Field experiences are available year-round. See the time of year recommendations in our EE Brochure. Programs run rain or shine, so encourage students to dress in layers for all kinds of weather. Our philosophy is that there is no bad weather, only bad clothes. Bug spray, sunscreen, hats/sunglasses, water bottles and ponchos are recommended.
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GOALS
- Promote responsible stewardship of our environment.
- Provide high quality hands-on education.
- Provide meaningful, developmentally appropriate learning opportunities for all learners.
- Foster a climate and culture of wonder and exploration that leads to asking questions and seeking evidence to answer questions.
- Provide learning experiences that support and reinforce classroom currcula.
- Design programs that are place based, local and aligned to standards and best practices in education.
CURRICULUM
All curriculum is aligned to the following standards:
- Wisconsin Model Academic Standards
- Common Gore State Standards
- Next Generation Science Standards
- Wisconsin State Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability
SCHOOL PROGRAM OPTIONS
- Field experiences at Camp Y-Koda, Maywood Environmental Park, the Sheboygan County Marsh, Kiel Marsh and Deland Park Beach.
- Outreach programs at your school
- After-school programs at your school
- Professional development opportunities for adults and teachers.
- District Partnerships - we work with administrators for develop custom year-round programming.
- Service projects (invasive species removal, water quality testing, clean-up projects, citizen science).
- Special events for scouts, 4-H and other community clubs and groups.
CHAPERONES
All school groups must be accompanied by a classroom teacher as well as responsible chaperones. Our recommendation is 4 chaperone's per 15-20 students. Chaperones are an important part of our field experience so please select chaperone's who will be an asset to the program. Before leaving your school, please review the guidelines with students and parent chaperones. Parent's and staff attending field trips as designated chaperones should expect to actively support the learning process. The first 16 chaperone's are free. After 16, fees apply at the student rate.
We ask that chaperones:
- Dress for the weather
- Leave cell phones and other electronics in the car.
- Assist with lunch.
- Help with supervision of children.
- Be enthusiastic learners.
WEATHER
We are a rain or shine field experience because we feel that children need to understand the importance of dressing for all kinds of weather. However, we believe in the power of the positive experience. We understand that not all students have equal opportunity to outdoor gear. Therefore, if the weather is severe, Sarah Dezwarte will contact you to discuss cancellation, rescheduling or program modifications for your group.
"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, and snow is exhilarating; there is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." - John Ruskin
Please plan to arrive no more than 15 minutes prior to the start of your scheduled field experience. Our staff will greet you at the planned start time of your scheduled field trip (if you arrive early, staff will still be setting up the program). If you arrive early, please patiently wait with your students outside so that you are not disturbing other field experiences or programs that may be in progress.