Learning at Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School reaches well beyond the classroom. Twice a year, students in kindergarten through 5th grade experience field trips to farms, theaters, museums, and the Oregon State Capitol. Every trip builds on what they study in class.
Spanish Immersion School Field Trips by Grade
Each grade takes two trips per year. Here is the expected lineup for this upcoming year (field trip options may change based on availability!):
- Kindergarten: Pumpkin Patch at Plumpler Farm (fall), Oregon Zoo (spring)
- 1st Grade: NW Children's Theater (fall), DigPDX (spring)
- 2nd Grade: Teatro Milagro (fall), Hoyt Arboretum (spring)
- 3rd Grade: SCRAP PDX (fall), iFly STEM (spring)
- 4th Grade: Aurora Colony Stauffer-Will Farm and Village Programs (fall), Tillamook Creamery (spring)
- 5th Grade: Oregon Historical Society (fall), State Capitol and Local Government visit (spring)
*Field trip options may change based on availability
Kindergarten and 1st Grade: First Adventures Beyond the Classroom
Kindergartners pick pumpkins at Plumpler Farm in the fall. They walk the rows, feel the vines, and learn the Spanish words for what they see. In the spring, they visit the Oregon Zoo and meet animals they have studied all year.
First graders start with a show at NW Children's Theater, where they watch a story unfold on stage. In the spring, they head to DigPDX and dig into hands-on discovery with their classmates.
2nd and 3rd Grade: Art, Culture, and STEM
Second graders watch bilingual performances at Teatro Milagro, a theater company that celebrates Latino culture and stories. That trip fits naturally into a school where Spanish fills the day. In the spring, the class walks the trails at Hoyt Arboretum and studies trees up close.
Third graders visit SCRAP PDX in the fall, where reused materials become art supplies and creative projects. Spring brings iFly STEM, where students explore the science of flight and airflow. Few field trips make a science lesson feel quite so real.
4th and 5th Grade: Oregon History and Local Government
Fourth graders step back in time at the Aurora Colony Stauffer-Will Farm and Village Programs, where they see how Oregon pioneers lived and worked. In the spring, they visit Tillamook Creamery and follow the path from dairy farm to cheese.
Fifth graders spend their fall at the Oregon Historical Society, studying the stories that shaped our state. In the spring, they visit the State Capitol and learn how local government works.
Why Field Trips Matter in a Spanish Immersion Program
Students at Arco Iris spend 70 to 80 percent of their school day learning in Spanish. A field trip gives them a new place to use that language. A kindergartner who learns "calabaza" in class sees one growing in a field. A 5th grader who studies civics in Spanish stands inside the building where Oregon's laws take shape.
Trips also build community. Classmates, teachers, and parent chaperones share a day together, and those moments stay with students long after the bus ride home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do students need to speak Spanish to join field trips?
No. Arco Iris welcomes families with no prior Spanish knowledge, and every student takes part in every trip. Teachers support students in Spanish throughout the day, just as they do in the classroom.
Do field trips cost extra?
Arco Iris covers all of the costs for the field trips. Thanks to the Annual Family Giving Campaign.
Can parents join field trips?
Parents can join as chaperones after completing the background check for the school.
About Arco Iris:
Arco Iris Spanish Immersion is a small tuition-free public charter school providing a rich, immersive Spanish language experience and robust academics in a true multicultural setting. Centrally located off 217, between SW Portland and Tigard, we serve K-5 students in the greater Beaverton area to become bilingual and biliterate leaders of the future. Get to know us on Instagram @arcoiris_spanishimmersion and on the web at www.arcoirisschool.org. We're enrolling for Fall 2026-27. (Espanol) Bilingual Education: A Rainbow of Possibilities