For Educators

Field Trips at Gibbs Farm

Gibbs Farm offers engaging, historically accurate, and hands-on field trip experiences to all grades and ages. All field trips include an option of a craft activity that students get to take home with them. The field trip options below are available May through October. We are currently booking field trips for 2024 and 2025. We also have winter field trips for small groups (50 or fewer students). In addition to in-person field trips, Gibbs Farm offers Pioneer and Dakota virtual field trips. See below for more details.

The story of Gibbs Farm begins in 1834 with a young girl named Jane. Brought west to live among the Dakota of Cloud Man’s Village who made their home near Fort Snelling, Jane learned to speak the Dakota language from the women and children of the village. The Dakota of Cloud Man’s Village were semi-nomadic, moving with the seasons to gather maple sap, staying put in the summer to grow vegetables and hunt, harvesting wild rice in the fall, and moving to small camps of tipi in the winter. She lived near Cloud Man’s Village at Bde Maka Ska for five years, was befriended by his people, and given a Dakota name, Little Bird That Was Caught (Zitkádaŋ Yúzawiŋ). In 1849, after Jane married Heman Gibbs, they moved to the newly formed Minnesota Territory, where they established this farm. A Dakota trail crossing the Gibbs Farm reunited Jane with her childhood friends.

Dakota Field Trip Tour

This field trip focuses on the life ways of the Dakota, Minnesota’s first people, in the early nineteenth century.

Pioneer Field Trip Tour

This field trip introduces the story of Jane Gibbs and focuses on early homestead life in Minnesota.

Combo Field Trip Tour

This field trip is great for groups with a wide age range and includes stations from both main tour options. We also offer a Pre-K version of this tour option.

SPPS Kindergarten Field Trip Tour

The 3M Foundation generously funds this science field trip for every Kindergarten student in St. Paul Public Schools. This engaging experience is aligned to meet science standards and every SPPS Kindergarten student will have the opportunity to visit Gibbs Farm. The Gibbs Farm SPPS Kindergarten Tour, led by costumed interpreters, includes visiting our replica sod house, tipi, meeting the farm animals, and learning about gardens. For a more detailed description, click through to the SPPS Kindergarten Tour page. Please note, this field trip is only available to St. Paul Public Schools.

SPPS Kindergarten Tour

Book a Field Trip

Fill out our field trip interest form or reach out directly to our Director, Sammy Nelson.

Interest Form

Virtual Field Trips

Unable to attend an in-person field trip? Learn about Dakota and pioneer history through our virtual field trip options. These virtual field trip options are formatted as pre-recorded series of videos that include all of the same information covered in an on-site field trip (with the added bonus of up close object examination). Two weeks of access to these videos allows for maximum flexibility in the classroom. All videos have English captions.

Virtual Options