Field Trips
Bringing Learning to Life

About Suwa’lkh Field Trips

A field trip to Suwa’lkh is like no other Fresh Roots field trip. Located at the Suwa’lkh School in Coquitlam (map), our program space includes a native plant propagation greenhouse, medicine and food gardens, and a seven-acre forest with a forest classroom and a salmon stream. Field trips at Suwa’lkh focus on First People’s ways of knowing, helping students connect with Traditional Ecological Knowledge, in both cultivated and natural food lands.

Suwa’lkh field trips are co-facilitated, whenever possible, with an Indigenous knowledge keeper and have been designed in consultation with Indigenous knowledge keeper Carrie Clark.

Cost & Group Size

Prices are based on group size. We can host a maximum of 22 grade K-3 students or 30 grade 4-12 students. You will select the correct grade/group size when you book.

  • Grade 3/4 splits: choose the grades K-3 option if you have 22 or fewer students, or grades 4-12 if you have 23 or more students.
  • Grade 4-12 classes with 16-22 students: select the K-3 size option
Number of Students SD43 Classes Non-SD43 classes
Small Class (15 students or fewer) $120 $150
Grades K-3 (up to 22 students) $176 $220
Grade 4-12 (up to 30 students) $240 $300

Adult Assistance

We require 1 teacher/chaperone for every 8 K-5 students or 10 6-12 students at Suwa’lkh. Required adults are included in the group cost; additional adults will be charged at the student rate.  If your group needs more adult assistance, please let us know on the registration form.

Scheduling

Suwa’lkh field trips are offered April through June and October. For Fall 2024, we can schedule field trips on Tuesdays in October from 9:30-11:30 a.m. or 12:30-2:30 p.m; adjustments to the times may be available. Please send an email to inquire after booking your time.

Got questions?

Email our Experiential Learning Team at education@freshroots.ca or call 778-764-0344.

Field Trips

Grades K-2

Forest Tails

Salmon, squirrels, ravens, and raccoons are just some of the tails you might find in the forest. And people have been telling tales to teach about those tails for thousands of years. What tales will you discover?

Forest Tails supports these Big Ideas.

ELA

  • K: Through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world.
  • K-1: Stories and other texts can be shared through pictures and words.
  • K-2: Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
  • 2: Stories and other texts connect us to ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Science

  • K: Plants and animals have observable features.
  • 1: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment.
  • 2: Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment.

Social Studies

  • K: Our communities are diverse and made of individuals who have a lot in common.
  • K: Stories and traditions about ourselves and our families reflect who we are and where we are from
See BC Curriculum Alignment

Grades 2-4

Fall in the Forest

Leaves, fruits, and rain all fall in the fall! What changes are happening with the plants, animals, and people in the forest as the season of growth turns to the season of rest?

PLANTS MAKE A PLACE SUPPORTS THESE BIG IDEAS.

CAREER EDUCATION

  • 2-3: Everything we learn helps us to develop skills.
  • 2-3: Communities include many different roles requiring many different skills.
  • 4-5: Leadership requires listening to and respecting the ideas of others.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

  • 2: Stories and other texts connect us to ourselves, our families, and our communities.
  • 2-3: Curiosity and wonder lead us to new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us.
  • 4: Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world.

SCIENCE

  • 2: Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment.
  • 3: Living things are diverse, can be grouped, and interact in their ecosystems
  • 4: All living things sense and respond to their environment.

 SOCIAL STUDIES

  • 2: Canada is made up of many diverse regions and communities.
  • 3: People from diverse cultures and societies share some common experiences and aspects of life.
  • 3: Indigenous knowledge is passed down through oral history, traditions, and collective memory.
  • 3: Indigenous societies throughout the world value the well-being of the self, the land, spirits, and ancestors.
See BC Curriculum Alignment

Grades 5-12

Unexpected Eats

“You can eat that???” Yes, you can! Explore often overlooked foods in our garden and forest as you learn about ethical foraging and some of the traditional food and medicine uses of common plants.

Unexpected Eats supports these Big Ideas.

Physical and Health Education

  • 4, 5: Personal choices and social and environmental factors influence our health and well-being.
  • 5: Daily physical activity enables us to practice skillful movement and helps us develop personal fitness.
  • 6-9: Healthy choices influence our physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
  • 7: Learning about similarities and differences in individuals and groups influences community health.

Science

Social Studies

  • 4: Interactions between First Peoples and Europeans lead to conflict and cooperation, which continues to shape Canada’s identity.
  • 5: Natural resources continue to shape the economy and identity of different regions of Canada.
  • 8: Human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
  • 8: Changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions.
  • 9: The physical environment influences the nature of political, social, and economic change.
See BC Curriculum Alignment

Grades 7-12

Student Team Build

Team Builds are a chance for students (and teachers and chaperones!) to get their hands really dirty and give back to the land. This program includes an introduction to Fresh Roots and the many things we do, and plenty of time to work on projects around the forest and farm, from weeding to invasive species removal and more. Exact projects will vary depending on the group and the needs of the site.

Student Team Build supports these Big Ideas.

CAREER EDUCATION

  • 6, 7: Safe environments depend on everyone following safety rules.
  • 6, 7: New experiences, both within and outside of school, expand our career skill set and options.
  • 8: Reflecting on our preferences and skills helps us identify the steps we need to take to achieve our career goals.
  • 8: The value of work in our lives, communities, and society can be viewed from diverse perspectives.
  • 8: Adapting to economic and labour market changes requires flexibility.
  • 8: Our career paths reflect the personal, community, and educational choices we make.

CAREER-LIFE CONNECTIONS

  • A sense of purpose and career-life balance support well-being.
  • Lifelong learning and active citizenship foster career-life opportunities for people and communities.

See BC Curriculum Alignment