Studies show that American youths today are more connected to screens than to the outdoors. Parents of children 8 to 12 years old report their children spend three times as many hours with computers and televisions each week as they do being outside. Additional research indicates that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.
In response, Jody Einerson, former outdoor education coordinator for Oregon State University Extension Service’s 4-H Youth Development Program in Benton County, developed an Outdoor Learning Classroom Series with focus on getting students outdoors to learn about their place in the natural world.
The program includes:
- 4-H Wildlife Stewards. A natural science outdoor program focusing on helping teachers take their students outside to learn.
- Oregon Season Tracker. A community science program using rain gauges and seasonal plant changes to contribute to the understanding of weather and climate and their effects on our local environment.
- Facilitating third grade teachers in the Corvallis School District to take their students outside to use nature journals and make observations about natural world, among other things.
Einerson, who is now retired, collaborated with more than 60 Benton County classroom teachers to get their students outdoors and learn about their natural environment. As a result of her outdoor science programming, over 1,200 students participating in learning outdoors with their classrooms.