Connecting Children to Nature

The mellow days of summer have smoothly transitioned into the bustling energy of the 2023-2024 school year. Our hearts filled with joy as we welcomed back our amazing Program Naturalists on Friday, September 1st, followed by a warm embrace for our Field Naturalists, including nine exceptional new members, on Tuesday, September 12th. This year, our team of educators represents a vibrant balance of experience and passion, promising enriching opportunities for students this year.

To ensure a seamless experience for all, our dedicated staff engaged in thorough and rigorous training in September. From honing teaching techniques to mastering safety protocols, animal handling skills, CPR, and first aid, our team stands prepared to provide a safe and engaging learning environment for students in the year ahead. The enthusiasm surrounding this year's teaching team is truly palpable.

Building upon our successful engagement with over 80,000 participants during the 2022-2023 academic year, we are now setting our sights higher, aiming to reach over 87,500 participants through our array of field trips, Traveling Scientist programs, and community initiatives. Toward this end, we kicked off with the first field trip on September 25th, hosting 66 eager second-grade students from Westmont Elementary School in the Anaheim Elementary School District.

None of our efforts would be possible without the unwavering support of our incredible partners, including our valued GlobalGiving family. Among the numerous partnerships that have enriched our mission, we are thrilled to announce the renewal of our collaboration with the esteemed Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC). This renewal underscores our shared commitment to delivering comprehensive water education programs to students in Grades 3-12 across Orange County. Led by our skilled Program Naturalists, the Drip Drop and Wonders of Water programs offer local schools a chance to delve into the critical interplay between water resources and the well-being of our communities.

With hearts brimming with gratitude for dedicated partners like you, we embark on this new academic year with a profound sense of appreciation and genuine joy. Your support continues to be the cornerstone of our ability to serve our community, and we sincerely thank you for being an integral part of our journey and the lives of the students we serve. We would also be remiss if we did not invite you to follow along with us on Instagram so that you can keep in touch with all of the fantastic work throughout the year.

Links:

• Inside the Outdoors Main Webpage
• Inside the Outdoors Foundation Instagram Page

As gray clouds gave way to sunny days and blue skies these past few weeks, the busy spring at Inside the Outdoors and Orange County Department of Education has rolled into the mellow days of summer.

For Inside the Outdoors, the start of summer is marked by the return of our popular summer day camp at the Shipley Nature Center in Huntington Beach, which runs through the end of July.

Summer camp is a time for playful discovery: a time to try out a new silly camp name, which is immortalized on the “tree cookie” nametags that campers make when they first arrive, or to learn new songs and skits during the silly Song Fest that commences each camp day. It’s a time to experiment with new crafts and make new friends; to venture down new trails and to build a personal connection to a special outdoor place.

At Inside the Outdoors, the start of summer also brings a chance to pause and reflect on the tremendous impact that we’ve had on Orange County’s students over the past twelve months.

Together, ITO’s small-but-mighty team has served over 80,000 K-12 students during the 2022-2023 school year. Teachers have joined us from Orange County’s 28 school districts, journeying from every corner of the county to escape the confines of their classrooms and help their students connect science concepts to the natural world through our programs.

Guided by Inside the Outdoors' talented team of Field Naturalists, our young students-turned-scientists have ventured through the redwoods at Shipley Nature Center and explored the tidepools at Crystal Cove State Park. They've studied animals in the oak woodlands at Santiago Oaks and built models of the coastal sage scrub ecosystem in Irvine Regional Park. Our Traveling Scientists have brought science to schools, introducing students to the superpowers of our animal ambassadors and inviting them to explore the large-scale water and sanitation systems that keep Orange County running.

Whether they take place outdoors at a park or indoors at a school, all of our programs help students develop the environmental literacy competencies that they'll need to become our future environmental leaders.

This was also a year of firsts. We've heard again and again from our elementary teachers that their program with us this year was their students’ very first field trip ever. For so many young students who have missed out on opportunities over the past three years due to the pandemic, their adventure with Inside the Outdoors was their first real chance to explore a local park, visit a nature preserve, or fall in love with the outdoors. 

Your investment in our work has made all of this possible. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to provide these inspiratoinal experiences to so many students and teachers. You've helped us keep these opportunities accessible for tens of thousands of kids across Orange County.

Thank you for standing with us in this important work.

If you have a young scientist who is still yearning for opportunities to spend their summer outdoors, we’d love to have them join us for a week of summer camp at Shipley Nature Center this summer.