Elementary School

Lake Creek Nature Exploration

The Kindergarten fall outdoor days are designed to help children strengthen their team work skills and develop a deeper understanding and relationship with the natural world. The trips are also designed to be fun. The first day, students spend the afternoon on campus playing cooperative games. The second day, students load up and head for the Lake Creek trailhead for some exploration.

Winter Silliness
Having fun and being silly is what is all about on the Kindergarten winter outings. We start our winter outdoor trips with just the right amount of fun and learning on skis and snowshoes. Learning how to put on and take off our gear by ourselves is just part of the two days outside! We also find time to try out our equipment and play some fun games together. 

Natural Treasure Hunt and Hiking in the Great Outdoors

Students should come to school at the regular time dressed for the day. Boys and girls should have a packed lunch, plenty of water, and a backpack to carry their belongings.

Schedule: On Thursday, kindergarteners are challenged with a nature treasure hunt on the Two Dogs Trail in Croy Canyon. On Friday, kindergarteners will spend time hiking and making creations/structures with items found in nature.

Exploring Fires and Leaves

When the season changes to fall and the leaves begin to change, the first grade goes on an outdoor trip. We go out into the natural environment to look for signs of fall and explore various animal habitats. We also go to areas that have been burned by the Castle Rock Fire and the Corral Creek Fire to see how the forest has regenerated itself.

Snowshoe Adventure
Winter outdoor trips in first grade mean adventure. The trip is broken into two day trips, and focuses on movement over snow, basic mountaineering skills, and teamwork required while traveling on a rope team.  We will snow shoe on the first day, and ascend to the summit and traverse of the Penny Hill Range on day two. 

Flies and Fish!
Students learn about fly tying and fishing on campus on the first day of this two day curriculum. On day two, we take our new skills to the Hayspur Fish Hatchery and Silver Creek.

The 1st grade spring trip focuses on fly fishing and water creatures. Students first learn about the different types of fish in our area before we begin looking at ways to catch them. Students also need to learn about what they eat so that they can 'fool' the fish with realistic  imitations of their usual diet. Objectives for this trip:

• Learn about local fish and streams
• Understand how water creatures show the health of a waterway
• Gain a basic understanding of tying flies for fishing
• Learn about a different type of fly fishing
• Discover a different culture through Tenkara. The complexity of fly fishing has led us to try the simplest form of fly fishing, Tenkara. This is the traditional Japanese method of fly fishing where only a rod, line, and fly are used. 
• Visit a hatchery and learn why it is important
• Have fun!

Searching for Beavers

Beaver's are the engineers of the of many ecosystems in safe in the Wood River Valley. When Sun Valley Community School’s 2nd grade embarks to investigate beavers and their effect on the environment, we observe and explore these unique environments first hand. The trip objectives are to help children build their teamwork skills and to give them a chance to investigate first hand one of the animals that helps shape Rocky Mountain ecosystems. Students will also look for signs of other animals, such as tracks and scat. Students leave the school around 9:00 a.m. each day and return by the end of the school day.

The 2nd grade winter outings over two days revolve around nordic skiing and warmth. On both days, the class is out cross country skiing. Out on the trail, students do an insulation experiment and explore winter tracking. Students also continued working with avalanche beacons and have fun skiing together. 

Southern Idaho Geology

The 2nd grade class spends two days exploring, hiking, and zip lining through some of Southern Idaho's most remarkable geologic features. The first day will include hiking and zip lining through part of the Snake River Canyon. On the second day, the class will travel to Craters of the Moon where they will continue to develop an understanding of the geology in Southern Idaho. 

Craters and Canyons

The third grade fall trip investigates southern Idaho geology and volcanism. Many Wood River Valley residents would be surprised to discover that there is a well-formed volcanic crater and a narrow basalt canyon just south of the valley. Both features are the result of volcanic eruptions in the Snake River Valley as recent as 10,000 years ago. Students explore Black Magic Canyon on the first day and visit Black Butte Crater on the second day. If time we play some fun cooperative games. 

Third Grade Snowshelters

The third grade winter outing consists of two days out in the snow. The focus of the trip is to learn how to build different types of snow shelters. We will learn about igloos, Quinzee huts, and Dugloos. While out digging in the snow, the students will work together to complete a stable structure to escape the elements. We will also go on a snowshoe hike around the area.

Idaho Wildlife History

In the spring third graders embark on their first overnight outdoor trip. This is a two-day, one night trip to Southern Idaho to explore some of our local area. On day one, students meet at the school and depart for Hagerman and the Snake River. Once there, we will meet Idaho Guide Services for a day rafting the Bliss section of the Snake River. This is 6 mile stretch of river with rapids rated up to  II+.  Students will need to pack a lunch for the day, which we will eat on the river. Students should come to The Sagewillow Barn dressed for the day. Please see the packing list for details. We take out of the river at near Bliss on the Snake River. After that it is on the Fudge Factory for dinner at and camping at Three Island Crossing State Park. We will be staying in Tents at the park. On day two, students will explore the Three Island State Park Museum. All food is provided with the exception of lunch on the first day.

Idaho Base Camp

The Fifth Grade trip takes place at Idaho Base Camp. The trip curriculum is centered around the IBC 5th Grade Outdoor Adventure. We will spend two nights and three days participating in a variety of outdoor and team building activities. 

Snow Travel
The fifth grade winter trip is comprised of two day trips leaving from Dumke Sagewillow Campus. On day one, the class travels to the Prairie Creek/Billy's Bridge area to learn basic skate skiing skis through a variety of exciting games and challenges. On day two, we travel to the Baker Creek parking lot in our north Valley, this time with snowshoes, to participate in a winter orienteering adventure race. Students will call upon map and navigation skills along with basic avalanche beacon searches to complete each challenge they encounter. 

Grande Ronde River Rafting

The fifth grade class will spend three days rafting on the Grand Ronde River in Eastern Oregon. The Grand Ronde River is a wild and scenic river with a mix of flat water and easy class II whitewater in an incredible wilderness setting. Our custom trip is facilitated by Winding Waters, a family-based outfitter that has been running this stretch of river with groups of all ages for over 15 years. Please visit their website to become acquainted with their operation.