Mission Springs Outdoor Education utilizes hands-on science and team-building activities to foster positive student relationships and to promote good stewardship of the environment.

Our outdoor classes and field trips have been engineered to teach students about nature while helping them build better relational skills in the process. We have tailored our program to support the California Science Standards for 5th and 6th grade. You will receive a copy of our pre-curriculum that will help prepare your students to get the most out of their outdoor education experience.

Our highly qualified and caring Naturalists are selected for the following:

• Bachelors degree,
• Previous experience working with children,
• Excellent role models,
• First Aid / CPR certification and fingerprint clearance.

Our classes focus on the natural sciences, environmental stewardship, and team-building.    The majority of students who come are 5-6th graders, so curriculum is designed for that age group.  Classes are taught by Mission Springs Naturalists with supervisory assistance from parent chaperones that the school provides.  Class size varies from 15 to 20 depending on the number of students attending that week.  All classes involve hiking.

Naturalists 101

This introductory class utilizes team-building activities to introduce the students to Mission Springs, their Naturalist, and hiking group for the week. Emergency and discipline procedures for the week are also discussed.

Meet the Natives

Students will go back in time as they learn about the history and culture of the Ohlone

people who once lived here. Students will compare the traditional hunting and gathering techniques of the Ohlone people to the way we grow and produce our food. Students will get their hands dirty as they explore and work in our organic teaching garden.

Mi Casa, Su Casa

One of our goals at Mission Springs Outdoor Education is to challenge students to take what they have learned here and use it when they go home. This class will provide them with the tools they need to study the ecosystems where they live. Students will learn how to use field guides and plant keys.

Resource Revolution

Students will learn about environmental stewardship by testing the water quality of our local stream and through interactive investigations of energy, renewable and non-renewable resources, recycling, and solar energy. Weather permitting, students will get to experiment with our solar equipment and bake a treat in the solar oven.

Sensesational

Students will develop and sharpen their observational skills through activities that utilize all five senses. Students will learn the importance of making and recording observations, learn about scientists who have made important discoveries through careful observations, and become scientists themselves as they study local wildlife at Mission Springs.

Night Hike

Students will be guided on an adventure through the trails in the dark listening to night sounds, learning about night vision and nocturnal creatures, and exploring the night sky. Naturalists encourage students to face their fears during a short solo hike through the dark.

The Wall

Using a climbing rope, helmets, and harnesses, students climb our 40-foot climbing wall with the encouragement and expertise of well-trained Naturalists. Once at the top, they are carefully belayed to the ground.

Electives

Several options are offered during this time. With the direction of their Naturalist, students choose what topic interests them most. Examples include animal tracks, team-building games, birding, art in nature, gardening projects, and an adventure hike.

Campfires

Naturalists deliver 2 campfires each week. The first campfire is a fun time of singing, skits, and a campfire talk by our staff. During our second campfire, time is reserved for students, chaperones, and teachers to perform their own skits.