Double Outdoor Days for Local Kids
At The Environmental Center, we believe it’s important for kids to spend time learning and growing in the great outdoors. Research shows that kids who build strong connections to nature are more likely to make pro-environment choices as adults.
That’s why, since 2009, we’ve been helping local teachers get their students outside. Our programs give students time to explore, learn and understand the natural world. They ask questions, explore new topics and ideas, and relate their findings to everyday life.
Teachers turn to us because we organize and deliver outdoor school experiences that they and their students value. Unfortunately, we have the resources to deliver only 10 outdoor school days per school year. We turn teachers away every year.
Will you help us say “Yes!” to more teachers and get more kids outside in the 2016-2017 school year?
Your gift will be matched by the Children’s Forest of Central Oregon, one of our key regional partners in getting kids outside.
With your financial support, we will:
- Double our outdoor programming from 10 to 20 days. We’ll focus specifically on 6th grade students entering middle school.
- Create four (4) outdoor school day kits for experienced teachers to use on their own. After working with a subset of teachers for several years now, they are able and eager to run outdoor school days on their own. We’ll develop kits they can borrow that contain all the necessary elements for a successful outdoor day.
Youth need first-hand experiences outdoors to recognize and understand how they impact our environment. The kids that get those experiences develop a life-long ethic of environmental stewardship.
Please help us make sure more local kids have access to outdoor experiences next school year.