We are thrilled that you are interested in the Bayou Vermilion District for a visit with your class this year. We pride ourselves in offering a unique, experiential learning opportunity centered on the topic of water. Our Environmental Science Field Trips are specifically geared towards facilitating a comprehensive understanding that connects the quality of water flowing through our local bayous to our daily habits and our cultural traditions, as well as, our interactions with our precious natural resources, especially the Bayou Vermilion.
The Environmental Science topics covered in this educational field trip package are best suited for grades 6th - 12th. An Environmental Science Field Trip is 3½ hours long with a 30-minute lunch break included in the program.
Boat Tours are a great opportunity for students to connect the information they are exposed to during their visit to BVD with a firsthand experience of being out in nature on the bayou. During a Boat Tour, students will experience interpretation of Bayou Vermilion topography and hydrology, the process of riparian and alluvial sedimentation, riparian habitats, and the important role that swamp systems serve in improving water quality for our river systems.
During a visit to the Watershed Exhibit, students will be introduced to the dynamic interconnections of planetary heat distribution due to the seasons, seasonal weather phenomenon, the water cycle, the life cycle of plants and animals, the physics of watersheds, the effects of water on humanity, and the effects of humanity on water.
This tour will introduce students to Best Management Practices used to improve water quality as they tour our Rain Garden on the property.
During this activity, students will collect water samples from our pond and identify the larvae of various aquatic organisms, which are then classified, counted, and used as indicators of water quality.
During this activity, students will collect water samples from the Bayou Vermilion and use our water quality test kits to test for temperature, pH, salinity, turbidity/water clarity and dissolved oxygen.
The cost of this field trip package is $8 per person or $5 per person for groups of 20 students or more. The price of the Environmental Science Field Trip Package does not include admission into Vermilionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park.
For student groups of 100 people or less, there is the option of adding a 30-minute boat tour of the Bayou Vermilion for an extra $3 per student. Chaperone boat tours are $8 per chaperone. Please keep in mind that we may not be able to book your group on your preferred date if other schools are already on our calendar. However, we will work with you to find another date that is available.