For nearly two years, Sierra Nevada Journeys’ education leaders, Jen Kopnicky and Sean Hill, have been collaborating with a dozen of the top outdoor education nonprofits from around the country. Together, they have developed a framework and tools for identifying, communicating, teaching and leading Social Emotional Learning (SEL) through outdoor education.
The result of the collaboration is the launch of Grow Outside: A Social Emotional Learning Toolkit for Residential Environmental Learning Centers. This website is the result of a two-year-long partnership of residential environmental learning centers, convened by NatureBridge and Sierra Nevada Journeys, to develop common language and tools for the field of environmental education. The need for the skills strengthened by social and emotional learning — empathy, respect for differences, communication skills — has been even more pronounced. “We hope the Toolkit will help outdoor schools across the country identify, grow and communicate those core social emotional indicators that are embedded in our program design, delivery and outdoor context, so that we position ourselves as a support system for SEL to our schools and districts. These days, growing kids takes many villages!” said Hill. You can access the toolkit here.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Outdoor Schools
As the team entered their final stages of preparing Grow-Outside.org, COVID-19 has overtaken everyone’s lives. Many outdoor schools have been severely impacted, and unfortunately, programs cannot happen as they normally would with kids traveling by bus, staying in cabins and working on teambuilding. School district budget cuts, travel restrictions and social distancing have halted outdoor residential programs, like at Sierra Nevada Journeys, across the US.
However, the SEL lessons are now more important than ever before. Students need to continue building connections with each other and with nature.
What This Means for Teachers and Students in Northern Nevada and California.
Each year 3,500 students from Northern Nevada and California typically attend Overnight Outdoor Learning. Additionally, more than 100 teachers attend an annual workshop at Grizzly Creek Ranch where we “teach the teacher” on SEL and outdoor science. Nationally, roughly two million youth spend multiple days sleeping away from home, sharing meals with classmates, and learning in outdoor settings like Sierra Nevada Journeys’ Grizzly Creek Ranch — the ideal outdoor setting for supporting student growth in SEL. However, with social distancing, school budget cuts and travel restrictions, outdoor schools are now at a standstill.
How to Support STEM Education and Sierra Nevada Journeys During COVID-19?
Hire our educators for day programs at your school. Classrooms Unleashed, grade-level STEM lessons, are available via a combination of live webinars, videos and online lessons.
Encourage your school, PFA or community organization to host a Virtual Family STEM Night. For schools, this virtual event is a great way to get families engaged. Also, it can replace in-person events that may have been impacted by gathering restrictions.
Consider donating to STEM education and Sierra Nevada Journeys to deliver these valuable programs through online, webinars and virtual events.
