Rings, Ripples, & Echoes

Education Reservations Forms for the 2024-2025 school year are now live! To apply, please submit the form found at the bottom of this page.

 

 

Overview

Grades K - 5

 

Sun rays beaming through the redwood forest.

NPS

Your students travel on a self-guided inquiry-based journey through Muir Woods and other natural communities along the Redwood Creek Watershed. They consider the interrelationships of the forest communities and understand the healthy patterns of a forest habitat. Together, they'll delve into the interconnected puzzle of forest communities and decipher the captivating patterns that embody a forest habitat.

Getting Ready for the Park Visit in Muir Woods National Monument

National Park Service staff will greet you and your class when you arrive at Muir Woods. Staff will conduct a 15-minute talk on the ecosystem in a special outdoor classroom. Also, you will be provided with resources to guide your class while learning in the woods. Groups, please fill out the education reservation request form for an educational visit.

Rings, Ripples, & Echoes uses the Understanding by Design framework, and aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Standards.

• The K - 2nd grade Rings, Ripples, & Echoes Understanding by Design grid
• The 3rd - 4th grade Rings, Ripples, & Echoes Understanding by Design grid
• The 5th grade Rings, Ripples, & Echoes Understanding by Design grid

 

Students gaze at the redwoods.

NPS

Program Structure

Rings, Ripples, and Echoes is framed by an Essential Question:

K - 2^nd Grade: What do living things need to survive in their habitat?

3^rd - 4^th Grade: How do living things thrive in their habitat?

5^th Grade: How are our cultures influenced by where we live?

Rings, Ripples, & Echoes is structured in three parts:

1. Classroom preparation – lessons delivered by the teacher with resources provided by the park

2. Field session – the forest experience in which students investigate the forest, engage in scientific inquiry, and discuss cultural uses of the land. In-person field sessions are only offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays.

3. Classroom Assessment – opportunities for students to demonstrate what they have learned through writing stories, illustrated poems, or developing models based on evidence gleaned from plant identification cards, information on Coast Miwok land use, and their own forest visit.

How to Apply

Step 1: Educators must complete the Education Reservation Request Form.

Step 2: Park staff will reach out to accepted classes after September 24, 2024 to schedule a date for your park visit. Please keep in mind, programs at Muir Woods are only offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays.

Step 3: Teachers complete pre-site lessons with students before the scheduled Muir Woods visit.

Step 4: Class attends in-person park visit. (Please be sure to submit your application for a scheduled Ranger Introduction).

Step 5: Instructors are responsible for developing their group's experience once inside Muir Woods.

Step 6: Teachers complete the post-site lesson and share student work with Rangers.

Please contact [e-mail] if you have any questions.

Please visit the Save the Redwoods League website to get more information on Redwood Forests.

Please note: Only buses under 30ft may take Muir Woods Road between Panoramic Highway and the Muir Woods National Monument entrance. Buses over 30ft but smaller than 35ft are allowed into the park only via Highway 1 by taking Muir Woods Road (also known as Frank Valley Road) from the west. No vehicles longer than 35ft are allowed according to the regulation of the California Highway Patrol (CHP)

 

Education Reservation Request Form – In-person Park Visit

Use this form to apply for the Rings, Ripples, and Echoes Education Program. 
 
Please note the following:  

• This program is designed as a self-guided experience, led by the educator.

• Education Programs are only offered Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

• Programs are FREE of charge.

• Ranger Introductions are scheduled after you been accepted to the program.

• Due to limited staffing at each park site, we ask that classes only apply to one of the program offerings throughout Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Program locations can ONLY accommodate 1 class per day (minimum of 10 students). 

• Chaperones are expected to attend and support each program – 1 per 10 student ratio. 

NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/31/2025

Learning Accommodations

Does anyone in your group need any accommodations?

Yes No

If yes, describe the accommodation need.

Next Step

School / Organization Contact Information

School / Organization Name (required)

Name of Requester/Contact Person (required)

Title / Position (required)

Contact Email Address (required)

Contact Phone Number (required)
123-456-7890 extension if any

Mailing Address (required)

City (required)

State (required)

Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas Armed Forces - Americas Armed Forces - Europe Armed Forces - Pacific California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

ZIP (required)
Five digit ZIP code [99999]

Next Step

Group Details - Park Visit/ Field Trip

Name of Primary Contact Visiting if Different Than Above (optional)

Title / Position of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Email Address of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Phone Number of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)
Format: 123-456-7890

Program Name or Subject Requested/Self-Guided

Grade Level(s) of Students (required)

Number of Staff / Chaperones (required)

Number of Students (required)

Preferred Date of Visit (required)
format mmddyyyy

My preferred date has been confirmed by the park (required)

Yes No

Preferred Program Start Time (required)

Alternative Date(s) (required)
Enter one or more dates .

Anticipated Arrival Time (required)

Anticipated Departure Time (required)

Mode of Transportation (required)

Disclaimer:

A park representative will follow-up to confirm group details once this request has been received and reviewed.

Next Step

Academic Fee Waiver

Visitors 16 years of age or older (including students, chaperones, and teachers) must pay an entrance fee at this site. Academic institutions (including schools) may apply for an academic fee waiver to cover the cost of these visitors. The number of teachers/chaperones that are covered with a waiver varies depending on the size of the group.

Would you like to request an academic fee waiver for your group?

Yes. I need to complete the fee waiver application. No I do not need a fee waiver.

For this section, all of the criteria fields and the acknowledgement checkbox are required for the waiver.

Certification

Academic fee waivers are not granted automatically. Applicant groups must show they qualify for the waiver. There are three criteria the group must meet to qualify for an academic fee waiver: eligibility, relevance of park resources or facilities to academic program, and academic purpose. Details of these qualifications are listed below. If your institution and purpose meet these criteria, submit this form.

Criterion One - Eligibility

Describe and/or attach current official recognition or accreditation as an educational institution by a federal, state, or local government or other documentation attesting to educational status, such as an accreditation letter, educational tax-exempt letter.

Attach Supporting Document for Eligibility (if needed). Acceptable document types: are Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, and Google Doc

Criterion Two - Educational Purpose

Verify how this visit supports a specific curriculum for which academic credit is offered. For example, attach a course syllabus/description, course catalog, lesson plan, letter detailing the educational purpose, etc., and/or describe.

Attach Supporting Document for Educational Purpose (if needed). Acceptable document types: are Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word and Google Doc

Criterion Three - Relevance of Park Resources or Facilities

Identify the pertinent park resources and/or facilities and detail how they are relevant to support the educational purpose of the visit (attach letter or describe).

Attach Supporting Document for Relevance (if needed). Acceptable document types: are Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word and Google Doc

Authorized School / Organization Contact Name (required)

Title / Position

Acknowledgement (required)

The Recreation Fee Authority (16 USC 6802 Sections 3 a and b) allows for fee waivers only for bona fide educational and/or scientific institutions that are using the park for educational purposes. I hereby certify that the above detailed trip meets these requirements and therefore request that fees be waived.

Current official documentation of recognition of affiliation as an educational institution by a Federal, State or local government entity, or other evidence attesting to educational status is attached (e.g. accreditation letter, educational tax-exempt letter). It is insufficient to merely state or imply this on official letterhead.

By checking this box I acknowledge that I have read the Acknowledgement.

Date of Acknowledgement (required)
format mmddyyyy

Submit my Education Reservation Request

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NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/31/2025

Notices

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: Public Law 114-289 National Park Service Centennial Act and 54 U.S.C. 100701 Protection, interpretation, and research in System.

Purpose: To administer education programs for education audiences including but not limited to school groups, scouting groups, extracurricular groups, and home school groups.

Routine Uses: To effectively manage requests for education received by the NPS, the Education Reservation Request Form is used to collect basic education reservation information to facilitate operational aspects of scheduling groups for park education programs, including in-park education programs, ranger in classroom programs, and/or online distance learning programs.

Disclosure: Voluntary, however, failure to provide the requested information may impede the ability to grant your education reservation request.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) to provide park managers and educators the information needed to schedule and conduct education program activities. All applicable parts of the form must be completed in order for your request to be considered. You are not required to respond to this or any other Federal agency-sponsored information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned control number 1024-0288.

Estimated Burden Statement

Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Do not send your completed form to this address.