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Be part of outdoor school
Many Oregonians have important stories to tell about the outdoor educational experiences that changed their lives in positive and often substantial ways.
With the successful adoption of Measure 99, voters made outdoor school a right for all Oregon 5th and 6th grade students. OSU Extension Service Outdoor School manages the distribution of these public funds to schools and districts to administer these programs.
Outdoor school is making a difference in the lives of children and youth
The OSU Extension Outdoor School program’s student outcomes evaluation contributes to a growing body of evidence locally and nationally that outdoor school is making a difference in the lives of children and youth. Oregon students who attend outdoor school show:
- Improved school engagement
- Interest in learning
- Positive school behaviors
- Environmental attitudes
- 21st century skills (such as problem solving)
- and many other positive outcomes.
What’s more, the growth students experience at outdoor school is greater than what they experience in a typical week of school.
Angel Outside: An Outdoor School Story
Angel is uncertain about what to expect at outdoor school, and his family shares his nerves. However, they all embrace the challenge of this new adventure. As Angel navigates this transformative experience, he forges meaningful friendships, finds a sense of belonging, and thrives within a supportive community. Join Angel on his inspiring journey of growth and discovery.
Transcript
[Water trickling]
[Birds chirping]
- I’m alright.
How nice.
- Get that one over there.
Why you keep looking? You’re not tall enough for those.
I’ve never bought one of these.
- The difference is that this one is square and this one is like a mummy.
Do you want to be a mummy?
Well, my family doesn't have a lot of experience
camping.
We like going to the mountains and so on but not camping.
One time we were going to go camping
and we came across a bear.
Yeah, and after that...never again.
That's why my wife
is a little worried about this
but I told her to let him go.
I think he will be in good hands.
I found out when
Angel brought me a brochure
about the Outdoor School program.
Yes, I had my personal doubts because he's my son and
we've never been separated
for several days, you know?
- What do you know about outdoor school so far?
- It’s outdoors.
And we're going to sing songs sometimes,
and make s'mores, and you go hiking maybe.
I’ve never camped.
- I bet that’s how he packs his clothes when he needs to go to the airport.
- If you think of it, bear is just a big, fluffy dog.
- And the body wash?
- Coyote’s just a cat.
- When I ask him,
"How do you feel about participating in Outdoor School?"
He tells me, "I'm very nervous."
So I told him,
I asked him, "Why are you nervous?"
And he tells me, "Well, I've never been away from you."
And he said, "I don't know
what's going to happen over there."
- I’m going to take a plastic bag.
Only like one of my friends is going to be there, yeah.
- I think it's amazing, something for him to experience.
For him to share with his classmates or friends later
it can help other kids, so that if they have any fears or doubts
they can see that if he can do it
other kids can also do the same.
- Is anybody ready to share what you know,
your prior knowledge about outdoor school?
Eduardo?
- I know that you have a lot of feelings about outdoor school.
The thought of not sleeping in my own bed,
in my own room with my own things,
that gets me a little anxious. It’s totally normal to be a little uncomfy
about that part.
- ...You have to go to sleep at 8 PM? - No, 10 PM.
-10 PM. - That there are multiple activities that you can do.
- Multiple activities, good. Angel?
- You go hiking. - You go hiking.
Even if it’s raining, how about that?
- When and where do we meet?
Ok, outside of the school, 2:45, although if you show up at 2:47
I’m not going to leave you behind.
- You got some more stuff? Go to the back...
Go to the back...
- You excited to be alone? - No. Maybe.
- Maybe? - I don’t know.
- I’m gonna miss you, mucho mucho mucho!...
- I wish the bus would just...
- Well, I was nervous
but when I saw him on the bus, I felt better.
It gave me peace and I felt pride because he was going to a place,
well, a new experience.
- Three, two, one —
- [All] ♪We welcome you to outdoor school, we’re mighty glad you’re here♪
♪We’ll send you here reverberating with a mighty cheer♪
♪We’ll sing you in we’ll sing you out♪
♪To you we raise a mighty shout, hooray!♪
♪Hail, hail, the gang’s all here, welcome to outdoor school♪
[Cheering]
- Alright let’s put those windows back up!
- Can I have Angel H?
- Is that good? - Yeah.
- Want to say your name and favorite color?
- My name is Angel.
My favorite color is blue and yeah.
- You are not going to be choosing if you sleep on top or bottom,
it’s going to be assigned to you, ok?
- It’s comfy. Sit down, it’s comfy.
- Everyone make sure you have a chance to...
- In the middle is gender-neutral? - Yeah.
[Coughing]
- How’s that cough? It’s getting better?
- Yeah I feel better.
[Sniffs]
My head still hurts a little, but it’s alright.
- He said his ear hurts.
So he’s just talking to the nurse right now.
[Inaudible]
[Coughing]
- [Assembly Speaker] Alright everybody, are you guys ready to listen to my story?
- [All] Yeah.
My mom gave me a dime...
- He was really, really homesick
the first day, and he didn't want to talk.
- [Assembly Speaker] But I didn’t go to Denny’s...
- I got one of his friends to sit with him.
Honestly I think that’s the best way to help with homesickness
is offering whatever you can offer,
but also giving them a friend to make them more comfortable.
- Feel better?
- He wasn't the only person who had a rough first night,
but he made it through that first night and sailed through the rest of it.
And I know that for the rest of his life
he will look back on the challenge of that first night,
and know that he made the right decision sticking around.
He won't forget that.
- How dare you?
- Give your attention to me just for a moment.
Hello, everybody. My name is Bullfrog.
There are a number of duties you will get at Camp Kuratli.
You lovely, bright young minds,
you 6th graders will be the hosts.
And our other important role, which is called the jump-up.
Here, if you’re a jump-up,
it will be your responsibility, you will grab the food for your table.
We eat family style here at Camp Kuratli.
What that means is we have full plates of food.
that we share amongst everybody.
- For me, I really like the social aspect
that outdoor school has.
Being away from home and seeing kids thrive and still have fun,
even knowing that what they're doing is really hard
is something that’s really cool to see.
- [All] ♪Way-oh, way-oh, way oh, way-oh, way-oh!♪
- I'd say kids who struggle academically,
kids who struggle socially,
I like being here and helping those kids who are kind of like me,
you know, when I was younger.
- Look at the wood cookie!
- We're here to make it possible for everyone.
- Go!
- A lot of kids at school are stuck in this mindset of like,
“I have to just be doing the kind of, the normal thing”
or whatever that is.
[Inaudible]
But here there’s so many more
ways for them to express themselves.
- I caught one!
- A lot of little fish...
- It gives them a chance to learn about our world,
and it also gives them an opportunity to be with a whole bunch of people
that they probably see for like an hour a day,
and be around them and create really strong bonds with all of them.
- Do you guys know what truffles are?
- Yeah, they’re like—
- They’re a type of fungus that people pay a lot for.
- It's one week, but that week makes a huge impact on them, and their lives.
[Inaudible]
- These are my beads that I earned for doing my tasks:
Plants, animals, soil,
and I got water today.
I really liked archery for rec time,
animals, plants.
I made friends with Bullfrog, Goose, Aqualung, Slug Man,
Mitochondria, Sasquatch.
- What we're going to be doing is collecting soil from everyone tonight
for our soil ceremony,
and using it tomorrow morning during our tree-planting ceremony.
- I brought some from a tomato plant. - Thank you.
- I brought some from my dad's garden, because it’s kind of just,
I eat from there a lot.
- Yeah. - So, yeah.
- It’s good, when it’s burnt it’s good.
- Yeah, I like it burnt.
[Laughing]
- I’m pretty sure that’s a good marshmallow.
[Laughing]
- That’s burnt!
- [Assembly Speaker] Hello and welcome to our last campfire here at Kuratli outdoor school...
- [Staff Chorus] ♪Roll call!♪
♪Nehalem, sha-sha-sha-shabooyah roll call!♪
- [Group] ♪We are Nehalem♪ - [All] Yeah!
- [Group] ♪We’re kind and honest♪ - [All] Yeah!
- [Group] ♪But it’s ok though♪ - [All] Yeah!
- [Group] ♪Because we’re modest♪ - [All] Yeah!
- [Group] ♪We are Tacoma♪ - [All] Yeah!
- [Group] ♪We are the best♪ - [All] Yeah!
- [Group] ♪We’re energetic♪ - [All] Yeah!
- [Group] ♪Because we get our rest♪ - [All] Yeah!
- Campfire is so great because everyone gets to be together and coexist,
and I think music is something that brings people together.
I really appreciate how vulnerable the students are as well in that setting.
- [Student Group] ♪...He left home♪
♪He came back all nice and clean...♪
- The most important thing about being a successful teacher
is building positive relationships with students,
- What’s up guys? Come on!
- I’ve got to know them and watch them do stuff like the evening campfire,
and watching them sing along with the staff.
- [Staff Chorus] ♪You’re at outdoor school!♪
- [All] ♪We’re rising up, we’re rising up♪
♪...My backpack, my pony and me♪
♪My backpack, my pony and me♪
- We’re about to start going to get our wood cookies signed.
[Singing and chatter]
- Hi there, Angel.
Here, let me put it right there.
- Oh, oh, oh. There you go.
Angel. Alright, another classic Panda signature, right?
- I think the biggest impact of outdoor school when we come back
is this idea of a shared experience that we now get to carry.
In the entire Portland metro area, even if you didn't go to the same school
as someone, even if you didn't know them in 6th grade,
it’s something that we have in common.
I just don't know many other examples of something
that brings people together quite like that in a region.
- Plants actually talk to each other, and plants form a community together.
And just like the plants this week, you guys really pulled together
as a community, and it was really awesome to see.
- Hi, my name’s Angel, and one of my most favorite memories of being here
is being with my - what’s it called? - cabins and my friends.
- ...Six, seven, eight...
- What are some of the things that you liked the most
about Outdoor School?
- Field activities,
and waking up to see my friends.
We were all in a cabin, so we all had to become friends.
I don’t know how it all felt to other people,
but to me it felt like a sleepover.
- When Angel returned from camp,
I asked him "How was your experience?"
And he said good.
"How did you feel those first days", I asked...
And he said, "Bad, but afterwards I felt better."
- The field studies are pretty fun.
- Were y’all right in your hypothesis?
Come on, y’all.
- The hikes that you go on, too.
I would like to go back to be a student leader.
I’ll do animals field study.
- ...Kind of scary looking.
- I think that parents need to have...
...that faith, that trust in their kids...
- We are going to take a reflection.
What does it mean to be taken out of your comfort zone?
- Something that you would do that you wouldn’t normally do.
- Two perfect answers.
- It gives them an opportunity
to have new experiences, new activities.
But I would like for there to be information meetings
for the kind of families or parents
who are afraid.
So that the community can
trust in these types of programs which they might be afraid of.
So that it will help people
in the future.
[Birds chirping] [Water trickling]
[Wind]
Support all students
Systemic-level change to outdoor school is essential to ensure the equitable inclusion of all participants.
Explore the equity, diversity, accessibility and inclusion resources to guide you in prioritizing the most marginalized identities and communities in outdoor school.
Accessing the funds
Outdoor School is an immersive outdoor education experience for Oregon's 5th and 6th graders in the world's greatest classroom. In Oregon's natural landscape, students learn about themselves, their peers, the environment and natural resources and leave with skills to prepare them for the future.
See who is eligible for funding and what costs it covers to finance the experience for students across Oregon. This information will help you plan your program and budget.
Ready to apply and report?
Leap at the chance before the deadlines. Learn the ins and outs of when, where, who and how to apply for and report on the use of funds. We step you through the process and give tips along the way.
Outdoor school curriculum and programming
We recognize the key role that educators play in helping us to achieve our goal for every student to have an inclusive, meaningful and high-quality outdoor school experience.
Because of the rich diversity of outdoor school programs, there is no single curriculum that can meet the needs of every program and every community in every location. Find support and resources to get you started.
Professional development
We believe in meaningful and inspiring classroom and outdoor experiences. Outdoor school centers culturally responsive and inclusive practices in environmental education.
Learn about how we prepare formal and informal educators to provide students with outdoor experiences through high-quality professional development opportunities and tools.
Stay connected!
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