Outdoor School is in full swing at all five sites for spring 2024. We got off to a bit of a stormy start, with four of our five sites having to delay welcoming students due to snow. However, we only missed one full day with students and once they finally arrived we had a great week all around!

Like every week at Outdoor School, students were immersed in nature while building community with friends new and old. During Field Study they learned about ecosystems, decomposition, macro-invertebrates, human impact, snow, and so much more! Once the snow started to melt, we had lots of sunshine to keep us warm, even though the temperatures reminded us that we are still in winter here in the Northwest. 

   

One of the most exciting nature discoveries this week was the many neon green, leafing and flowering osoberry bushes dotting the forest understory. Osoberry is one of the first plants to leaf out at the beginning of the year and reminds us that even in the depths of winter, spring is just around the corner. 

At Outdoor School, we love science and igniting students’ curiosity about the world around them! We provide opportunities for student-driven inquiry projects where small groups work together to develop a question, plan an investigation, collect data, and present their findings to their peers. Here are just a few of the projects students worked on this week. Seeing what student’s create each week is always a highlight for staff, as we are always impressed with their creativity, teamwork, and excitement about what they learn. 

We now have 11 weeks of Outdoor School ahead of us and are so excited to welcome thousands of more students who will get to explore nature and learn about science in the outdoors!