CURRICULUM
Virginias’ Outdoor Classroom offers a customizeable environmental education program for elementary and middle school students. Our program is designed around the guiding principles of STEM education. Our classes can be tailored to grade specific standards while maintaining our focus on multiple intelligence learning.
Standards Based
Our classes incorporate Virginia and West Virginia state standards, Next Generation Science Standards and Maryland Environmental Literacy. Our classes are outdoor-based located on our beautiful property. Our classes are designed with standards in mind and are a natural fit to your schools environmental curriculum.
Outdoor Education
Students will have the opportunity to hike, explore the beauty of the outdoors, learn to navigate in the back-country, cook over an open fire and build shelters. Our classroom is nature-made.
Archery – Learn to shoot a bow while exploring the history and physics of this amazing piece of equipment.
Day Hike – Take a short hike and learn about the 10 essentials needed for hiking.
Extended Day Hike – Students will have extended time in the outdoors. They will get a chance to immerse themselves in the natural environment surrounded by hardwood forest.
Leave No Trace – Students will learn the importance of the LNT ethic. They will learn that whenever they go into nature, their actions have consequences that affect the environment.
Nature and Art - Expand student awareness and enjoyment in the outdoors. Students learn art principals before creating a work of their own using natural materials found in the forest.
Orienteering – Learn to navigate the outdoors using a map and compass. This classic past time allows participants to become familiar with the use of the compass, topographical lines and the reading of maps in general. Can you find the secrets hidden in our forest?
Outdoor Skills – Discover the basics of wilderness safety. Live comfortably learning fire building, shelter building and outdoor cooking skills.
Environmental Science
Students will examine the natural world with wonder and curiosity through questions, model building, variable testing, dissecting owl pellets and searching for critters in our pond. Our curriculum is based on Virginia, West Virginia and Next Generation Science Standards and classes can be tailored to the unique needs of your students.
Aerodynamics – Discover the forces that act on airplanes and rockets! Design, build, test and retest a rocket with your classmates.
Earth’s Forces – Learn the geology of the Allegheny Mountains and the forces that created the beautiful landscape. Design and build wooden structures and test them for strength and stability.
Environmental Issues – How are you and your participants affecting the world around you? Students will focus on learning the basics of environmental science including the cause and effect of our ecological footprints.
Forest Ecology – Participate in life size models and simulation of the connections found in our environment. Learn about food webs, life cycles, carbon cycle, habitat necessities and more.
Freshwater Biology – Test the quality of our water using pH strips and other scientific methods. Then discover macro-invertebrates in our pond and learn their tolerances for survival.
Owl Pellet Dissection – Students will learn the relevance of dissection in science and basic anatomy of an owl. Students will utilize proper dissection procedures while exploring and studying the owl pellet.
Squid Dissection – Coming Soon!
Leadership
Through progressive programming and perceived risk, students will learn valuable skills such as empathy, mutual respect, positive communication, conflict resolution, problem-solving, decision-making and goal setting. We know these vital skills are not only necessary to navigate today’s world, they are key to developing intentional and productive citizens.
Bafa Bafa – A face to face learning simulation to improve participants cultural competency by helping them understand the impact of culture on the behavior of people.
Balloon Drop – Design a contraption with your team to drop a water balloon from height. Using communication, problem solving and design skills, students will have to save their water balloon using limited resources and time.
Community Puzzle – A great culminating activity for every school, community puzzle allows students to debrief their week in a hands-on manner. At the end of the class, schools/teachers will have student created puzzle expressing their time at Virginia’s Outdoor Classroom.
Ethical Leadership – Students learn about moral and ethics by examining scenarios, followed by thoughtful value line discussion facilitated by Virginia’s Outdoor Classroom staff.
Ground Based Initiatives – Introduction to leadership programming, we start with the basics of communication to build trust and cooperation within the group.
Low Ropes Course – Our low ropes course helps continue to build the groups’ soft skills through unique challenges. These challenges occur on elements no higher than knee height that do not require additional safety equipment.
Low Ropes Elements: Whale Watch, Mohawk Walk, Islands, Bear Claw Tree, Spider Web
Climbing Wall – The climbing wall presents a daunting challenge to your students. Using the skills previously learned, students will have the opportunity to climb our 30 foot wall.
Evening Activities
Astronomy - Learn about our solar system and the night sky in this evening activity. Students will learn the circumpolar constellations, history and importance of astronomy, and the heavenly bodies that light up our night.
Campfire (Skit Night) - Students and teacher will show off their stuff at the campfire! Students, teachers and chaperones will create skits, songs and silly people tricks for everyone's delight.
Dance/Board Games - Boogie down to your favorites! Dance the night away and/or play board games with your friends.
Field Games - For the energetic, we have tons of field space and courts. Students can play new and classic games on our fields and basketball and tennis courts.
Night Hike - Discover unique animal adaptations used for hunting and navigating the night. Learn how animal senses have evolved to become successful at survival in our changing world.
“The poetry of the earth is never dead.”