Your field trip and service learning questions answered!
Tilth Alliance’s field trips use age-specific curriculum, connect to classroom learning and invite students to use all of their senses while exploring the relationship between healthy soil, plants, animals, people, and communities. Click through some frequently asked questions below to learn more about our field trips.
What does a Tilth Alliance field trip entail? What field trip topics do you offer?
Tilth Alliance’s field trips use age-specific curriculum and invite students to use all of their senses while exploring the relationship between healthy soil, plants, animals, people, and communities. Learn more about our field trips here. We offer several different topics for field trips and service learning. Browse available topics here.
What is the cost of your field trips?
We are committed to this program being financially accessible for ALL school age children. We offer a sliding scale, inviting schools/organizations to choose the option that is most appropriate for your program. These options are:
- Free (Title 1/Free and reduced lunch, greater financial need)
- Reduced Rate ($5 per child, some financial support needed) Includes 5 adults chaperones, additional chaperones pay $5/each
- Regular Price ($10 per child, supports our field trip programming) Includes 5 adults chaperones, additional chaperones pay $10/each
What is your cancellation policy for school groups?
Cancellations 14 days or less prior to the field trip will not be refunded. For cancellations 15 days or more, Tilth Alliance will retain $30 for administrative & processing fees, and the remainder will be refunded.
Will Tilth Alliance cancel a field trip due to inclement weather and what is your refund policy?
Field trips are held rain or shine. We will only cancel in the rare cases of severe weather, but with our climate changing the weather is more unpredictable. Extreme weather includes lightning, extreme wind, inclement weather, or if air quality exceeds “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”. If Seattle Public Schools cancels school for a weather event, we will follow suit. We will do our best to contact you the day before your field trip if we anticipate a weather-related cancellation. You will be fully refunded for the field trip.
How does a school group pay for a field trip? Can we pay our invoice by cash or check?
Preferred payment is by check. We can accommodate requests to pay online by card if needed. Payment is due within 30 days upon receipt of the invoice. We do not accept cash.
What time is the a.m./p.m. slot?
We offer trips in the morning between 9 a.m.-noon and in the afternoon between noon-3 p.m. Trip times depend on the age, trip topic, and needs of the group visiting. Trip times will be determined by our availability and confirmed via email.
What is the difference between the two locations?
Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands is a larger urban farm located in the South Seattle neighborhood of Rainier Beach. It includes a production field, wetland channels, and a children’s garden. The Children’s Garden at the Good Shepherd Center is an urban garden located in Meridian Park in the Wallingford neighborhood of North Seattle.
What if we prefer a more custom trip to align with our classroom project or curriculum?
If our available topics do not meet your needs, we may be able to accommodate a specific field trip topic request. Please email [email protected].
What does “service-learning” mean and how is that different from a field trip?
Service learning is a combination of learning and service, where active stewardship promotes engagement, connections to community and the land, and enhances curriculum. Students will work on a project or ongoing farm/garden need while learning important information related to food systems, food justice, organic land management, soil and water preservation, strengthening local ecosystems and environmental stewardship. Hands-on service may include garden and farm work, composting, land and wildlife stewardship, harvesting and packing food for community programs, and more. Service-learning trips are typically longer and more hands-on and project-focused than field trips.
Can you come to our school for a classroom presentation?
Yes, we can arrange school and classroom presentations for youth. If you are interested in a school or classroom presentation, please email [email protected].
How long are your field trips, and how many students can I bring per field trip? I have multiple classes I’d like to bring. How would this work?
Timing and group size maximums:
- PreK: 18 students, 60 minutes
- K-5th Grade: 30 students, 90 minutes (75 minutes in case of double field trip)
- 6th-12th Grade: 32 students, 120 minutes
If you would like to bring more than our maximum number of students, you may either bring your classes on different days, or do a double rotating field trip (available for grades PreK-5th). This consists of two field trips with a 15-minute break in between for our educators to reset. K-5th field trips will be slightly shortened to 75 minutes each (PreK trips will still be 60 minutes). The class who is not on the farm/garden field trip is welcome to play or have a snack or lunch in the park- both our Wallingford and Rainier Beach locations have parks adjacent to the farm/garden.
What kind of groups can attend a Tilth Alliance field trip?
Any kind of group with young people! Your school, homeschooling pod, non-profit organization, activity group, club or scout group, religious group, or any other group is welcome.
What time of year do you run field trips?
Our field trips typically run from early October-mid November, and from mid March-mid June. We do not run winter or summer field trips.
How can I request a field trip?
You can request a field trip here.