shore crabs and even caught a glimpse of some new avian visitors—mute swans! 🦀🦢
Working with Doug from the Tofino Salmon Hatchery, the kindergarteners gave their salmon a grand send-off. One by one, each student carefully made their way down to the stream, clutching a bucket of fish in hand. As they watched their fry swim about, they proudly shared all they had learned—recounting the salmon life cycle, where salmon live, and how they change colours over time. 🐟
These fry will now spend the next year in the stream, growing into smolt before heading out to sea—just as the students prepare for their own next stage: grade 1! 🏞️
Field School Topic: Salmon Release
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
For the final trip of the year, Ms. McIver`s class took a trip out to the Ucluelet Aquarium 🐟.
Students got to explore the rich world that lives beneath the water`s surface 🌊. To help them dive deeper, students worked to complete a scavenger hunt 📝—looking to find, name, or draw various species 🎨🦀🐠.
The students especially loved watching Ink Floyd (the giant Pacific octopus 🐙) and exploring the touch tanks 🫧.
The amazing aquarium staff welcomed the many questions that students brought with them, taking the time to teach them and spark their sense of wonder ✨.
Thank you to the aquarium staff, and the myriad of creatures that made this trip such a delight! 💙
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool #uclueletaquarium
#raincoasteducationsociety #raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Did you catch a glimpse of the herring spawn? Spring in the sea sure starts with a bang! 🐋
To welcome the changing seasons, Ms. Bruhwiler’s class took a walk to Tonquin to set their senses on the signs of spring. We found salmonberry flowers, breaking buds, and birds! 🌸
On the beach, we turned back to the sea and discussed how the colour of the water changes during the herring spawn. Later, we discussed the return of the whales. 🐟
And to top it all off, students played a game to explore how our local baleen whales migrate, teach their young, and how they only feed in the north in spring and summer! 🌱
Field School Lesson: Signs of Spring
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Everything that lives has an impact on its ecosystem. Each organism takes some and gives some—the balance is different for each. Humans are no exception! 🌲
Ms. Thompson’s class investigated some of the negative and positive human impacts on our local ecosystems. Walking the Tonquin Connector, we recapped some of our food web terminology from last lesson before taking a look at the examples of human impacts on the trail. 🚮 From the kids` very own bat boxes and planted trees to the trail itself, impacts were everywhere. We also played the “estuary game” to explore the possible effects of human decisions on fish living in estuaries.🐟
On our way back to school, we brainstormed some more positive actions we could make as a class—discussing our plans for a beach clean after spring break!
Field School Lesson: Human Impacts
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Sound is all around. We can create it, play with it, and pay close attention to it. Ms. Avila`s class spent a morning on Mackenzie Beach exploring all we can do with sound. 🔊
We started out by making some musical instruments with household items and found objects. 🥁
Bringing them all together, each student got to share their creation before we put them to work in our very own song. 🪇
We also spent some time exploring volume and pitch through our instruments and voices. After our snack break, we sat still to pay close attention to the sounds of the beach and recorded our experience through our own sound maps. 📝
Finally, we played a few rounds of echolocation tag to glimpse into the sound worlds of bats and orcas. 🦇
Field School Topic: Sound
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool #sound #raincoasteducationsociety #raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
The mudflats are a dynamic place. Their extreme tidal changes make them an ideal place to study the movement of water in daily tides.
Mr. Reynolds’ class took a walk along the Yellow Gate Trail to see the impact of the tides up close and personal. 🌊 The tide was high, and our beach was as small as the waves. But if we came back six hours later, the reverse would be true—all beach!
To explain this, we turned to tide graphs and learned how to read the highs and lows. 📉 Back at school, we compared tide changes to waves and the steepness of beaches. Through nautical charts, we were able to piece together how the peninsula protects the inlet, leaving it with no waves! 🗺️
Field School Topic: Tides & Waves
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety #tides #waves
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Have you been watching the salmonberry plants lately? Spring is springing here on the Raincoast! 🌸
Each day, new flowers and new buds are emerging. To take a closer look, Ms. Hirst`s class took a walk to Tonquin Beach. We had a scavenger hunt for various signs of spring as we walked the trail. 🌱
Students noted the different flowers, buds, and animals, being sure to keep track of where we noticed these early signs most. On the beach, we took a look at a few signs of spring in the ocean. First, we talked about the herring spawn and demonstrated how the characteristic light blue color comes to be. 🐟
Afterward, we discussed the return of the whales, focusing on how baleen whales eat. Students filtered out `food` with dip nets to simulate humpback whale gulp feeding. It was a whale of a time! 🐋
Field School Topic: Signs of Spring
#tofinofieldschool #raincoastfieldschool #spring
#raincoasteducationsociety #raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #tofino #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
#ukeefieldschool
In this field school, Ms. Chilson`s K–1s headed down to Big Beach to learn about springtime changes! 🌸☀️
We started with a classroom brainstorm about what we know about spring and the changes we see between winter and spring. Then, we headed to the beach!
We did a scavenger hunt where we focused on what we could see, feel, and hear during spring — sunshine, birds chirping, wind blowing through the trees, and new buds on branches. 🌱🕊🌳
We also learned about the plant life cycle and why we see so many beautiful flowers around town this time of year. 🌼🌷
Next, we explored the world of pollinators and played a pollination relay race, where students became buzzing bees rushing to pollinate their flowers. 🐝🏃♂️🌺
We wrapped up this field school by exploring the intertidal zone and discovering all the new life appearing in the tide pools. 🐚🫐
Such a wonderful day with a fantastic group! 💛
#uclueletfieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #ukee #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Did you know that three-quarters of marine species in our area rely on eelgrass at some point in their life cycle? On this sunny morning, Ms. Kinvig’s grade 4s headed down to Terrace Beach for a beach seine adventure! 🐟🌿
We began the day by learning about the importance of eelgrass, then made our way to the shoreline, where we completed four seine pulls through the eelgrass and kelp beds. Each pull brought up an incredible variety of marine life—sculpins, perch, sole, gunnels, an eelgrass isopod, kelp and hermit crabs, and more! 🦀🪸
Students carefully transferred the animals from the net to observation tanks, where they worked together to identify each species before releasing them back into their habitat.
We wrapped up the day with some rock and shell painting by the shore, a few games in the sun, and then it was time to head home for lunch. What a fun and fascinating day at the beach!
Field School Topic: Beach Seine
#uclueletfieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #ukee #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Did you know that if all of Earth`s history were compressed onto a clock, humans would only appear in the last few seconds? ⏳🤯
In this field school, Ms. Santos` grade 6–7s explored the extensive—and mind-boggling—geological timescale and the fossil record.
🌀 We started with a Starburst activity in class, demonstrating the processes of sedimentation that allow fossils to be preserved for millions of years.
🦴 Then we headed out to the field, equipped with clay, to create some imprinted fossils of our own.
📏 To wrap up, we rolled out a 100m measuring tape and marked the major events of the last 4.6 billion years to visualize the sheer scale of Earth`s history.
Field School Lesson: Geological timescale/fossil record
#uclueletfieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #ukee #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Next lucky class to visit the Ucluelet Aquarium: Ms. Brinkman`s grade 6–7s! 🐟🌊
On this exciting morning, we headed down to the Ucluelet Aquarium to see all the wonderful creatures our waters have to offer.
🦀 Students completed a scavenger hunt, identifying various species.
🎨 They used their scientific drawing skills—developed in a previous field school—to capture their favourite animal along with some detailed observations.
We wrapped up with some fun at the park 🎉 before heading back to school!
Field School Topic: Marine Biology
#uclueletfieldschool #raincoastfieldschool #marinebiology
#raincoasteducationsociety #raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #ukee #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia
This was a rainy afternoon (remember those) 🌧️, Ms. Sigmund`s Grade 1–2s headed down to the Ucluelet harbour to compare natural vs. humanmade features.
We started by discussing and brainstorming the difference between a natural and a humanmade material 🧠, then took our newfound knowledge outside.
At the harbour, students identified all sorts of features in our surroundings — like Lyche Island, the Ucluelet Aquarium 🐠, Ucluelet’s natural harbour 🌊, Whiskey Dock, Mount Ozzard ⛰️, the road 🛣️, and more — and discussed which were natural vs. humanmade.
Students rapidly became experts and were identifying all sorts of natural and humanmade features all around us.🕵️♂️
We finished up this fun field school by playing on the fun humanmade park 🛝 and among the natural trees 🌲, then headed back to school. 🚌
#uclueletfieldschool #raincoastfieldschool #beautifulbc
#raincoasteducationsociety #raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #ukee #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia
n this field school, Ms. Tremblay`s class headed to Little Beach to look for the signs on the beach and in the ocean. 🐋
We played a game of spring bingo and found emerging buds, new plants poking out, herring eggs, whale blows, chirping birds, sunshine, and more! ☀️
We talked about all the various ways our plants and animals are adjusting their behaviour now that spring is near. We did a demo on the herring spawn, used binoculars to search for the blows of migrating whales, and found budding leaves and flowers all around the beach. 🌸 We acted out the life cycle of a budding flower—from a seed to a leaf, to a flower, to a berry, and back to a seed. We finished up this wonderful sunny morning with a game of capture the flag, then headed back to school to paint rocks collected at the beach. 🐟
Even though this was the last day before spring break, Ms. Tremblay`s grade 2-3s were as wonderful as ever, and I can`t wait to see them again soon! 🌱
Field School Topic: Signs of spring at the beach
#uclueletfieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #ukee #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Did you hear? The herring have spawned! 🐟
In this field school, Ms. Diehl`s class headed down to the beach to hunt for signs of the herring spawn and other signs of spring. ☀️
We played a spring-themed beach bingo game and explored the beach for herring eggs. We did a demonstration on why the herring spawn turns our water cloudy and beautiful, and we finished up with a fun game of camouflage. 🌱
This was a wonderful and sunny afternoon at the beach! 🌸
Field School Lesson: Herring spawn/signs of spring
#uclueletfieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #ukee #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
Do you know what salmon and octopi have in common? They can both change colours to camouflage with their surroundings! 🐟
In this field school, Ms. Sigmund`s class loaded up the bus and headed to the Thornton Creek Salmon Hatchery to meet with Dave Hurwitz, the man who makes it all happen. We learned how the baby salmon are raised to give them the best chance of survival once they`re released into their native habitat. Hemlock branches are hung down into the raceways and troughs to give the developing salmon a taste of home and to teach them where to hide from predators. The hatchery staff even has a false bird that dips into the troughs once a week to simulate a predator they will face in the wild. 🏞
We were allowed into the nursery, where the salmon are transitioning from alevin to fry in trays of approximately 5,000 individual salmon. We learned about the importance of crowding the trays, timing the feeding carefully, and how the baby fish are sedated and weighed weekly to cater their feeding regimen exactly to their development—giving them the best chance to thrive. 🌊
We finished the trip with a demonstration of how salmon can change colour to camouflage with their surroundings, something almost none of us had ever heard of! We braved rain, hail, wind, and chill for this trip, and we`re so glad we did!
This was a fantastic and extremely educational trip to the hatchery. 🙏🏽
Field School: Salmon Hatchery
#uclueletfieldschool #raincoastfieldschool
#raincoasteducationsociety
#raincoast #outdooreducation #stem #steam #learning #learnoutside #outdoored #experientiallearning #naturebasedlearning #nature #forestschools #placebasededucation #natureschool #ukee #explorebc #explorecanada #britishcolumbia #beautifulbc
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.
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