Join us for an unforgettable day at The Center
The Center guides OUSD learners through explorative and seasonal garden and culinary-focused field trips that grow students' understanding of the food system and challenge them to become action-oriented stewards of the Earth.
Field Trip Overview
OUSD's Central Kitchen, Education Center, and Instructional Garden/Farm (The Center) is an experiential learning site that features a productive vegetable and herb garden, a greenhouse, an industrial kitchen, and several indoor and outdoor classrooms. During field trips, students navigate these spaces to sharpen culinary skills, harvest and observe edible plants, and think through how farms and gardens connect to OUSD school meals, social inequalities, and the broader food system.
Summer School Field Trips
During the weeks that summer school runs, The Center hosts field trips for rising 3rd graders who are attending summer school. These field trips are taught by The Center's summer high school interns and learners rotate through seasonal lessons that incorporate garden exploration, harvesting produce, and preparing/eating components of their lunch that day. The experience closes with learners visiting The Center's Market Off West farm stand where they get to take home fresh produce and garden crafts as souvenirs!
2023-2024 Field Trip Year Book
Thank you to everyone who brought their classes to The Center for an unforgettable time! To commemorate the wonderful moments we shared, we have put together the 2023-24 The Center Field Trips Yearbook. It captures some of the highlights and joyful memories from our time together. You can access the digital version of the yearbook via this link (the file is large, so you will have to download it!). We encourage you to share your yearbook page with your school community and to use it as inspiration to lead your own experiences in your gardens this upcoming school year!
Field Trips Primary Goals
Be aligned to and uplift academic standards, specifically Next Generation Science Standards and History and Social Science Standards
Be aligned to and uplift the nutrition and personal and community health standards from the California Health Education Framework
Be designed to deepen knowledge and skills of the science (FOSS) and developing History and Social Science curriculum (newsELA)
Embrace and integrate principles and themes from the OUSD Ethnic Studies Framework
Incorporate activities rooted in and connected to the OUSD Graduate Profile
Include pre- and post-field trip lessons to optimize student learning and engagement
Be structured around hands-on learning stations that engage students in garden/farm stewardship, culinary/nutritional education, sustainability practices, STEAM activities, and civic/social actions
Feature connection to the school meal program, the school meal menus, and food and nutrition security
Be led by Center Education Staff and partners
Cover transportation costs for school sites
Follow all COVID safety guidelines
Sample Field Trip Itinerary
9:45-10:00 am Arrival, Orientation & Opening Circle
10:00-10:15 am Tour
10:15-11:30 am Rotations through Learning Stations
11:30 am-12:00 pm Lunch/Clean up
12:00 -12:15 pm Closing Circle
12:15 -12:30 pm Market Off West Visit
*Itinerary will be adjusted to match field trip model & can be slightly adjusted to accommodate school schedules
Scheduling a Field Trip
Registration for summer school programs opens to OUSD rising 3rd grade classes each year in May and all field trip dates are filled prior to the start of summer school in early June. If you'd like to be added to this school summer's cancellation list or inquire about bringing your learners this summer please email Genevieve Kosciolek at genevieve.kosciolek@ousd.org.
