Articles

Increasing Science in Schools

Oregon state schools have been hit hard by budget cuts. Wallowa County schools have decreased the number courses offered, especially in the sciences and reduced their week to four days. We help schools in these tough economic times by working with them to fill these gaps. We do this by offering outside, science-focused learning opportunities. Kids study real issues facing our community through science research and exploration. Our goal is to work with schools and help them meet their learning needs and state requirements.

Oregon Schools, Science, & Outdoor Learning

In 2009, Governor Ted Kulongoski signed the No Child Left Inside Act (HB 2544), ensuring youth receive outdoor learning experiences in Oregon Schools. With this, Oregon became the third state to have an environmental literacy plan. The plan identifies five strands of environmental literacy:

1. Understand the physical and biological world and our interdependent relationship with it
2. Understand and apply systems thinking concepts and tool
3. Sense of place, region, national, and global community
4. Investigate, plan, and create a sustainable future
5. Understand and achieve personal and civic responsibility

Our School Programs

Our programs incorporate these five strands and help schools meet these requirements and state learning standards. Since 2005, we have worked closely with schools to provide outdoor learning and science experiences. We believe outdoor learning is critical to kids’ success in schools. We are excited to work with you in providing outdoor learning for your kids. We offer:

• Outdoor School for 4-6^th grade (aka OWL)
• Watershed Monitoring for high school students (aka WET)

Additionally, we work with teachers in creating special visits to classrooms and field trips. Please contact us to see how we can work with you!