Our Programs

Field Trips to 826

Student Pirates

Four days a week, 826 Valencia welcomes a class of up to thirty students for a morning of high-energy learning. There is no cost to the teacher or school; all of 826 Valencia’s programs are offered free of charge. Due to the high demand for our field trips, we prioritize visits for classes in San Francisco public schools, specifically schools with an API score of less than 800.

Applications for the 2014–15 school year will be accepted starting August 2014.

Our field trips are scheduled Monday – Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., no exceptions.

Please contact us with questions or to schedule a field trip by emailing fieldtrips@826valencia.org.

Storytelling and Bookmaking Field Trip

Recommended for students second–fourth grade (30 students max).

Students are charged with the task of writing an original story as a group, with the help of 826 volunteers. While students decide on characters and plot points with a leader, another volunteer types the story, and it is projected onto the wall. Students can track the story’s progress and ask to have corrections made as needed. Meanwhile, a professional artist is illustrating the story. As the pages are finished (one set for each student), support volunteers are collating in our back production room. In the second half of the field trip, students each write their own endings with help from the leader and other volunteers. Thus, as soon as the class finishes creating the story, we’re ready to bind the books with our in-house tape bindery.

Students will go home with personalized books created as a class, with illustrated covers, and each student’s photo on an About the Author page. This field trip teaches students about collaboration, self-editing, the bookmaking process, and elements of successful storytelling. And it’s really a good time for all.

Request a field trip for your class and provide your preferred month to visit 826.