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Highlighting a MOV knowledge repatriation program, this Kit offers students a unique opportunity to learn more about traditional Salish cedar root basketry and the importance of stewardship and safeguarding natural resources for future generations. The Kit highlights different materials used in traditional basket making and invites students to make a basket bottom using everyday craft materials. 

Discover Coast Salish weaving and history through hands-on activities led by one of two Indigenous Cultural Programmers, Jordan Dawson or Tsawaysia Spukwus. Each delivers a uniquely personal program, sharing elements of the history and culture of Sḵwx̱wu̓7mesh U̓xwumixw, and teachings around weaving. Following the completion of a simple, take-home weaving project, students head to the gallery for either a tour, scavenger hunt or storytelling. 

With connections to the science and socials curricula, students will find out how the North Shore mountains and other landforms have impacted the development of communities here over time. 

Program Highlights:  

• A Coast Salish legend

• Image and artifact analysis

• Hands-on erosion experiment

• Exploration of common rocks and minerals from the North Shore mountains

UBC Farm welcomes Pre-K to Grade 12 students to our school field trips. There is a bounty of hands-on activities in our educational programs: exploring the apple orchard and honeybees, harvesting seasonal produce, foraging in the forest, and for older students, hands-on work in ecological restoration, gardening, and sustainable agriculture, just to name a few.
Our field trips provide an opportunity for children to see and learn about a working certified organic farm and to discuss important social and ecological aspects of food production in our area.

Pre-K to Grade 7:

Each field trip is led by our education team and features one of three seasonal learning experiences.

Pollinator Package:

• Visit our apple orchard
• Learn about pollinators and identify common species
• Visit our honeybees
• Play interactive pollinator games
• Plant seeds to take home

Harvesting Package:

• Harvest seasonal produce (such as kale, apples, squash, pumpkins, and more)
• Explore herbs through hands-on sensory activities
• Plant seeds to take home

Forest Package:

• Explore our agroforestry trail
• Learn to identify native plants
• Search for mushrooms and birds
• Experience seasonal foraging activities to take a small piece of the forest home

Activities vary throughout the year depending on the season.

Grades 8-12:

Each visit combines a guided tour of the UBC Farm with hands-on experiential learning.

Depending on the season, activities may include:

• Ecological restoration
• Forest stewardship
• Gardening
• Sustainable agriculture
• Food systems education

Every visit is tailored to provide meaningful, place-based learning connected to the Farm’s work.

Simple Machines Mini Kit (K-12)

Looking for a hands-on way to teach your students about simple machines? Rent our Simple Machines Mini Kit, containing twelve interactive models of simple machines, and guide their exploration.

Fishing Tools & Knots Mini Kit (K-12)

There are so many different ways to catch fish! This kit is designed to show your students examples of some of the lures, ropes, knots, bells, and floats involved in net and line fishing.

Bring your class to The Reach for an interactive field trip that connects art, history, and culture to the curriculum in fun and meaningful ways. Students explore exhibitions through guided tours, hands-on activities, and creative projects that encourage critical thinking and personal connections.

Tour Options:

• Tour & Try – Exhibition tour + art activity (70–90 min) – $10/person

• Tour Only – Exhibition tour (30–45 min) – $7/person

• The Reach + Clearbrook Library – Tour & Try + Storytime and new Library Cards (2 hrs) – $10/person at The Reach, free at the Library

Exhibitions & Activities:

• Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–U.S. Border – Explore how borders shape communities, cultures, and ecosystems. Includes a scavenger hunt for added fun!

• Collective Making – Get hands-on by painting your own “Personal Geography,” exploring Stó:lō waterways on an interactive map, and learning about the border through creative activities.

• Voices of the Valley – Discover Abbotsford’s past through artifacts, photos, and documents. Interactive touchscreens let students dig into primary sources while exploring stories of how our community has grown and changed.

Details:

• Open to groups of all ages and abilities

• Available Tuesday–Friday

• Maximum group size: 90 at The Reach / 120 with Library partnership

• One adult chaperone per 10 students - teachers & chaperones free entry

Make history and art come alive for your students—book your group tour today!

Salmon undergo a laborious journey to return home to their natal stream. In this outreach program, students will become familiar with salmon migration in the Lower Mainland. They will be introduced to the challenges of salmon during their journey home and how their physical structures are adapted to overcome such obstacles. One of the main challenges addressed is the blockages of the river, which prevent salmon from completing their migration. As such, tools known as fish passes are created to support salmon survival and are monitored through PIT tagging procedures.

Grades: 4-7                          Length: 1 hour                Maximum group size: 30 students

Program Components:

• Learn how salmon migrate up the river and the obstacles they face along the way.
• Discover new technologies and how the design of fishways must be adapted to fish behaviour. 
• Learn about existing fish passages infrastructure and use this to design their own models. 
• Perform biological tests on a model salmon, such as taking measurements and determining characteristics.

For more information, visit our website or email us. 

Online booking form here.