Schools can’t afford to send kids on field trips like they used to. But in our minds it’s not an option for Central Oregon kids to miss out on natural sciences education.

Fill up the Field Trip Fund and send students to SNCO for an unforgettable day of discovery! Outdoor learning can launch lifelong curiosity and a genuine connection with this planet we call home.

Let’s fill the fund by the first day of school – donate by September 9!

ALL kids deserve hands-on,
immersive science education

Field trip funding is dwindling.

Each $12 donation provides a scholarship to one child:

2 best friends, ready for adventure • $24

4 kids buzzing with excitement • $48

10 curious kiddos • $120

A class 35 field trippers • $420

A busload of 70 eager explorers • $840

 3 classes; a full grade-level of 105 local students • $1,260

Sponsor 10 or more children ($120+) and receive an invitation to a “Field Trip for Grown-Ups” just for donors!

Be a Kid Again! On Sept. 18 we will host donors for in-depth Nature Immersion and Astronomy Immersion Field Trips.

Experience the wonders of nature and space through the eyes of local children!

Looking back at last year…

In 2025 we recognized that field trip scholarship requests were increasing rapidly. Teachers are eager to bring students to SNCO to extend learning beyond the classroom, but schools don’t have the funds.

We started this Field Trip Fund in response to this need. In our minds it’s not an option for Central Oregon kids to miss out on immersive natural sciences education. We knew our community would want to ensure no child growing up in this incredible region would miss the chance to learn about where they live and establish a genuine connection with nature early in life.

In 2025 we raised an incredible $43,000 for our first ever Field Trip Fund. That enabled us to say “YES!” to every single teacher who asked us for assistance. We taught more than 6,000 local students in the ‘25-’26 school year and 3,262 of them got to participate because of scholarship funds.

Now it’s time to do it again for the ‘26-’27 school year!

Looking to the future…

We are deeply grateful to the donors who have established Education Endowments for SNCO. These endowed funds provide permanent, sustainable support for education scholarships – enabling underserved local children to explore natural science at SNCO for generations to come:

Mark Hebenstreit Nature Education Fund

John Schuldt & Mary Chisholm
Astronomy Education Fund

Our Education Endowments are building toward a future of fully funded field trips - when the disbursements fund all the scholarships Central Oregon schools need. If you would like to contribute, please contact our Development Director at kayla@snco.org or 541-593-4442.

You can also contact Kayla for information about donating stock, via a DAF or a QCD, and more.

Katie — SNCO’s Education Program Manager — explains the need:

“Dwindling field trip funds are forcing tough choices. Teachers are scrutinizing their small budgets — if they have one at all — struggling to decide which grades and classes get to go on a field trip, and which don’t. This is painful for teachers and for us — we all know that anytime hands-on immersive experiences get cut, learning suffers.

Buses are a big deal this year, too. Schools that had transportation funds just last year – not the field trip cost, but the fee the district collects for the bus ride itself – that funding is dropping dramatically, and even disappearing in some schools.

As if all that weren’t tough enough, at the same time that funding is decreasing, the curriculum teachers are expected to cover is increasing. We’re hearing from teachers that are struggling to meet science curriculum standards in the classroom, and they are turning to us for support.

Our Education Team can fill these gaps and help students grasp natural sciences concepts in real time. We just need YOUR help getting them here!”

Local teachers need your support…

  • More than half of schools we serve can only come on a field trip if we make it free. Hear from the teachers themselves - these quotes are from their scholarship applications...

  • We are studying birds in our reading and writing unit. When we came to SNCO last year, it made our curriculum come to life! Most of our first graders have not had the opportunity to actually visit a place like the Sunriver Nature Center. We were able to go last year because of your scholarship fund and it really made our kids SO excited about learning!

    Miss M • Elk Meadow • Bend

  • “Many of our students are experiencing financial stress (including some who are currently houseless). These students don't have the opportunity to spend much time out enjoying nature and reaping the benefits of learning outdoors. A scholarship helps us provide field trips to ALL students!”

    Miss T • North Star Elementary • Bend

  • “We are a Title I school with a lot of families struggling to make ends meet. Many families get food bags sent home for weekends and school breaks to prevent food insecurity. Asking them to pay for field trips is really asking a lot. Our students are AMAZING and I wouldn't want them to miss out on this wonderful opportunity because money is tight. Thank you for considering us!”

    Miss C • Buff Elementary • Madras

  • "Our school has 99.9% free and reduced lunch students, and they cannot pay to go on a field trip to any destination. This would make hands-on learning possible for these students.”

    Miss W • Gilchrist Elementary School • Gilchrist

  • “We are studying Galileo, the telescope, the moon, and space in class. We are a Title I school, and many of our students have never had the opportunity to look through a telescope and might never be able to participate in a program such as yours.”

    Mr. B • Barnes Butte Elementary • Prineville

  • "We are a Title I school that has a large percentage of our students living below the poverty line. A scholarship would help us provide this amazing opportunity without having to ask struggling families to pay. We are excited to extend student learning through this field trip, which will really help them see the real life application of what we are learning in class!"

    Miss F • Rosland Elementary • La Pine

Each $12 donation provides a scholarship to one child:

2 best friends, ready for adventure • $24

4 kids buzzing with excitement • $48

10 curious kiddos • $120

A class 35 field trippers • $420

A busload of 70 eager explorers • $840

 3 classes; a full grade-level of 105 local students • $1,260

Sponsor 10 or more children ($120) and receive an invitation to a “Field Trip for Grown-Ups” just for donors!

Be a Kid Again! On Sept. 18 we will host donors for in-depth Nature Immersion and Astronomy Immersion Field Trips.

Experience the wonders of nature and space through the eyes of local children!

Learn more about SNCO’s Field Trip Fund

  • Teachers request scholarships from SNCO when their school cannot afford to pay. We strive to provide scholarships to all Title I and other high-need schools that request funds. Schools bring students from as far away as Culver, Madras, Prineville, Sisters - and as close to us as South County schools right here in Sunriver and La Pine.

  • Title I schools serve a high percentage of students from low-income families. Title I means they receive federal funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to support students who are at risk of failing to meet state academic standards. 

  • Oregon schools do not receive designated money for field trips. Field trips get funded when schools have leftover discretionary funds, but many don’t. These same schools are unlikely to have an active PTA fundraising for field trips, and their communities struggle to afford to donate. But, together we can solve this problem! If we can raise the scholarship dollars needed for a field trip, teachers are elated to bring students out for an immersive learning experience outside the classroom.

  • Despite all the talk about STEM, students are spending a lot less time learning about science than you might think. The emphasis on reading and math proficiency in policies like No Child Left Behind, has resulted in significantly less science being taught now than when you were in school. (link)

    According to the 2018 National Survey of Science and Mathematics, teachers in grades K-3 reported spending an average of 18 minutes per week on science. (link)

    Many teachers do not have a strong background in science; it’s commonplace for elementary teachers to have last taken a science class in high school. As a result, many feel underprepared to teach certain science topics effectively. (link)

    That’s why many teachers rely on Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory to provide deeper learning in the form of field trips or education staff visiting their classrooms.

    Check out this article that explains how nature centers, observatories, botanic gardens, and museums play a significant role in science learning:
    Where We Learn Science May Be Different Than You Think

  • Scholarships help cover the program fee, transportation, and substitute teacher costs for eligible schools. Additional funds help support everything that makes our programming possible including animal care, teaching staff, and facilities care and upkeep. For more information on eligible schools check out our Financial Assistance Program Guidelines here.

  • Each child boards the bus at school buzzing with excitement - they are headed somewhere new and exciting!

    They jostle for a look out the window as they pull into our parking lot. They glimpse a lake, hear an owl hoot, and smell the fresh pine air. They pile out for our flagship Nature Immersion Field Trip, which includes:

    • 45 minute classroom presentation by an Education Team Member with biofacts (bones, feathers, fur, etc.) and an Animal Ambassador visitor (raptor, reptile, amphibian, etc.)

    • 45 minute immersive nature hike and/or study focused on native flora and fauna, such as a pond study looking for macroinvertebrates in Lake Aspen water samples

    • 30 minute guided nature journaling activities

    • Picnic lunch and time for child-led exploration of our broader campus including the Nature Center, Observatory, and botanic garden.

    Field trip themes vary and can include ‘Animal Adaptations,’ ‘Birds of Prey,’ ‘Pond Study,’ and more!

  • With backpacks slung over their shoulders and imaginations already soaring, each child steps onto their school bus ready for a trip to outer space – or at least as close as they can get with their feet still here on Earth!

    Faces press against the windows as they pull onto our campus. They catch sight of our Observatory dome and their eyes go wide with wonder. The kiddos pile out of the bus for our flagship Astronomy Immersion Field Trip, which includes:

    • One hour classroom presentation by an Education Team Member with astronomy themed activities

    • Thirty-minute activity forming a scale model of our solar system with their classmates, which helps kids grasp just how big our solar system is and how far apart planets are!

    • Thirty-minutes in our Observatory enjoying solar viewing, telescope talks, and inspecting meteorites up close

    • One hour of child-led exploration of our broader campus including the Nature Center and botanic garden, plus a picnic lunch

    Field trip themes vary and can include ‘Earth’s Place in the Universe,’ ‘Sun and Other Stars,’ ‘Current Space Exploration,’ and more!

  • Nature-based education has been shown to support children’s development intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually, and physically. Studies have found that being outdoors improves children’s self-confidence, ability to work with others, caring, peer relationships and their interaction with adults. Children that participate in nature programs have been found to ask more questions than others and are better at problem solving.
    Build Nature into Education
    Building for Life: Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection
    Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing & Hands-On Contact with Nature

  • Yahoo - you are making our dreams come true! If you have a contribution in mind that exceeds the sponsor levels described here, let’s connect! Please reach out to our Development Director, Kayla Rotunno, at kayla@snco.org or 541-593-4442. Kayla can also help if you would like to donate stock, or gifts via a DAF or a QCD.

  • Thank you! You can send a check to:
    SNCO
    PO Box 3533
    Sunriver, OR 97707

Make learning come alive!

  • "Our field trip to Sunriver Nature Center was a highlight of the school year for my students! These joyful experiences will carry with them throughout their educational journey."

  • "Our kids had incredibly hands-on experiences that elevated their knowledge and connections to the topic of birds! You make a real difference in the experiences that kids have – and it connects to the way they understand the world around them. Thank you!”

  • “SNCO's education program is bringing science to life for my kindergarteners! Students learn about specific animal adaptations of the animals in and around Central Oregon and get to experience these features up close. SNCO is helping our local children learn to love and care about the wildlife in our community and inspiring them to be stewards of the earth in the days and years to come.”

  • “Our SNCO field trip offered our first graders a truly special opportunity that many might never experience otherwise. For some of our students, this was their first chance to see birds of prey in real life, creating unforgettable moments that spark wonder and curiosity. These powerful experiences create lasting memories that go far beyond traditional classroom learning."

  • "Magical moments [at SNCO] help students build positive associations with school and learning, showing them that education can be exciting and full of discovery! These experiences often become treasured childhood memories that inspire a lifelong love of learning and appreciation for nature. By making learning come alive in such a meaningful way, we're not just teaching science and reading – we're helping create young naturalists and enthusiastic learners who see school as a gateway to wonderful discoveries.”

  • "Thank you for hosting all three of our first-grade classes. Your organization and patience made our visit enjoyable, and the interesting facts you shared about the birds and their traits truly captivated our students. We appreciate all the effort you put into making this experience memorable and making our Bird Storyline come alive!

Images featured in this campaign represent participants in SNCO programs and are for illustrative purposes only. Their inclusion does not indicate whether they received scholarship funding or specify the programs they attended.