Kids in Catherine Lavelle’s Grade 6/7 class at Begbie View Elementary recently spent an ideal day learning about the great outdoors with Wildsight Program Educator Janette Vickers.
“There’s an increased recognition of the value of learning outside the classroom,” Vickers said. “We are starting to see the importance of understanding what is going on in the places where we live, of having a sense of local context and appreciating the ways in which intact ecosystems sustain us.”
The 13-year-old Classroom With Outdoors program draws rave reviews from teachers and students each year.
“Our programs are curriculum-based, so they support the learning that’s already happening inside the classroom,” Vickers said. “Teachers tell us that they really appreciate being able to meet curriculum requirements by going outside. They often liken participating in Classroom With Outdoors to walking through a science textbook – it brings core concepts home for the students, making them memorable and compelling.”
Classroom With Outdoors is made possible through the financial assistance of Columbia Basin Trust, The North Face Explore Fund, Columbia Power Corporation, Fortis BC, Teck Coal, Teck Trail Operations, the Osprey Foundation, Creston-Kootenay Foundation, and the BC Gaming Fund.
Vickers said Wildsight views environmental education as a crucial part of building healthy communities and maintaining thriving ecosystems.
Here are some great photos Janette took during the outing:
