I grew up in a small town in Ohio. Bordering my elementary school were woods filled with creeks, wildlife, and pathways that led to hours of learning. My teachers routinely took us into those woods.
There, we studied everything from art to science. We drew pictures of trees filled with birds and butterflies. We built secret forts. We turned over logs to look for bugs as part of our science class. Every student knew and loved those woods.
My childhood experiences inform my work as an adult. Today, I co-lead Inside the Outdoors, an environmental education program in Southern California. We connect over 120,000 children each year to nature’s classroom. The most challenging part of my job is the significant number of families in my area who lack access to nature. The mountains, beach, forest, and desert are all within an hour’s drive – but many families have never been there. Backyard or nearby nature is virtually non-existent. Our communities are concrete. Schoolyards are often small and have only minimal ornamental landscaping. It is heartbreaking to realize that while the students can see the mountains from their schoolyards and homes, they do not know what it feels like to spend time in nature.
With community support, Inside the Outdoors has helped ten schools build butterfly and vegetable gardens. These gardens serve as a place to learn, connect, and restore the soul.
The students and teachers who use these gardens gain a better understanding of science. They learn to accept others and they give back to their community. Each day they spend in the garden strengthens their connection to the natural world. Even casual observers witness how greening a schoolyard nurtures children and education. A garden creates a space for teachers to guide students through hands-on learning. It connects children to nature, to each other, and to learning. It transforms learning into doing.
This year, Inside the Outdoors is partnering with Boeing to help ten additional schools turn small unused areas into high impact natural spaces where students will get their hands dirty as they learn, develop teamwork skills, and spend time immersed in nature.
In these gardens, students will grow their own lives.
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Students enrolled in AP environmental science courses at Brea Olinda High School recently spent their lunch break educating schoolmates and staff about the importance of water reliability and smart usage.
Spearheaded by OCDE’s Inside the Outdoors program and led by Brea Olinda High teacher Andrea Ramos, the “Water Expo” on May 19 featured a number of display tables set up by students from each period to reflect unique themes, including “What Would a Waterless Future Look Like” and “A Look at Fresh Water in the World.”
We’re told students also created their own marketing materials, including a Snapchat filter, an Instagram frame and the hashtag #bohswaterexpo. Those who attended were even asked to take a pledge to protect water and reduce the amount they personally use each day.
“We are so thankful for the amazing partnership we’ve forged with Inside the Outdoors,” Ramos said. “The Water Expo provided a wonderful creative outlet for students to take what they’ve learned and share it with others.”
Andrea's class is part of Inside the Outdoors' "What About Water" high school program, offered in partnership with the Municipal Water District of Orange County and its member agencies.
To learn more about Inside the Outdoors' partnership with Brea Olinda High School, visit the links below.
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Mikayla attended Inside the Outdoors’ Outdoor Science School (OSS) in 2007 during her 5th grade school year. She spent a week with her teacher and classmates at Camp Cedar Crest in the San Bernardino Mountains immersed in nature’s living laboratory. At OSS, students learn by doing. The classrooms are on outdoor trails where hands-on experiments, activities, games and songs are used to teach grade appropriate science concepts such as Astrology, Forest Ecology, Geology and Wildlife Biology. Every moment at Outdoor Science School is a teaching moment. Students discover the spectacular night sky while observing constellations and study local nocturnal animals and their adaptations during night hikes. The weeklong experience also provides an ideal atmosphere for development of leadership and social skills and self-esteem. Both students and teachers leave knowing more about the natural world and themselves.
A year later, in 2008, Mikayla attended Inside the Outdoors’ Summer Day Camp and loved the experience so much that she joined the ranks as a Junior Naturalist for the following three years. Each year, at each site (3 sites and 6 weeks to choose from), a new theme is selected and activities and games are planned around that theme. The “Animal Planet” theme offered young survivalists the opportunity to learn the 10 essentials of hiking and how to construct a natural shelter, build a compass for navigation, master plant and animal identification, and face challenges that only teamwork can solve.
In 2014, Mikayla applied for an Animal Care Assistant position and has been caring for the menagerie of program animals at Inside the Outdoors ever since. Each day over 100 animals, such as a Tegu lizard, Bull python, owl, Red-tailed hawk, California desert tortoise, tarantula, rabbits and rats are handled, fed and cared for. Mikayla’s favorite ITO program animal is Dexter, the Opossum.
What began as a spark for environmental science as a 5th graders is today a fire! Mikayla has continued to follow her passion for nature and wildlife by pursuing a degree in Zoology, volunteering her time teaching high school ROP students animal health care, and working at a small animal vet in addition to caring for the wild and exotic animals of Inside the Outdoors.
Mikayla has been an animal lover and advocate for as long as she can remember, and especially passionate about crocodiles and wildlife research. Visiting the Australia Zoo that her childhood hero, Steve Irwin, made famous has always been a dream of hers. Who would have ever thought one day she would be selected to participate in an expedition on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve (SIWR). The SIWR, located on Cape York Peninsula of Australia, is a vast mosaic of rainforests, wetlands and savannas. The Reserve has been set aside as a tribute to the conservation work of Steve Irwin and a place for scientific research and discovery.
In August 2016, Mikayla was 1 of only 8 people chosen for this amazing opportunity. She spent two weeks working alongside the Australia Zoo Croc Research Team and scientists from The University of Queensland building croc traps, pioneered by Steve Irwin and the most humane crocodilian capture technique. Using the techniques she'd watched Steve do hundreds of times in videos and on TV she helped measure and tag crocodiles while getting up close to the world’s largest living reptile during the catch and release process.
All of the information gained on this expedition has helped advance Mikayla's education. Caring for the exotic animals used in Inside the Outdoors field and school programs has prepared Mikayla for her goal of becoming a zoologist and wildlife conservationist. Collectively all of these experiences have shaped her life. It has been an honor and a pleasure for Inside the Outdoors to be part of Mikayla’s journey.
On Saturday, July 23, 2016, sixty Boeing and community volunteers descended upon the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve with sleeves rolled up and gloves in hand, ready to put in a morning of hard labor. The Mayor of Newport Beach, Diane Brooks Dixon, gave opening remarks and thanked volunteers for giving back to the community.
Boeing Volunteers participated in hand-watering 1500 newly planted native species in three areas of the Preserve. It is important to nurture new and existing native plants in the Preserve so that the endangered animals calling this place home can thrive.
Upper Newport Bay has 13 different habitats and 21 distinct plant communities supporting life at the estuary. Preservation and restoration is crucial in supporting biodiversity. Non-native plants are often invasive and can overrun native plant species which support multitudes of organisms that rely on them for nesting, shelter and food. Habitat restoration and preservation projects including invasive plant removal, seedling and native planting, nesting preparation, predator control, trail maintenance and coastal clean-up are a few of the projects volunteers engaged in throughout the year.
Upper Newport Bay is the largest of only a few remaining natural estuaries in Southern California and an important rest stop or home to migrating birds, up to 30,000 can be seen daily in winter months. This wetland ecosystem in the Pacific Flyway is home to 200 species of birds, including several endangered and threatened species such as the California Gnatcatcher, Light-Footed Clapper Rail, and the Belding's Savannah Sparrow. The area is highly urbanized and critical habitat must be restored in order to protect the ecosystem.
During the Global Month of Service, Boeing and community volunteers also assembled and painted compost bins and bird boxes to be donated to Orange County schools in underserved communities with existing garden or with plans to install a new garden through an ITOF service-learning project. Along with the compost bins and bird boxes, Inside the Outdoors Foundation will provide education and guidance to students and teachers on the importance of composting as part of the 5 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Rot, Repurpose, and Recycle. The Boeing Company donated materials and supplies, as well as volunteers who contributed 180 volunteer hours to the preservation of habitat at the Upper Newport Bay.
Merriam Webster defines tide pool as "an area of water that is left on a beach after the tide has fallen." When a student is on an Inside the Outdoors field trip at Crystal Cover State Park, they define tide pools a little differently. It the taste of the salt in the tidal mist. It is the smell of the ocean and the creatures living in the intertidal zone. Its a tiny red crab and a limpet and how animals adapt to live in one of the harshest ecosystems in Southern California.
Inside the Outdoors programs at Crystal Cove bring science to life and connect students to one of the few protected stretches of coastline in Orange County. While at Crystal Cove, students explore the coastal bluffs, examine the sandy beach, and investigate the tidepools. Their textbooks come to life as they become scientists. While at the park, students experience:
Tidepools
Students learn about the environmental factors that affect tidepool organisms. Using clue cards and pictures to find living things in the tidepools, they discover the adaptations of various organisms in the intertidal ecosystem.
Classification
Students learn about the major phyla of invertebrates found in tidepools. They classify shells and preserved specimens using common characteristics and learn the life history of some of the animals in the tidepools.
Bluff Ecosystem
Working in teams, students discover the functions of several organisms in this ecosystem and classify them according to their notes. Students also learn how these animals and plants interact and depend on each other for survival.
Beachcomber
Students classify several objects they find on the beach as natural or unnatural and discuss the origin of the materials and their function, if any, on the beach.
Creature Feature
Students use their creative talent to build a creature in the sand that has the characteristics of one of the invertebrate phyla.
Many of the students who visit Crystal Cove live a few miles from the beach but have never seen the ocean. Inside the Outdoors programs change that, creating memorable experiences that build the foundation for a life-long love of science and a better understanding of how humans interact with the environment.
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