Self Guided Discovery Trip & Activity Resources
Educational trips and activities are a fun part of home schooling. As a home study focused charter school CORE is proud that our families have the amazing opportunity of integrating exploratory trips throughout our community into their daily lesson plans.
The ideas below were compiled by experienced teachers and parents and are aimed to help families use local resources to enrich their student's education, especially in the arts, sciences, and social studies. This list is far from a complete reference of the possibilities available. It is meant to inspire thought, creativity, and exploration.
Nature Ideas
Self-guided tours or DFG organized group tours. Directions:From Oroville on Hwy 70, take exit 48 (Grand Ave.). Follow Grand Ave. east for 1.0 miles to Table Mountain Blvd. Turn left for 0.2 miles, then right on Cherokee Rd. Drive 6.3 miles on Cherokee Rd. to the unmarked parking area on the left (at a green cattle gate).
Annually in January: Workshops offer something for everyone. You can learn nature photography, sketching in nature, bird carving, how to record nature sounds, designing a garden for wildlife, and much more. Free nature activities are offered for children, as well as armchair adventures for the less hardy.
Bidwell Park is 3,670 acres (nearly 11 miles in length), making it one of the largest municipal parks in the United States.
It is the philosophy of the Chico Creek Nature Center that through increased knowledge and understanding, individuals will learn to protect and preserve our natural resources and, especially, Bidwell Park.
The Feather River Nature Center and Native Plant Park also provide benches, trails, and lies above the breathtaking backdrop of the Feather River.
Near the City of Oroville this lake offers a wide variety of outdoor activities including camping, picnicking, horseback riding, hiking, sail and power boating, water-skiing, fishing, swimming, boat-in camping, floating campsites and horse camping. Lake Oroville Visitor Center has a museum, exhibits, videos and a store. The area includes the Feather River Fish Hatchery, built by the Department of Water Resources to replace lost spawning areas for salmon and steelhead. Displays on the State Water Project and the area's natural and cultural history are featured at the Visitor's Center.
Visitation hours are from 8:00 a.m. to sunset: School classes and the public can visit the hatchery year round, but the artificial spawning operation occurs only on specified weekdays during September through mid-November
he mission of the Gateway Science Museum is to inspire the exploration of science and natural history in our region and beyond.
Turtle Bay Exploration Park is a fun, non-profit 300-acre gathering place featuring the Sundial Bridge, a museum, forestry & wildlife center, arboretum and botanical gardens. At the gateway to the Sacramento River Trails, Turtle Bay celebrates far Northern California as part of the world we share.
Feather Falls National Scenic Trail offers you an incredible view of Bald Rock Dome, Bald Rock Canyon, and the 640-foot waterfall, Feather Falls.
Paradise Recreation & Park Dept.
5600 Recreation Drive
Paradise, CA 95969
Phone: 530-872-6393
Lassen Volcanic National Park is home to smoking fumaroles, meadows freckled with wildflowers, clear mountain lakes, and numerous volcanoes. Jagged peaks tell the story of its eruptive past while hot water continues to mold the land. Lassen Volcanic offers opportunities to discover the wonder and mysteries of volcanoes and hot water for visitors willing to explore the undiscovered.
One of the lowest elevation Forest Service Wilderness Areas in the continental United States, the rugged topography of the Ishi Wilderness Area offers solitude, unique scenery and strenuous hiking. Steep canyons carved by mountain creeks rushing over ancient volcanic rocks dominate the landscape and are home to a great diversity and abundance of wildlife.
The Gridley Museum houses many wonderful artifacts depicting old time Gridley. Among the hundreds of photographs, many different facets of history are represented, from military uniforms worn by local war veterans to old school desks. The school desks are located in the old fashioned schoolroom, which features the old time bell which was located at Wilson School. The museum is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 2 pm and the second and fourth Saturdays from noon to 3 pm.
The Middle Mountain Interpretive Program hikes and events provide access to the privately-owned Sutter Buttes valleys, hillsides, and peaks. Guides share its unique origin and history and examine with you a natural ecology that has become increasingly rare in our time. The different hikes and diverse guides each offer a singular experience in the Buttes. The hikes are offered most weekends from late October through mid-May, in two seasons and require pre-registration. The Middle Mountain Education Program has developed curriculum standards-based hikes to enhance classroom lessons in geology, ecology, and biology, as well as local history.
People of all ages enjoy visiting the wetlands. Gray Lodge's diversity and location along the Pacific Flyway make it a heaven for wildlife. Surrounded by miles of rich agricultural lands, this 9,200-acre area is managed for the wildlife that call Gray Lodge home for all or part of the year.