Trips
Moving beyond the school walls provides many new experiences and extensions of our learning. Whether it's a trip to one of the many museums in the Bay Area, a chance to order in Spanish at a local restaurant or a trip to the tide pools, students explore many riches beyond our classrooms. Overnight trips for all ages give students opportunities to shine in new ways, to support younger buddies, to develop confidence and to take risks within a supportive environment. Regular and favorite trips include a bi-annual snow trip to the Sierra Club's Clair Tappan Lodge in Soda Springs, a bi-annual kindergarten through third grade camping trip, a Sierra backpacking trip for middle school students and the Farm School and Mexico trips elaborated upon below.
Eighth Grade Trip To Mexico
Synergy eighth graders spend a week at Campamento El Molino, located in a small town in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. This exceptional program provides small group, hands-on activities with artisans, camp teachers and others in the small town of Erongaricuaron near the western shore of Lake Patzcuaro. Participating in everything from animal care to clothing design, students are fully involved in local crafts. Field trips to local sites of interest from towns to pyramids, and many opportunities to work and play with Mexican students also attending the camp, are important parts of the program.
Farm School
Farm School in Healdsburg is a very special experience in a child's time at Synergy. Beginning in fourth grade, students spend one week each year at Farm School. Botany, pond studies, ecosystems and California history are some of the themes at Farm School. Learning about the spiritual traditions of different cultures, spending hours on art projects and in the gardens, picking apples and swimming in the pond complete the magic of Farm School. Students develop a deep connection with the land over time, harvesting the pumpkins they planted in the Spring at a Fall harvest day. Eighth graders ultimately complete their years of experience at Farm School by "giving back" through the design and implementation of a building project on the land.
