Gary Lewis, GEOetc, leads…..

Discover Hawaii’s Active Volcanoes

A trip for STEM & Geography Teachers

Pre-service teachers and College Students are welcome on this trip.

This trip is now full. These are very popular trips and fill within weeks of being advertised, and so we suggest that you consider registering early to ensure your place on the next trip. Click here for the 2018 trip

However you can join the waiting list here.

9-16 July 2017

Come and experience the active volcanoes of the Big Island of Hawaii. This nine-day (8 night) field experience on the Big Island of Hawaii will have you living on one of the world’s most active volcanoes. This trip will give you deep knowledge of volcanoes – their processes and products and how humans live with the hazards they pose. Learn about classroom activities and experience the real world of volcanology in the field.

We visit many famous sites, as well as places the average tourist will NEVER see.

We stay in hotel-style accommodation (twin share), travel is modern air-conditioned vans and work inside and outside of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

We will model in the field:

Inquiry learning and group learning

Using field notebooks

Collecting and recording data – and see modern data collection technology

Mapping in a cave – the geographic skills and mathematics of a flow

Mapping a volcanic event

You will return to your classroom with:

Classroom samples

Amazing images of sites you have seen

Data collected

Skills you can transfer to your students

You will:

Learn about Plate Tectonics and how Hawaii fits (or does not fit) into the simple model

See evidence of current volcanic activity …this volcano has been erupting for 33+ years

Walk on young lava flows

Learn to identify eruption products – ash, scoria, lava flow types, bombs, vog etc

See evidence for natural hazards – earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis as well as explosive volcanic events. We will see engineering examples of hazard mitigation.

See how humans have lived with the hazards of an active volcanic environment.

Walk on green and black sand beaches.



For more details on educational experiences for the trip, please download the learning outcomes document.

Hawaii Teacher Trip

Cost: $US 1485 per person (not including airfares to/from Hilo, HI. Twin share).

(Here are some ideas on how you can fund your trip)

The only way to secure a place on this trip is to register following the link below. Registration requires a $US500 deposit. See refund and insurance policy below.

Get on the email interest list for the July 2018 trip. Please note that this does not guarantee a place on the trip, but we can send you updates and reminders prior to registration. Note – this trip fills quickly. The only way to guaranteed a place is to register.

Download the trip information flyer.

Download the learning outcomes document – for those applying for grants or seeking funding from school or school districts.

What have past participants said….. “I attended a professional development session in Hawaii with Gary Lewis. Though he had conducted this session on volcanoes numerous times before, it did not diminish Gary’s enthusiasm, which was contagious. His knowledge is impressive and he has a passion that invigorates others. During this session Gary used demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on activities in the field to teach a substantial quantity of material. The amount I learned was staggering and I thank Gary for being such an inspiring example of what it means to be an outstanding teacher!” Stephanie Jhones “Taking learning out of the classroom and into the “real” world is what all science teachers strive for, and Gary Lewis is an expert. Having worked with Gary to plan a trip for middle-schoolers, and having participated myself on one of his trips for teachers, it’s clear that he not only knows his stuff inside-out, but he understands his audience, too. Gary does a wonderful job tailoring incredible experiences for multiple levels of learners. His materials are top-notch and his excitement at sharing his experience with students is beyond compare.” Ian H. D. Clark, Middle School Science Teacher, CT. “Our family was fortunate to have travelled with Gary Lewis in the educational geology tours that he led both in Australia and in Hawaii. As a parent, I appreciated having things taken care of on our trips so that all we had to do was enjoy the learning adventure. Having our children experience this incredible immersive in-the-field education was priceless. As a high school science teacher, I greatly admire Gary’s natural teaching style. The enthusiasm and passion with which he shares his expertise and love for earth sciences is contagious! He got all the participants involved in genuine learning situations. Not only did we learn, but we wanted to learn more; that’s great teaching! I continue to use what I learned from Gary in my science classroom and I have also shared what I learned with my colleagues at teacher conferences. His teaching will continue to inspire many!” Kim Hula-Hetu, 2007 Outstanding Science Teacher Award winner from the Alberta Teachers’ Association Science Council.







Refund & Insurance policy – July 2017 Trip

Trip payment (including deposit) is fully refundable minus a US$50 administration fee up till COB on December 31, 2016. Cancellations between January 1, 2017 and April 15, 2017 will forfeit deposit (US$500). Full payment is due before April 15, 2017. There are no refunds after April 15, 2017. We strongly suggest that you take out travel insurance to cover cancellations due to health or other circumstances. All participants must provide evidence for health insurance for the trip period when full payment is made.

[wpdevart_countdown text_for_day=”Days” text_for_hour=”Hours” text_for_minut=”Minutes” text_for_second=”Seconds” countdown_end_type=”time” end_date=”16-08-2016 23:59″ start_time=”1471391778″ end_time=”326,20,4″ action_end_time=”hide” content_position=”center” top_ditance=”10″ bottom_distance=”10″ ][/wpdevart_countdown]