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Home » Fantastic Field Trips in Santa Cruz, California

Fantastic Field Trips in Santa Cruz, California

March 19, 2020 by L. E. Mastilock 1 Comment

There are tons of great places in and around Santa Cruz, California. Here are some more

wonderful places to take kids on field trips:

The Museum of Art and History (MAH)

in downtown Santa Cruz. We scheduled a field trip there with a group of kids for the Art Gallery Tour and Printmaking workshop. Our tour guides were wonderful, patient, and very informative.

The kids did a fun activity to find an artist based on clues on a cube that each student was given. They then learned about how the artist made their art, what inspired them, tools they used, etc. In the box were even items to touch and smell.

They have some amazing works on display right now!


Everyone loved the hands on booths to create their own landscapes and abstract art.

The printmaking workshop was fun for all ages. They discussed color, texture, line, shape, and space.

We’ll be returning there next month for a local history field trip as well!

Wilder Ranch State Park

on the west side of Santa Cruz.
We have yet to make it for one of their events. They have many Living history demonstrations on weekends and other family events. But, we have enjoyed going with friends and wandering through the small museum and exploring around the historical buildings on weekdays when the place is practically empty.
Past the main ranch house and barns there is a wood cabin that is fun to investigate as well.
It’s also a beautiful place to take a hike or walk, bird watch, and have a picnic. All kids love the huge tangle of trees that are great for climbing!

Henry Cowell State Park and Nature Center

in Felton.

We have many nature centers and I love them all! They each have different exhibits to offer and are hands on, where you can touch and explore all the natural textures, and see real plants and animals.

The row of birds nest was fascinating to my son and his friend and the stamp table they had set up was a big hit as well. They made a booklet of local animals and stamped the correct track mark for each one with a large rubber stamp.

Live Earth Farm

 in Watsonville.

This is our second year attending the monthly Homeschool Program. Before
that we attended some field trips and preschool days. I can’t speak
highly enough about it! They teach all aspects of farming, from making
healthy, organic soil, to planting and sprouting seeds, all the way to
picking, packaging, shipping, and eating!

They’ve taught us about natural ways to deal with problem insects, erosion, plants that grow well together, and so much more!
Oh and we get to care for the chickens and goats on the farm also. All of it is hands on and very fun, whether we’re there in sun or rain! We get a good workout while there, too!
We love going to their Harvest Festival and other events throughout the year.

Other great local field trips we’ve taken in the past year include:

Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville: apple picking, learning the process of making cider, and working a farm.
Fire Departments and the Police Station: fun safety video and climbing in the trucks and cars never get old.
Whole Foods gave us a behind the scenes tour of the store, healthy foods, the workings of a large bakery, and even fed the kids freshly made pizza!
Pizza My Heart was a huge hit! The kids got to see an award winning pizza flipper, go behind the counter, get locked in a big refrigerator, scream as loud as possible, and make their own pizzas!
The Scotts Valley Water Reclamation Facility (Water Treatment Plant) and
the Santa Cruz Landfill/Resource Recovery Facility (Recycle Center) (click over to view a video) gave us very in depth tours. I can’t recommend them enough for any age!
They are both fantastic for the kids and all of us to see first hand where our waste goes and what happens to it. It makes a big impression on the importance of recycling, reusing, and not wasting our resources.
We can still never go too many times to the Seymour Center or Pacific Crest Apiaries.

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Filed Under: Educational Activites, Family, Field Trips, Fun Activities, Homeschool, Kids & Family, Local Learning- near Santa Cruz, CA, Parenting Tagged With: Great Local Places, Nature, reviews, Santa Cruz

About L. E. Mastilock

Author, Artist, Pro Blogger, and Social Media Manager. I encourage parents to nurture children through art and nature. I homeschool my kids and advocate for alternative education, creativity, family values, clean eating, rescue pets, and a playful childhood.
I blog at naturalparentguide.com & RascalandRocco.com

Comments

  1. Helicopter Mom and Just Plane Dad says

    February 7, 2015 at 2:22 pm

    My daughter is a natural born hippie and absolutely loves nature parks. As a little kid, she collected every rock, stick and animal she could find. She's now older and works for a plant/flower nursery. Always been a tree hugger! The kids look like they had an amazing time on these trips; not so sure about the chickens!

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Hello, I'm L. E. Mastilock. I am a lover of food, family, and nature. I encourage parents to live a green, healthy lifestyle and have fun learning together. I am a published author and multi media artist, homeschooling my kids in the beautiful CA mountains. Read More…

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