At Waldorf School of the Peninsula, the world is our classroom and school field trips are a core part of our education.
Beginning in second grade, classes go on multi-day curricular trips. The locations of these trips vary from year-to-year but follow general themes; the descriptions below are from recent years.
All classes also engage in local curricular trips throughout the year that correspond to the current topic of study.
Early Childhood
Starting in nursery and kindergarten, children engage with the natural world every day on campus. Field trips for the kindergarten children correspond with the seasons and focus on experiencing nature, such as picking apples, visiting a local goat farm, playing at the neighborhood park and enjoying a picnic at the beach.
Grades 1-5
In the early grades, trips can include a second grade visit to a working farm and nature education center, a third grade 3-4 day working stint at a farm, a fourth grade living history adventure for the California history block, a fifth grade botany hike and an outdoor education experience in Northern California.
Middle School
Organized yearly trips for the sixth through eighth grades promote teamwork and deeper self-knowledge through progressively more challenging adventures in nature. Middle school trips continue outdoor education and expand students’ skills and sense of community. The eighth grade trip celebrates their journey together through grades 1 – 8. Recent eighth grade trips have included week-long camping, canoeing and rafting adventures.
High School
The year kicks off with an all-school multi-day retreat that includes nature immersion, community-building activities and junior-senior leadership training. Class specific trips include a ninth grade Geology trip to Death Valley; a tenth grade cultural immersion and social justice trip that includes community service-learning; an eleventh grade wilderness trip, which includes a solo overnight experience as part of a study of Parzival as well as a visit to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; and the capstone senior trip.
