Class Act: Back to nature
Many Californians have fond memories of family camping trips in one of the state’s world-renowned parks. Hiking through towering redwoods along the northern coast, exploring a tide pool on the Monterey peninsula and gazing up at a full moon illuminating Yosemite’s Glacier Point have inspired many a young scientist or environmentalist over the years.
Unfortunately, not all kids have those opportunities, especially if they’re city-dwellers whose families have few resources for vacations.
The Orange County Department of Education set out 35 years ago to make the great outdoors available to everyone through its self-funded outdoor education program, Inside the Outdoors. The program won a Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association in 2008.
Each year, more than 130,000 students, often with their parents, teachers and other community members, learn more about the natural environment through one of the county’s programs, whether it be a two-hour field trip or a weeklong camp experience.
The program invites students from kindergarten through sixth grade to discover the amazing, interconnected world of plants and animals at various locations throughout Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. There, students can probe tide pools, explore canyons and wetlands, identify birds, share in American Indian games, and experience ranch life as it was at the turn of the 20th century. The programs are aligned with the state’s content standards in science and history-social science.
Fifth- and sixth-grade students may spend up to a week in the San Bernardino National Forest at ITO’s Outdoor Science School. In addition to learning about the flora and fauna of the region, the students have the opportunity to develop social skills in a unique setting away from home.
“I’ve become a new person by going to the Outdoor Science School,” wrote one sixth-grade participant named Melody. “I’ve become more aware of the environment, more responsible.”
Learning in context out-of-doors appears to make a big impression. Students tested before and after visiting an ITO program score an average of 17 points higher after going through the lessons.
“You can read about a tide pool in a book, and you can read about measuring and other concepts in a book, but when you actually do hands-on activities, it brings the concepts to life,” says Lori Kiesser, ITO development manager.
Getting students well-grounded in the sciences bodes well for the future, she says: “Given our current environmental issues, it’s even more important to have students who are interested in science and environmental studies because that’s where the jobs are going to be.”
Because the program is self-funded and not dependent on state support, it’s able to serve an increasing number of students and families each year, Kiesser says. A foundation and board of directors ensure the program remains sustainable through grants and corporate support. There is a modest fee for participation, but the foundation works hard to keep the programs accessible to families from all economic circumstances by providing scholarships. Last year, Kiesser says, about 61 percent of students attending the Outdoor Science School were sponsored.
The community has repeatedly shown its support for the programs. When the 2007 Santiago fire raged across the Santa Ana Mountains surrounding ITO’s headquarters, it burned most of the field trip locations. Corporate executives and a host of other volunteers showed up to rebuild the bridges, trails and teaching stations. “They realized the value to students in the area and the community and wanted to be part of rebuilding it,” Kiesser says.
It’s not uncommon for program administrators to receive letters of appreciation from students. But Kiesser says one from Aiman, a sixth-grader from the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District, particularly touched her.
“Thank you once again for making my exciting trip possible, successful and enjoyable. I hope to see you all again,” he wrote.
Aiman’s letter was written in Braille.
—Kristi Garrett
Toolkit
WHO: Orange County Department of Education
WHAT: Environmental education
WHEN: Since 1974
WHERE: Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties
WHY: Raise academic achievement and create future scientists and environmentalists
HOW: Inside the Outdoors science school, field trips and day science programs
MORE: Inside the Outdoors