Teachers Area

Slide Ranch provides programs to a wide range of groups, including schools, community service groups, organizations, youth programs and social service organizations. To register for a group program please visit our Group Programs Page.  

If you have confirmed a field trip to Slide Ranch the following information should help ensure a smooth visit. Our educational emphasis at Slide Ranch is on first-hand experience and exploration. Participants are encouraged to use all their senses and try new things. Our curriculum is founded upon respect for animals, plants, the earth and each other. By exploring subjects such as organic gardening, biodiversity, animal care, and ecosystems, participants are encouraged to consider their interdependence with other living creatures, and their role and responsibilities as humans.

• Prior to your visit, our program coordinator will call you to select a theme that relates to your classroom curriculum or group goals. This will guide our teachers in designing an appropriate program for your visit. Please take a moment to look through the Slide Ranch Curriculum and choose one of our themes and/or give us any other information you would like us to have in tailoring our curriculum to your group. In addition to the theme that you choose you can expect the following activities:
  
  Animal Areas
  You will have the opportunity to interact with a variety of farm animals at Slide Ranch. You will be able to milk a goat, meet the sheep, visit the chicken coop to collect eggs, feed the chickens, observe the turkeys or ducks, discover worms in the worm compost and, depending on the season and weather, watch bees at work in the observation bee hive.
  
  Garden
  A visit to the organic garden gives you the chance to learn how plants grow and what some common foods look like before they reach the grocery store. We have several compost systems, including a worm box, which demonstrate the complete food cycle from harvest to decay to soil fertility. You can plant seeds to take home, sift compost, harvest and more. See the Ranch Projects page for illustrated instructions for sowing seeds and related garden activities.
  
  Other activities may include:
  
  Farm Chores
  Especially for overnight programs, the opportunity to be involved in practical farm chores can be a unique way for groups to experience the realities of farm life. Projects vary depending on the season and ranch needs, but could include mucking out the chicken coop, digging a garden bed or weeding.
  
  Trails and Tide Pools
  Slide Ranch is located within the pristine wilderness of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Visitors to the ranch have access to miles of trails and surprising treasures such as wild animal tracks, edible plants and a resident owl family. During low tide, you can explore some of the most spectacular tidepools in the region, discovering creatures such as sea stars, snails, anemones and crabs.
  
  Creative Activities
  Some farm and nature-related activities you might enjoy include making bread and cheese, carding and spinning sheep wool, making recycled paper, weaving baskets, making candles, creating mobiles from recycled objects found on the beach and taking the time to do some creative writing.

• Please print out the One Day or Overnight packet of information. Included is a packing list, letter to parents and field trip expectations. Please make this information available to your students and their families.

• If you are booking a bus, note that buses greater than 35 feet in length are discouraged from traveling on Highway 1. Some bus drivers will refuse to drive large buses on the winding highway near Slide Ranch. Our Transportation Referral List has contact info rmation on bus companies. Please call us with any questions regarding transportation at 415.381.6155.

• In order to make your class visit relevant and meaningful we have made available a list of Pre-visit and Post-visit classroom curriculum. Also, please look at our Kids Page for fun facts to share with your students before their visit.