Sample Itinerary

Basic Schedule for the 3 days. You should try to leave your school on the morning of Day 1 by 8:30 a.m.

Day 1: Forest Day

Group Arrival 10 a.m.
Unload bus
Introductions/Rules
Lunch (Vida Verde provided)
Group goes to the Redwood Forest for a long hike
Move into Tents
Camper Choice (examples of choices: cook dinner, extreme hike, crafts, or making ice cream)
Dinner
Meal Cleanup
Night Hike
Bedtime

Day 2: Goats/Farm/Coast

Wake up, get ready for the day
Breakfast
Meal cleanup
Group goes to the Farm & Goat program
Lunch at farm
Group goes to the Coast
Return to Vida Verde
Dinner cooking & short tent-time
Dinner
Meal Cleanup
Campfire
Bedtime

Day 3: Camper Choice Day

Wake up, get ready, move out of tents
Breakfast
Extended camper choice
Early & simple lunch
Cleanup
Closing Circle
Group Picture and Goodbyes

The bus should arrive back at Vida Verde to pick you up on Day 3 at 1:30 p.m.

Eligible School Criteria

Vida Verde programs are offered to schools for which:

1. 85% or more of the students receive free/reduced price lunches and

2. Students do not otherwise have an overnight environmental education opportunity in grades 4-6.

Vida Verde offers one program a week (Tuesday-Thursday) during the school year. If you are interested in scheduling programming for the upcoming school year, please submit this form. 

What Schools Need to Provide:

1. Transportation to and from Vida Verde (bus, shuttles, caravan of cars, anything school-approved is fine with us!).

2. Two to three adult chaperones (any school-approved adults. Does not need to be teacher of class coming).

3. Small batch of groceries, Vida Verde supplements the rest.

Contact Harmony@Vveducation.org for any questions.

Family & Guardian Presentations

Upon request Vida Verde staff will make a presentation to families, guardians (and students) at the school prior to the trip to Vida Verde. We have found over the years that these presentations are useful in convincing families who are tentative about sending their child away on this outdoor education experience. Often the students and their families are not familiar with camping or the rural areas just outside the Bay Area. Our presentation will give them the information and reassurance they need to feel good about the trip and to make sure the students are fully prepared. Presentations will be planned with the teacher and take place at the school or virtually via Zoom.

For each presentation, we have handouts in English and Spanish. It is often helpful if there is someone at the meeting to translate. (Some of our presenters speak Spanish, and some do not.)

If you have a trip scheduled with us and would like us to come a give a presentation for the families and guardians of your students, please contact us at least a month in advance of your trip date to so we can set up a presentation time/date.

Post Program Classroom Curriculum

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS (download PDF)
Post-trip lessons to enhance the science learning of the Vida Verde program

Easy Grant Money for Field Trip Assistance

Environmental Volunteers (aka “Let’s Go!”) Transportation Fund

All schools with an FRPM % of 70 or greater (60% for Santa Clara County), or youth-serving organizations that serve these schools (see below), or schools that show at least a 70% socioeconomically disadvantaged student population, within the 9 Bay Area counties are eligible to apply. Reimbursement up to $500.

Learn more!

Redwood Connects Grants

Application deadline is usually October of the same school year, awards granted November. Apply early! Grants at $6,000 and separate transportation grant of $500.

Learn more!

East Palo Alto Kids Foundation (Ravenswood Schools only):
EPAK accepts grant applications (up to $500) from Ravenswood City School District teachers twice a year. Applications for Fall field trips are typically due in September while applications for Winter Field trips are typically due in January.
Learn more!

Philanthropic Ventures Foundation:
Grants of up to $1,000 are available through a 1-page application for TK-12 grade teachers working at low-income public schools in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Clara, San Francisco or San Mateo County. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis as funds are available.
Learn more!