Submitted by Wildsight
“I was born to be in the wild. I loved it.”
Grade 6 student Nevaeh puts into words how we all feel when we pause in wonder at the minuscule worlds under our feet, the majestic views above our heads, and the magic found outdoors all around us.
Through Classroom with Outdoors, Wildsight Educators bring students on a full day field trip to learn about the great outdoors through hands-on learning. Across the Columbia Basin, 25 classes participated in a Classroom with Outdoors experience this fall, including Nevaeh’s class at Castlegar’s Twin Rivers Elementary School. Students explored the Mel Deanna Trail in Castlegar.
Teacher Kate Running valued the program and how it engaged her students. “By educating our students about the importance of nature and providing authentic, inquiry based outdoor educational experiences that they enjoy, we are building on the important value of respecting and taking care of our planet and each other,” says Running. “They will grow to share this awareness and value with others. Classroom with Outdoors is providing amazing experiences for youth that affect their lives and the communities around them in such a positive way.”
Nevaeh’s peers found joy and beauty around them in the experience too.
“I liked walking around in the forest. It was full of colourful leaves,” says Sage, while Tahren admits: “I just liked that we got to get outside!”
Wildsight’s Classroom with Outdoors is made possible thanks to the generous support of program funders including: the Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Power Corporation, Consecon Foundation, the Government of Canada, Keefer Ecological Services Ltd., Kootenay Co-op, the Osprey Community Foundation, Teck Trail, the Province of British Columbia, Copernicus Education Products and numerous individual donors.
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