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Overview
Overview
Wild Wanderers 2024 was a student-led outdoor education project from the Environmental Leadership Program at the University of Oregon. We created and implemented three 30-minute classroom lessons and one all-day field trip to Mount Pisgah Arboretum. We collaborated with three local elementary schools and reached over 300 students in just eight weeks. The 1st grade curriculum focused on seasonal changes in the Oregon white oak savanna and the 2nd grade curriculum focused on biodiversity in the Douglas-fir forest. Each field trip gave students opportunities to hike, observe, and learn about the patterns and phenomena of our local ecosystems. Our mission was to support students' inquiries in ways that encouraged confidence and gave them a sense of belonging in the natural world.
Land Acknowledgement
Land Acknowledgement
We recognize that we are on Kalapuya Ilihi, the homeland of the Kalapuya people. The Kalapuya peoples were forcibly dispossessed of their Indigenous homeland by the United States government in the 1850s and removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, descendants are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, and continue to make important contributions in their communities, at UO, and across the land we now refer to as Oregon. We humbly honor their past, present, and future, and are committed to finding meaningful ways to recognize their enduring legacy in the region.
Why Environmental Education?
The Wild Wanderers program was guided by the scholarly article by Kuo et. al, which asks ‘Do experiences with nature promote learning?’ The answer is yes! Environmental education has been proven to increase social-emotional intelligence and comprehension skills. In nature, students are more attentive, self-disciplined, and physically active, which leads to improved academic achievement, higher levels of engagement, and a deeper connection to their outdoor communities.
We saw these benefits after only a few hours of being outdoors with the students. Our environmental education program provided opportunities for curious exploration through scavenger hunts, nature journaling, and team-building activities. Students showed increased desire to be outside, improved self-confidence in the outdoors, and gained knowledge of specific ecosystems and species.
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