Expedition Yellowstone is a National Park Service program where school groups get to choose a theme, such as history, ecology, and wildlife, says Pioneer 4^th and 5^th grade teacher Nicole Bronson. “The kids are outside all day everyday despite the weather,” she says. “I usually start getting them ready for the trip two-to-three months before we go, so by the time of the trip they have a huge wealth of knowledge, and then they get to do field work and there are the hikes and the games that they play. It’s like a capstone trip for my class.”

The Expedition Yellowstone trips and in-class learning at Pioneer cover a wide range of topics that can change from year to year, but one of the main themes Bronson says they always try to touch on is the idea of Yellowstone as a supervolcano. “It’s pretty crazy. It’s this massive bubble of magma down in the ground, the biggest one in the world, actually, and it’s still active. That’s why there are so many hydro-geologic features there.”

Bronson says they also cover the concept of conservation and how it’s been evolving throughout the history of the park. One example she cites is how the bears in the park were once fed and treated like circus animals.

Today, she explains, feeding wildlife is strictly prohibited and bears have returned to their natural food sources, which is much better for the bears, and conflicts with people have decreased too. According to Bronson, getting to view the park’s incredible wildlife is a major highlight of the trips. “Every year we go we see either bears or wolves and other species you don’t often see, like pronghorn, bison, and elk.”

Writing about their Expedition Yellowstone experiences is also a part of the trip. Here are three Pioneer School 4^th and 5^th grade essays from this year’s trip that provide a window into the park’s wildness and unique history and geology through the eyes of students.

“Yellowstone’s Thermal Features” by Benson Side

“Artists in Yellowstone—Thomas Moran” by Nyomi Meinhart

“Yellowstone Wolves” by Vansh Amin

The post Spokane Students Write from the Wilds of Yellowstone appeared first on Out There Venture.

Blessing Farm & Forest Preschool

Spokane’s first urban farm and forest preschool located near the South Perry Neighborhood. This Waldorf-inspired school offers a school-year program for children ages 2 1/2 to 6 as well as summer camps for ages 2 1/2 to 7. Blessingfarmandforest.com

Greenplay Northwest – Farm Schools

Early learning programs for children ages 6 and younger, based on the forest kindergarten model with locations in Spokane (Vinegar Flats Farm School) and southeast King County (Maple Valley and Enumclaw). Summer Nature Camps may be available for summer 2021. Greenplaynw.org

Harvard Park Children’s Learning Center North

Preschool and summer camps for ages 2.5-10 include activities such as science experiments, field trips, cooking projects, water play time, and lots of outdoor playtime. Harvardparkpreschool.com

Into the Forest Outdoor Learning Center

Preschool and day care located east of Spokane, in Veradale, Wash., provides “nature-infused,” play-based, environmental education that includes nature art, outdoor exploration, and “risky play,” according to its website. Intotheforestpreschool.com

Little Woodland Adventures

Forest preschool (ages 2.5-5) located near Dishman Hills Natural Area in Spokane Valley that is all outdoors, year-round. Curriculum includes place-based activities, life skills, and gardening. Littlewoodlandadventures.com

North Wall Schools

Private school for gifted and talented learners, grades K-6, with an Early Childhood program (preschool and infants-toddlers) and summer program. Campus in north Spokane includes different outdoor areas corresponding to age levels for year-round playtime and experiential learning. Features include a Nature Trail, tree fort, zipline, organic garden, climbing wall, and tricycle track. Northwallschools.com

Pioneer School field-trip to the Spokane County Water Resources Center. // Photo: Shallan Knowles

Pioneer School

A K-5th grade accredited, non-profit school for gifted, talented, and highly-capable learners with small classes. Located in northeast Spokane Valley, Pioneer School is dedicated to making school an exciting place where children enjoy learning with a thematic approach that emphasizes student involvement with hands-on activities and topic-related field trips. Experiences include expeditions, outings, and field-trips for camping, biking, hiking, skiing, conservation and science learning, history, and other recreation activities. Pioneerschool.com

Plum Tree School

All-outdoor preschool program (ages 3-6), located in south Spokane, focuses on play-based learning, creative arts, domestic life skills, hands-on nature exploration, and mindfulness. Plumtreeschool.com

Saint George’s School

Located on 120-acres along the Little Spokane River, the campus for this private school (no religious affiliation) is an integral part of the school’s entire K-12 curriculum, providing hands-on experiences related to the sciences, physical education, art, and other courses. An Outdoor Club provides recreation activities and trips for students in grades 8-12. Sgs.org

Tinkergarten

Instructor-led, with a national network of teachers and child-development experts, this self-guided programming for play-based learning experiences offers free DIY activities online. Tinkergarten.com

Twin Eagles Wilderness School

Monthly program based in Spokane for ages 6-13 and their families (October-May, one Saturday per month). Children enjoy nature-based mentoring and hands-on activities—all outdoors. Twineagles.org

Washington Outdoor School

Child-interest led outdoor education with branches based in central Washington, including the cities of Ellensburg and Roslyn. Waoutdoorschool.org

West Valley Outdoor Learning Center

Virtual-based programs with online, live, interactive presentations about wildlife habitat, conservation, birds of prey, water ecosystems, and STEM activities. Check the center’s Facebook page for when in-person events will resume, including family open-houses.

Windsong School

Located in Spokane on the Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute campus, students, preshool-6^th grade, enjoy Waldorf-inspired learning and daily outdoor experiences. Spokanewindsongschool.org

[Feature photo by Shallan Knowles // Pioneer School students at the Spokane County Water Resources Center.]

View all the contents of the 2021 Inland NW Family Outdoors Guide, including regional Outdoorsy Summer Camps.

The post Nature Schools in the Inland NW – 2021 appeared first on Out There Venture.

Michele Dao has three children who have done a number of camps with Twin Eagles, including winter survival and a Father’s Day camp. “It is an amazing program. They allow them to do things that, as a parent, put me on edge but are good for them. They’ve made spears and throwing sticks; they make fire and use knives to whittle wood. Every experience has been really worthwhile.”

Twin Eagles’ Tim Corcoran, who co-founded the school with his wife, Jeannine Tidwell, says that participants gain a lot of self-confidence. “We all need to be challenged in meaningful ways,” he says, adding that through age-appropriate challenges kids and adults gain both resilience and better problem-solving skills.

“We work on creating a conscious mentoring culture. How we’re interacting is as important as what we’re teaching, so the benefits are very holistic,” says Corcoran. “Inside a mentoring culture, we are conscious about naming our emotions in healthy ways. There is an emotional maturity that comes out of that.”

When asked about the mental and emotional benefits of their experiences, Dao told me about her husband and sons at a Father’s Day camp last year. “It was transformative,” she says, adding that her sons still mention that weekend as one of their favorite memories. Rylan, Dao’s 11-year old son, was very positive, “My favorite is making fires. Tim has taught me to be patient. And Jeannine tells good stories.” //

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