Outdoor Education School Science Camps California

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Please double check the number of students you have listed on this form. We ask that you record how many you believe will actually attend, not the total number of students in the grade. The schedule and contract will be made based off this number; contractually you are responsible for paying at least 90% of this contracted number. Feel free to put in the details in the Notes section below and reach out to us at hello@hightrails.com with questions. We are happy to help!

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Please choose your top 4 week choices below. Prices for 3/4/5 day programs are noted next to the dates. If you have a specific schedule that requires fewer than 4 choices, please note that this is possible with the acceptance of an additional per student fee.

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Food Waste & The Clean Plate Club – Sam Farrell

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Egg-Laying Mammals - Meghan Barrett

What are the characteristics of a mammal? When I present this question to my students, they are instantly excited to share their knowledge of these awesome creatures. We end up with a list of traits...

Birds Battle to be heard over Noise Pollution - Gabriela Antonova

To many, pollution is something dark and disgusting that poisons clean air or pristine rivers, like Dr. Seuss’s Smogulous Smog or Gluppity-Glup. However, pollution can be invisible, sly, and can even inhibit communication. We’re talking...

Is This Real? Carolyn Tallman

All too often I hear these words uttered by friends, family, and strangers. Here at High Trails, we lead an interesting and unique lifestyle. We laugh until our stomachs hurt, live and work in the...

I SEE What You Mean: A Close Look at Light and Vision - Robert Donisch

Here at High Trails, one of the most discussed adaptations organisms have is that of sight. And we know what sight is: the ability for our eyes to detect light. But...how do we actually see? Why...

Simple Beauty- Bryan Salyer

...when I look up it’s not my father’s quirky smile or his customary cut-off jeans and white socks to his knees, instead it is a... I sit on the rocky river bank watching the orange glow...

Crow Planet Book Review: Being Curious - Meg Borree

Let me set the scene for you…. It’s 10:30 am, you are the instructor for a group of 14 fifth graders and you have a full day of hiking and environmental classes ahead of you. The...

Continuing Education with a Bat Presentation - Shane Hyre

While Outdoor Education draws in staff that has a passion for being outdoors, working with students, and understanding the natural sciences, one of the continual challenges for us at High Trails is finding new and...

Life 101: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned Since Coming to High Trails - Emily Trostel

There are shared qualities that drive us to be High Trails’ instructors. Mostly, we all share a love of the outdoors. We tend to discover early on that working in an office, teaching in a...

What is your “Dawn Wall”? Barb Bemis

On January 14, 2015, history was made...in the rock climbing world at least. Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson succeeded in free climbing the Dawn Wall on El Cap, Yosemite National Park. 19 days. 32 pitches of...

Outdoor Education...Who Needs It? Chris Wright

Each week at High Trails, we get bus loads of students. All of them leave High Trails with something. We hope that it is a new appreciation of the world around them -- the people,...

Purple Flying Elephants - Mark Lisak

Want to learn how to integrate storytelling into your classes? Read on... “Hello! You have hired me, Captain Mark, to take you to the Land of Purple Flying Elephants. The Purple Flying Elephants have taken your...

The Snow Plant That Doesn't Photosynthesize - Emily Hermes

The Snow Plant is rumored to have been a favorite plant of John Muir. I, too, share that fascination with this plant/parasite, not just for its bizarre appearance, but also for its interesting process of...

American Sign Language in Science - Sarah Beery

How do you teach science to a deaf student if sign language doesn't have a way to sign the word? Science is its own language with all the varying terms ranging from photosynthesis to camouflage to...

Home - Tamara Perreault

What makes a place a home? This can be a tough question. Think about it for a moment. When you say, “I feel like I’m at home” what makes you feel that way? 2,000 years ago...

Archery in North America - Hannah Livezey

As staff members at High Trails, we are offered opportunities to visit other outdoor schools and exchange ideas with others in the outdoor field with hopes to deliver the best possible curriculum to the students...

Why do male seahorses give birth? Joanna Leach

When teaching students, have you ever gotten a question that stumped you? If the answer is no, then I applaud you on your vast knowledge of everything. For the rest of us, we can make an...

Guided Questioning: Turning Wah into Wow - Mark Kerstens

Ever have a cool fact, idea, or concept that comes up as you hike that you want to share with the students? These teachable moments happen all the time, and are a great way to...

My Former Self - Shannon Diaz

Have you ever thought back to when you were in fifth grade? What was the world like for you then? I remember when I was in fifth grade, and getting ready to go to Camp...

A New Pair of Yuhaviatam Shoes - Colin Veerman

Ahhh... there’s nothing like a new pair of shoes. The smell, the fresh laces, the feeling like you could conquer the world. Right now I’m asking you to imagine yourself in a new pair of...

Selddir: What Am I? Nate Walker

I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I? Good question. After you solve this, only 32 more...

Popular Parent Links

Special Concerns: Information and form for special situations. Health Consent Form: required for every student attending High Trails. Medication Form: required if a student is bringing medication to High Trails. Discipline Form and Packing List: general information to prepare for your trip. Forms Video: check this out for a visual explanation of our forms. Printable Parent's Guide: used in lieu of the online Parent's Guide. Menu: a weekly list of the food up here.

Trail Games #1- Kyle O'Dea

So what do you do while hiking with a large group of students through the forest? Play games of course! Here at High Trails Outdoor Science School we have an arsenal of games we...

Guided Questioning: Turning Wah into Wow - Mark Kerstens

Ever have a cool fact, idea, or concept that comes up as you hike that you want to share with the students? These teachable moments happen all the time, and are a great way to...

Props: Can’t live with them, can’t live without them… Shane Hyre

If you talk to anyone in the outdoor education business – talk about props. Talk about the rubber chickens, the stuffed animals, the rope, the spots, the foam thingies… props have been the underestimated “magic...

Don’t Rain on My Parade! Shannon Diaz

Have you ever had to teach students while outside in the rain or snow ? Here at High Trails, we hike and teach our students in three different seasons with all sorts of weather. Whether we...

Morphology Makes You a Science Wizard - Jenna Ikwe Mennen

“Who knows one characteristic of a mammal?” says every High Trails instructor, once a week. “Warm-blooded!” answers an eager student, remembering to raise their hand only after already blurting out the words. Now, how do we...

Ode to Button-Pushers - Alex Rice

Do you know the student who throws a stick when their instructor isn’t looking? The one who goes past the boundary their teacher very explicitly creates or breaks the rule that was thoroughly reviewed three...

Toothpaste: Show Don't Tell - Kelsey Wentling

Once inside the cabin, everyone shivers off their jackets and eagerly starts buzzing around the warm haven: home for the next three or four nights. Soon after, buzzing turns to chatting and not far off chatting...

Why We Lorax - Penelope Burgess

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” –Dr. Seuss What is The Lorax? Every Friday morning at High Trails Outdoor Science School, groups of 40-120 5th or...

Frontloading and Debriefing - Shannon Diaz

“On your mark, get set, go!” “Huh? I don’t even know what we’re playing!” Have you ever tried playing a game or doing an activity that wasn’t explained completely or didn't make sense to you? This can...

American Sign Language in Science - Sarah Beery

How do you teach science to a deaf student if sign language doesn't have a way to sign the word? Science is its own language with all the varying terms ranging from photosynthesis to camouflage to...

Growth Mindset - Alicia Imbrogna

Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. -Tim Notke How many times in your life have you encountered a situation that was frustrating or annoying and often appeared too difficult to overcome? Have...

Flip Distractions into Discussions: Verbal Jiu-Jitsu- Alex Eisenreich

You are a Teacher. So you probably know that Random Tangent Student. The one that takes extra prompting to engage in class; the one that needs redirection to stay on task; the one who doesn’t volunteer...

“Whatever GRABBSS their attention...” - Shane Hyre

Team Discovery Hike: it's the first activity you do with your field group on their first day at High Trails. It's time for the group to discover who you are, where they are, and what...

Analogies are to Teachers as Utility Belt is to Batman - Hollyann Duskin

A streak of light burns bright and brief across the night sky. A collective gasp comes from the group of students huddled in the darkness as they exclaim, “a shooting star!” As we discuss that shooting...

Scientific Method in Everything - Leslie Urban

In sixth grade I remember losing a spelling bee because I did not know how to spell ‘hypothesis’. Our science teacher, Ms. Miers, had spent the entire fall semester pounding the Scientific Method into our heads...

Your Name? I Don't Have A Clue - Haley Cushing

Instructor: “Ok, who can tell me an example of a renewable resource?” Unnamed Student Raises Hand. Your mind goes blank. You look down at your attendance sheet. Back at the student. Back at the attendance sheet....

Improv-ing Education - Cass Language

Friday afternoon— busses are delayed due to snow, and you find yourself with 15 students for an hour longer than you expected. Or maybe your boss tells you to lead a 10 minute activity for...

Teaching with Music - Jordan Rowell

"Alright class, it’s time to earn our beads for our Furry Friends class. Let’s review what you can remember about adaptations of mammals. John, tell me at least one characteristic of a mammal?" Uhhh…. Uhhh oh is...

3,2,1, Bonus Point! Caroline Blake

“Single file line in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” This is what I shout to my students within the first 5 minutes of their arrival. The kids scurry to get into the best line that they...

Building Communities - Jess Fangman

“This needs to come from your heart,” I said in a soft tone. I watched anxiously as 12 different sets of eyes peered back at me in puzzlement. I had asked my cabin group of sixth...

A Unique Class is a Memorable Class - Paul Adams

A few weeks ago, I was attending a music festival in Santa Barbara. As I was walking around the camp ground, I met a man named Brian who invited me into his camp. We had...

My Former Self - Shannon Diaz

Have you ever thought back to when you were in fifth grade? What was the world like for you then? I remember when I was in fifth grade, and getting ready to go to Camp...

Why Visit A Classroom? Tamara Perreault

Working at High Trails, I quickly became a proponent of teaching outside. There are a lot of clear benefits. In California, class size is almost always 20 or more, but our groups are rarely more...

Home - Tamara Perreault

What makes a place a home? This can be a tough question. Think about it for a moment. When you say, “I feel like I’m at home” what makes you feel that way? 2,000 years ago...

Science Fiction Is a Teaching Tool - Jake Sheaffer

As instructors at High Trails we are constantly trying to relate the material that we teach back to the student’s daily lives. Sometimes this is difficult, because not all students understand why topics like...

Food Waste & The Clean Plate Club - Sam Farrell

Food waste is one of the most important things students learn about here at High Trails, but it is also easy to overlook. While most people don’t consider it to be a big deal, as...

Where Have All The Monarchs Gone? - Melissa Mercier

Monarch butterflies are amazing insects; they can change from caterpillar to beautiful winged creatures! What you may not know is they perform a second and equally amazing feat... Monarch butterflies perform a four generation long trek...

Steller’s Jays: The birds you hate to love - Shannon Pappas

When I say that I don’t always like Steller’s Jays, my students are always shocked. I, of course, understand where they are coming from. I remember when I first came to these mountains and was immediately...

How Plants Can Be Medicine - Canot Walker

High Trails is located at 7000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountain Range, and one of the first topics we learn about in Team Discovery Hike is who lived here before us. The Yuhaviatam arrived...

Mars InSight Lander - Karen Solange Fraser

Mars’ latest lander, InSight, launched in May 2018 and landed in November 2018. At approximately 5 feet long and 20 feet wide, it features two solar panels, two cameras, and three scientific instruments with a...

Snake Reproduction - Mallory Schmackpfeffer

When we talk about snakes, the assumption that we make is that all snakes reproduce by laying eggs, but that’s only part of the story! The truth is that only 70% of snakes lay eggs...

Seed Dispersal of the Black Oak - Davíd Valencia

Did you know that one of the largest populations of all Black Oak trees in southern California is in the San Bernardino National Forest? [1. Tyler, Claudia M., et al. “Demography and Recruitment Limitations of...

Contour vs Downy Feathers – Frazer Winsted

It is the middle of Feathered Friends class. After discussing that there are multiple feathers on a bird consisting of contour and downy feathers, one of my students says: “Mr. Frazer, what is the difference...

Non-flowering Plant Reproduction: Conifers – Ryne Tobar

Of the classes I get to teach at High Trails, my favorite is Plant Detectives. Plants are incredible organisms. While they might be immobile, plants are able to propagate, or reproduce, far beyond their immediate vicinity. When...

Plastic is the New Black – Lillian Johnson

Do you know what you're wearing? When discussing the natural origin of materials with students, discovering that plastics are typically made from crude oil – the same fossil fuel used to power our cars –...

Benefits of Rock Climbing - Peter Le

People ask me if climbing is a good way to stay in shape; I tell them I stay in shape to be good at climbing! Why do people climb? That is the question all instructors ask...

Purpose of Pupils - Allison Hanson

Over the summer, I went hiking with some students at summer camp. On the trail, we ran into a woman taking her goats out for a walk. Yes, GOATS. Goats are great. I was then...

Over the Moon...Cycle - Suzanne Bosman

“The common theme of calendar making is the desire to organize units of time to satisfy the needs and preoccupations of society. In addition to serving practical purposes, the process of organization provides a sense,...

Outdoor Education & Line Dancing - Jade Koenigs

When I say the words “Line Dancing”, the faces of my students scrunch up into a mixture of emotions. Some voice excitement, some voice disgust, but most faces bare the unmistakable feeling of apprehension, scared for...

Can A Formula Predict Floods? - Anne Sweney

“From where we stand the rain seems random. If we could stand somewhere else, we would see the order in it.” –Tony Hillerman For people living in climates that are dry and arid, understanding the water...

We Don’t Need No GPS! Brad Brainard

The day is September 11th, 2014. I am standing face to face with a weathered and worn wooden sign on the top of a mountain in the middle of Maine. The sign reads, in big,...

Diggin Deep into the world of the Thatch-Mound Ant - Kyle W. Gray

What is that mound thing? When sauntering about in the San Bernardino National Forest you may notice large mounds or domes made of grass, leaves, pine needles, and numerous other plant materials. What exactly are these...

Replenishing the Water Cycle - Kevin Williams

Did you know the scientific term for the water cycle is the hydrologic cycle? I was on a hike the other day and thought about the apple activity I do during our Water Wonders class to...

Bird Sounds of Spring - Danny Walden

Spring is here, and it's an exciting time! Our bird friends in the San Bernardino mountains begin to sing, and these year-round populations are complemented by a whole new host of migrants. To many people,...

The Spirits of the Water: Loons - AleXANdra Barteldt

There is a loonie legend about a small lake in rural Maine named Flying Pond. As the story goes, the Native Americans of the region returned to the northern lakes every season for fishing and...

Archery in North America - Hannah Livezey

Speak Like A Yuhaviaatam - Ikwe Mennen

You're staying in the Condor cabin? I think you mean Qwat cabin! Yuhaviaatam means “people of the pines” in their own language. They are the native peoples who lived on top of our mountain, in the...

Welcome to Subirdia: Book Review - Mark Kerstens

Ever wonder how our ever growing suburbanization and development affects wildlife populations? Have you heard that urban development is exclusively bad for bird populations? I thought so, too, until I read Welcome to Subirdia by...

Rock Climber or Amateur Geologist? - Michael Perez

Is igneous bliss or are all the little sediments of rock knowledge metamorphosing climbers into rock experts? Ha! As rock climbers, we experience many different types of rocks when we go to climb at various crags...

Bald Eagles and Their Comeback! Brandon Bortzer

In 1963, scientists estimated a total of just 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles survived in the lower 48 states. The emblem of the United States since 1782 and the only eagle endemic to North America,...