Field Trips for Grades 3-5

       Field Trip Menu                                Grades 3-5

Grades 3 to 5 Field Trip Menu - Thumbnail

Click above for a PDF that also includes NGSS alignment for each lesson! 

You and H2O!

Rotate through NGSS-aligned stations to explore the natural and human/engineered water cycles. Learn how water shapes our lives and understand how humans impact the Spokane River Watershed and the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. Depending on the grade, we adapt the vocabulary, adjust the concept level and aim for the appropriate NGSS alignment.

This is a great option for classrooms, homeschool groups, and scout troops.


Located at 1004 N Freya Street, typical visits to the Water Resource Center are 1.5-2 hours in length.

           Request My                          Field Trip!

Wally Otter Mascot and Request Link

Click the Wally Otter button above to request your field trip!

Once we receive your Field Trip Request to visit the Water Resource Center (WRC), we’ll email you to begin jointly planning the date, time and activities that are best suited for your class and what best aligns with your curriculum. 

Field trips to the WRC are in high demand in the spring. If a fall field trip can fit into your curriculum, there will be more available dates from which you can choose.

The Incredible Water Journey
Transform into a water drop and take an incredible journey through the water cycle to learn where water can be found on earth and how it changes states.

Pump it Up!
Using an aquifer model, students will explore how human use, population growth and seasonal precipitation patterns impact the aquifer.

You Are What You Eat!
Through an interactive game, students take turns role-playing animals and plants in the Spokane River food web to illustrate how energy and pollution are transferred in the food chain.

From Flush to Finish
Take a virtual tour of the wastewater reclamation process to learn how water is cleaned and waste is transformed. Then, do an experiment to see what materials can be flushed down the toilet.

HomeSchoolGroup_20170221_cropStormwater Maze
Students will take turns playing the part of stormwater and pollutants as they navigate through a life-size stormwater maze.

Where Does Your Water Shed?
Students will learn about the Spokane River Watershed by exploring a variety of maps and making their own watershed model.

Flow Like a River
Explore erosion, deposition and flooding with a hands-on stream table. Then, put on your engineering hat to design a solution to minimize the impacts of erosion and flooding.

The Long HaulIMG_7147
Learn how water is transported from the Aquifer through a network of engineered wells, pumps, and pipes. Students will model how pumps and pipes compare to other methods of water collection used historically and in other regions of the world. This is best done outdoors in milder weather.

Can you Clean the Water?
In this hands-on Engineer Design Challenge, work together with your teammates to clean dirty water by working within time, financial and material constraints. Students will learn that it can be difficult and expensive to clean water after it’s been polluted. Engineer Design Process will be emphasized.

Go with the Flow! Interactive Stream Table
Experiment with a hands-on stream table to see examples of erosion and deposition, river and aquifer interchange, the connection between vegetation and soil stabilization, and the impacts of weather events on flooding.

Seasons of the River
In a high-energy game, students model the hydrology of the Spokane River watershed throughout the year by making water flow at different rates. This interactive, outdoor lesson will cover watersheds, river hydrology, river/aquifer interchange, weather patterns, water conservation and climate change. This is done outdoors in milder weather.