At Your School

Our Curriculum

We know that curricula aren’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why the Outdoor Classroom team will craft tailor-made schedules to fit any and every schools’ needs to make sure that our lessons reflect what your students are learning in the classroom.

Which activities we do will depend on what your school property is like. If you do not have a lot of natural space, please consider meeting us at a state/town park near your school! Here are some sample classes that we can offer based on what natural space you have available.

• If you have woods (enough space for multiple small field groups to spread out), we recommend a class like Camouflage, where students will learn about different types of animal camouflage through nature exploration and fun games! More than just hide-and-seek, this class will cover how physical and behavioral adaptations shape the animal kingdom through a constant struggle for life in the wild (and don’t worry, there’ll be thorough tick checks at the end).
• If you’ve got a black top or a field, we recommend something like Wilderness Survival/Orienteering, where students will get to try their hand at some survival skills they’ve seen on TV! Can they start a fire without a lighter or matches? Use a compass to get back to safety? Outdoor Classroom will bring the tools, know-how, and guidance to set them up for success, but it’s up to kids to make it happen!
• If your property is nearby water (like a pond or a river), students can grab their nets for Aquatic Ecology! In this class, students will test the water to see if it is safe enough to sustain life. They will learn what pH is and use real science tools to test the pH of the water. Most of the class will be spent collecting and identifying macroinvertebrate specimens to be examined as a group.

Learning Objectives

Through the Nature On Wheels program, students learn both academic lessons and life skills. While our programs have a focus on science, students often find that their classes are cross-curricular, meaning they touch upon elements from other academic subjects like art, math, and even history!

Science Lessons

Our curricula follow Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a multi-state effort within the United States to create education standards that are rich in content and practice to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education. Through the NOW program, students can dive into multiple aspects of science, including physical science, earth and space science, engineering, and life science.

Life Skills

Whether it’s independence or teamwork, students who participate in the Outdoor Classroom NOW program find themselves growing and learning valuable lessons through team-building exercises and collaborative problem-solving.