BENEFITING: THE OUTDOOR FOUNDATION
EVENT: Kids and Parks Project
THE STORY:
Children’s Forest is a program that has been developed by STEEC (South Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition) to help students in 4th grade continue their relationship and appreciation of the environment by providing place-based, experiential learning. The Children’s Forest program will include a field trip to Tallac Historic Site for 315 4th graders from schools in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District in South Lake Tahoe. It will provide students the opportunity to learn about the local rich history and environment by rotating through three engaging stations to learn (1) how to measure different dimensions and annual growth patterns of trees, (2) the history of the Native American tribe, the Washoe, and the critical role of the food web in their local ecosystems, and (3) the history of Tahoe's famous families of the late 1800s and early 1900s and whose stories are preserved at Tallac Historic Site. For some of our students, experiences in the "outdoor environment" are quite limited, and these trips not only connect the individual students to nature but also encourage students to share their experiences with their families.