Outdoor Recreation and Physical Activities
Local Organizations
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. The Golden Gate National Parks are extraordinary classrooms for connecting students with our history, culture, and natural environment. In partnership with the National Park Service and other community organizations, the Parks Conservancy offers a variety of resources and programs designed for educators looking for creative ways to expand their curriculum.
Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Bring the enormous appeal of the ocean to your class to teach science, art and language arts. Sanctuary education programs offer science field trips, classroom programs, exhibit discovery experiences, student field monitoring opportunities, teacher workshops and resources.
Port of San Francisco. The Port of San Francisco's Waterfront Resilience Program has created an excellent page full of activities, live webcams, and videos just for children, youth, and families.
San Francisco Botanical Garden. Field trips and teacher packets with information about the thousands of plant species to be found at the garden.
San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department. With 25 terrific multi-purpose Recreation Centers conveniently located throughout the City there are tons of opportunities to get out & play, even if Karl the Fog is making your favorite playground cold and gloomy.
San Francisco Rec & Parks Department: Aquatics & Pools. Set up a pool day for your program at one of Rec & Park’s nine swimming pools! (Hint from the kiddos: there is a super cool slide at the Hamilton Rec Pool…).
The Presidio. The Presidio serves as an active outdoor classroom for students and teachers. Drawing on the natural and cultural heritage of the park, the park's school programs offer authentic, real-world learning that support 21st century skills.
Websites
Fuel Up to Play 60 Playbook. Healthy eating and physical activity resource guide sponsored by the NFL.
Fun Attic. Creative games and activities to get kids moving.
GoNoodle. Short videos to get the wiggles out or calm down with mindfulness.
National Wildlife Federation’s Educational Resources. Through programs, curriculum, scientific reports, and more, the National Wildlife Federation is furthering knowledge about nature and wildlife, and inspiring future environmental stewards.
PE Central. Thousands of physical education lesson plans and ideas submitted by physical education professionals.
PlayWorks: Play-At-Home. Games to play at home with little or no equipment, live recess 3x/day, and our free Play At Home playbook, in both English and Spanish.
Street Soccer USA. Every day at noon Street Soccer USA posts at home SSUSA lessons for youth that will get them moving, practicing their skills and learning new ones, and have fun doing it!
TeacherVision Physical Education and Fitness. Promote good exercise habits with physical education resources for kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Twig Education. Thousands of videos in English and/or Spanish that include lessons, activities, and visuals.
Wildlife of the San Francisco Bay. With detailed checklists for mammals, birds and other animals, identification resources and extensive guides to viewing locations, this website provides a unique, comprehensive portal to the world of Bay Area wildlife watching.
Field Trips
Yeeeeh not so much thanks to COVID-19.
But you are still encouraged to get out, stretch your legs, and get some fresh air! Most of the parks and trails in San Francisco remain open (except for playgrounds and dog parks). There are 220 parks in San Francisco: find one near you at this link.
Time to hop the globe: take a Virtual Field Trip courtesy of Discovery Education!
Are we missing something? Let us know! Email info@dcyf.org