What’s better for kids than to add some fresh air to their education? Everyone knows those young legs want to move and those young hands to explore.

Whitinsville Christian School (WCS) is growing its popular Outdoor Education program, adding opportunities for hands-on, nature-based learning to students. The program was introduced to 48 kindergartners last year with great success; the school is now including first graders in this environmental experience. That means students in kindergarten, first, third, and fourth grades will now participate in outdoor learning as part of their regular curriculum. The course is also available as a middle school elective.

Outdoor Ed is held in the school’s on-site forest classroom which comprises three acres of the 40 acre campus. Here, youngsters get the chance to explore, create, and grow beyond the four walls of a traditional classroom. From building forts, climbing boulders, and sledding down snowy hills, to experimenting in the mud kitchen, this program nurtures collaboration, problem-solving, and an appreciation for the natural world and its divine creation.

According to Elisabeth Goodson, Pre-school Elementary Principal, WCS elementary teachers, Kelly Alberts and Bonnie Shearer share a love for the outdoors.  

“The teachers have visited many different outdoor education programs nationwide and we have adopted our model to include best practices from these programs,” Goodson said.

“The program was piloted in 2019 by the current Head of School, Sarah Bowler,” Alberts said. “At that time, it was available to third grade students. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response, the program has expanded to include new grades each year.”

The business of children is play and that is how they develop physical strength, coordination social skills, resilience and the ability to solve problems.

Alberts and Shearer have an extensive background in elementary education and early childhood work, enabling the team to have a unique perspective and opportunity to build the school’s program for its location and community of students.

The curriculum is a balance of Social Emotional Learning and hands-on learning, as well as wonderings and self-guided exploration. In our early grades, the science curriculum is built into the children’s exploration time. 

Last year’s activities included kindergarten students tapping maple trees and following along as their teacher turned the sap into syrup. The class celebrated with an outdoor pancake party. 

They created early reader books about the tree-to-table process and practiced reading to each other and the middle school outdoor education students. These experiences not only strengthen academic learning, but also inspired students to become generous caretakers of themselves, others, and the world around them.

Parents, grandparents, and community members are invited to keep an eye on this growing program and share in the joy of seeing children discover the world beyond the classroom.