Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project

The learning programs at RVOEP are directly linked to the California State Standards. Our third grade curriculum, The Role Of Living Things, is supported by the Munch Line Monitors instruction at the site. However, instead of the exotic settings of the plants and animals pictured in our text, students are experiencing the concepts in a local setting. They see the known through new eyes and develop an appreciation for the environment that surrounds us.

Students are engaged beginning with the pre-discussions regarding our visit to the site. When we arrive, the students are immediately involved with the environmental respect modeled by the instructors; cold temperatures, fog, mist, inconveniences (unconventional toilets, hand-washing, dirt, wasps) are presented in the positive light of outdoor learning. Instead of grumbling, students listen and become part of the adventure. The planned work is often interrupted by nature itself. The gray squirrel carrying a pine cone, the turkey vultures (peace eagles) sunning in a “dead” tree, the ant nest, darting lizards, chirping birds all offer a piece of the environmental story. These opportunities are incorporated into the work at hand. The students feel a rush of excitement and note how lucky they are to have seen these things.

Weeks after we return to our more conventional classroom, students offer responses to textbook lessons filled with examples from RVOEP. The food chain is explained through the munching they discovered. Their understanding of producers and consumers never fails to elicit examples from their tray findings. The “stories” are shared back and forth as they discuss terms and meanings used in the text. Without any prompting, they are linking abstract learning with personal experience.

My students can also relate the learning from past visits. They easily connect the learning lessons from then to now. The seeds are sown for appreciation, and a deep understanding of the vital links that sustain a healthy environment. While we all live in this area, not all students leave their city homes to explore the rural wonders of our geography. Those who do, usually lack the background to appreciate and truly see the resources. We have the learning resources here without having to travel somewhere else to see a working environment. The RVOEP site and educational programs are not only valuable, but they provide the vital opportunity to embed true learning in our own backyard.

Helping students become keen observers and develop a sense of wonder are two of the primary goals for our morning of adventure with this group. We will begin with some simple tuning in the senses activities. Next, we uncover the richness and wonders of the natural world as we explore one of the trails in the Enchanted Woodland on a special EARTH WALK. Finally, back at the picnic tables, we focus on some of the unique inhabitants of the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project and look at their special adaptations for survival.

Our morning begins with students working in small groups as they try to discover the composition of soil by taking apart a block of soil bit by bit. In the process they meet some unique members of "Natures Recycling Crew" and discover that soil is really made up of a living community. Next, young scientists take a special hike through the Enchanted Woodland with the RVOEP naturalists. Our trek leads us to some mysterious sinks hidden in the forest. Here, we stop to wash our hands in soil that is millions of years old and meet the ancient and somewhat rigid parents of soil. Along the way students are faced with some intriguing soil mysteries to solve. Finally, a visit to the Soil Kitchen challenges students to cook up their own recipe for soil. Lunch and a final lesson under the Vulture’s tree ends our morning of discovery and adventure on the Soil Concept Path.

Students participate in a special MUNCH LINE MONITOR TRAINING program as they explore Mother Nature’s Munch Room from the ground up. As Trainees look for signs of munching and fill their Munch Trays they learn about the flow of energy from the sun through the "Sun Munchers" to the "Plant Munchers", and finally to the "Animal Munchers". The training activities take students on an adventure deep into the forest where they discover that all creatures are part of Mother Nature’s munch lines and each link in a munch line is vital to the health of the entire munch line. Along the way students meet some of the creatures that live in Mother Nature’s Munch Room and take a moment to learn about their special jobs and unique adaptations. After a relaxing lunch under the Turkey Vulture’s tree we have a chance to enjoy a Magic Spot and write or draw in our special Naturalist Journals. A final short lesson connects the experiences of the morning with each student’s new responsibility as a Munch Line Monitor.

Students begin the day with a rousing game of Photosynthesis. They then have the opportunity to meet the forest food producers as they work to solve clues that help them discover the identity and importance of some of our common local trees. Next, as students explore some of the forest trails, they discover that the forest is a community much like their own. They meet some of the forest inhabitants and find that each inhabitant has a job (niche) and an important role to play in the forest ecosystem. Finally, students are given the honor of signing the "Declaration of Interdependence" as they find evidence of the interdependence of all living things. After a relaxing lunch under the Turkey Vulture’s tree we have a chance to enjoy a Magic Spot and write or draw in our special Naturalist Journals.

Students become Wildlife Biologists for a day as they explore the unique stream community along the west branch of the Russian River. The morning is spent searching for aquatic insects and studying their unique adaptations, measuring water quality, mapping the river habitat, and constructing a model watershed. In the process, students discover a very diverse and important community and learn that each plant and animal has a special role to play in this ecosystem. Most importantly, students will observe that the actions of man can have a positive or negative affect on the health of this fragile community.

Students gain an understanding and appreciation of birds in our ecosystem by participating in an array of bird related activities. The morning is divided into two focus areas. One focus involves students in activities related to adaptation, migration and nesting. Students actually become migrating birds. As they travel from Central and South America to the insect rich Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project, they experience first hand some of the hazards birds encounter on their migration route. Of course, once they reach their nesting ground they must find a mate and build a nest, all very challenging with only a beak, two wings, and two tiny feet with which to work! The second focus involves students in using binoculars to conduct a survey of the birds living in the different habitats at the RVOEP. With the help of our local Audubon members, students become familiar with some of our more common birds.

Note: Flight School begins in the classroom with a special two-hour hands-on program with the RVOEP Educational Team. This classroom program is best scheduled in the winter to be followed by a spring field trip to the RVOEP.

In the winter months the RVOEP Education Team has time to visit classrooms to provide specific programs that tie to our field trip experiences. Please contact the RVOEP Educational Coordinator if you are interested in having us come to your classroom for one of these programs.

Students link the plants and animals of the forest community in a giant Web of Life. They then experiment to find out what happens when strands of this delicate web are destroyed by the actions of man through his waste disposal choices. Next, students are challenged in an exciting game involving the 3R’s ----- Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, as they work in teams to design a simple waste disposal strategy. They test their plans as they compete in a rousing relay race to the disposal bins. The lesson culminates with the delivery of a special "Reduce Box" from a Raccoon. Students brainstorm ways they could use the items in the Raccoon’s box to reduce the amount of trash they generate. This is a 90-minute hands-on program, but it can be modified to fit a 60-minute block.

Students use skulls to explore the differences among these types of animals and understand the concepts of structure and function. This program ties directly to the "Munch Line Monitor Training Program" for grades 3-6 at the RVOEP. Requires a 60-minute block.

Students are introduced to the concept of community as they create a simple mural of an oak woodland. The focus is narrowed to California Oaks as students learn to identify four common oak trees by their leaves and acorns. Sample Oak Watch Journals are used to introduce students to the prospect of keeping their own journal of observations for a special oak tree in their neighborhood or school. This program requires a 90-minute block. Classes are invited to participate in a Forest Community study at the RVOEP.

A classroom program with a focus on our local birds and the importance of birds in our ecosystems. If possible, a spring trip to the RVOEP for a day of bird related activities. Best if scheduled for at least a 90-minute block of time or two sessions.

Owl pellet dissections can be more than just gluing bones on paper! Students learn about the role of the owl and other predators in our ecosystems, their special adaptations, and how to identify the skulls of the owl’s prey. This program requires a 90-minute block.

We have a number of river related lessons that we offer. These include The River Habitat, Life Cycle of Salmon and Steelhead, and Threats to the Survival of our Salmon and Steelhead. (60 to 90 minute block) We also have special funding for a field trip to the Russian River at the RVOEP.

To schedule a classroom presentation or field trip to the RVOEP contact Helen Magruder Menasian, Educational Coordinator.