Environmental literacy, community action
Our lesson series are designed to provide teachers with the confidence and resources to advance environmental literacy in their classrooms. This summer, we invite 3rd–5th grade teachers to pilot one or more of our lesson series.
The CAELI Community-Based Partner Hub is a portal that connects K–12 teachers and administrators to environmental education community-based partners and their programs. Find experiential learning opportunities for your students today!
| One Cool Earth is a non-profit organization with programs in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties rooted in the belief that every child deserves a place to grow. They support lifelong wellness and environmental stewardship for families and youth from birth through young adulthood, cultivating a thriving, resilient community – one garden at a time. Their School Garden Program works with schools to champion garden education as a way of teaching students hands-on skills, science, nutrition, technology, and environmental literacy. |  |
| Using school garden spaces as living laboratories, they provide NGSS-aligned science, nutrition, and nature-focused education at SLO County public schools. The Garden Program offers two tiers for schools to choose from along with numerous add-ons, including garden lunch club, family cooking nights, seasonal farm stand, waste audits, summer garden care, and virtual or in-person field trips. |
 | Play Grove is a garden-based enrichment program designed for 3-5 year olds located in San Luis Obispo at their central garden on Laureate Lane. As an extension of One Cool Earth’s seasoned learning model, they know that children grow best when learning outside through play. They are a nature-based and place-based enrichment program. This means they use the environment as a guide as they play, grow, create art, garden, and learn together. Play Grove allows young children to access this experience alongside enthusiastic playguides in a nature-based environment. |
| Since 2020, One Cool Earth has proudly partnered with Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) to steward and grow the district’s 1.5-acre farm—a dynamic and educational space that serves both students and the broader school community. The AUSD farm is home to 60 thriving dwarf fruit trees, native pollinator gardens that support local biodiversity, and abundant growing beds and rows that produce seasonal fruits and vegetables. This year, they partnered with the local Resource Conservation District to plant over 100 natives onsite! Most of the harvest is integrated directly into school lunches through AUSD Food Services, providing students with fresh, hyper-local produce. |  |
| Each week, high school students engage in hands-on agricultural education through Career Technical Education (CTE) programming, working alongside their experienced farm manager. From planting and harvesting to soil building and crop processing, students gain valuable skills in sustainable agriculture, food systems, and environmental stewardship. They also offer elementary school farm field trips! |
| Brief nature experiences, even as short as 10 minutes, have been shown to significantly improve mood and reduce stress among college students. As part of their commitment to supporting youth through every stage of their educational journey, One Cool Earth’s College Mentorship Program provides meaningful opportunities for early adults to grow as leaders, educators, and changemakers. We partner with Cal Poly, Cuesta College, and other institutions to engage students studying environmental science, agriculture, child psychology, and education. |  |
| Through internships, volunteer events, and mentorship opportunities – including support for the Cal Poly Food Pantry Garden—college students gain hands-on experience while contributing to our mission. This program is a key part of their vertical integration strategy, fostering a lifelong connection to environmental stewardship and youth wellness. One Cool Earth also offers links to garden education resources for educators and parents plus other types of environmental education. Check out the One Cool Earth website to learn more. |
 | Dates: February 6, 2026 Location: Virtual Description: CAELI invites district office staff from across California to join the District Environmental Literacy Community of Practice (CoP). The District CoP brings together professionals committed to integrating sustainability principles into district operations, instruction, and culture. Through collaboration, shared learning, and resource exchange, members work toward districtwide innovation and systems-level change. Register HERE. |
 | Date: February 12, 2026 Location: Virtual Description: CAELI invites County Office of Education (COE) leaders in any role who are champions of environmental literacy and advocates for vulnerable and marginalized students and communities from across California to join the COE Community of Practice (CoP). The CoP provides a space for COE staff to connect with each other to share best practices and resources for advancing environmental literacy and sustainability in their county region. The February topic is Community-Based Partners. Visit the CAELI website for more information. |
 | Dates: February 19, 2026 Location: Virtual Description: These free, interactive online meetings feature engaging presentations from school district colleagues, invited guest speakers, and technical experts who share their work on schoolyard forests. We also include time for small group conversations to encourage networking, share best practices, ask questions, and build relationships among schoolyard forest practitioners. The next meeting features the New Haven Urban Resources Initiative, Yale School of the Environment. Register HERE for the next Community of Practice gathering. |
 | Date: February 24, 2026 Location: Virtual Description: Nature-based early childhood educators are navigating a unique landscape—one where climate change is increasingly influencing children’s questions, emotions, and sense of safety. Supporting young children now requires more than protection from difficult topics; it calls for intentional practices that foster resilience, connection to nature, and hopeful engagement. They welcome Ariella Cook-Shonkoff, author of the recently published book, Raising Anti-Doomers: How to Bring Up Resilient Kids Through Climate Change and Tumultuous Times, a groundbreaking guide to raising emotionally resilient children in an era of climate disruption and collective uncertainty. Register HERE. |
| Date: March 4, 2026 Location: Virtual Description: We invite you to our next virtual statewide gathering which is a great opportunity to connect, share updates, and collaborate with environmental education leaders across California. Visit the CAELI website for more information. |
| Date: March 10, 2026 Location: Virtual Description: The Community-Based Partner (CBP) virtual Community of Practice brings program leaders and staff from environmental education organizations together to engage in collaborative learning and build capacity. Join colleagues from around the state to share resources, explore best practices, and build connections to strengthen our respective organizations and increase our collective impact. The March topic is Program Evaluation Tools & Techniques. Register HERE. |
 | Date: May 1-3, 2026 Location: SCICON, Springville, CA Description: Early bird registration is now available to attend the AEOE Annual Conference. Join your colleagues for a weekend of learning, networking, and fun at SCICON Outdoor School in Tulare County, the gateway to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks! Located at an elevation of 2,000 feet, SCICON consists of 1,100-acres of oaks, wildlife, streams, and solitude, all of which are available to support your mental wellness as a conference participant. The conference is held Friday afternoon through Sunday lunch and includes 40+ workshops, a keynote speaker, an awards ceremony, resource fair, live and silent auction, EE Certification Program presentations, evening entertainment, and more. Lodging and meals are offered onsite starting with dinner on Friday and going through lunch on Sunday. Both camping and cabin dorm accommodations are available for Friday and Saturday night. For more information or to register, visit the AEOE website. |
 | Date: April 15 – June 15, 2026 and May 15-June 30, 2026 Location: online Description: Climate Literacy. This rigorous online eeCourse is designed for communicators, educators, and community leaders who want to deepen their understanding of the science behind climate change and evidence-based, equitable solutions needed to address it. Participants will explore how climate systems function, how human actions influence climate, and how climate influences people and other parts of the Earth system. Accessible by Nature: Designing EE to Support All Learners. This eeCourse uses the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to guide the design of learning environments that are accessible and challenging for all, rather than making modifications for individual students. UDL improves and optimizes teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn, giving all students equal opportunity to succeed. Visit the AEOE website for more information and to register for either or both online courses. |
 | Description: PORTS stands for Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students. Bring CA State Parks into the classroom, digitally. Over 55 parks in all corners of the state, they have free resources for you! Nature, Science, History, Culture. You name it, they’ve got it. Check out the PORTS website for program offerings. |
 | Description: Nature Journaling is a powerful adjunct to teaching science and should be a standard part of every classroom. Journaling is an ideal way to explore the Next Generation Science Standards. How to Teach Nature Journaling is the comprehensive guide for educators, parents and those who wish to mentor others to develop journaling skills. It is available both as a printed book and a free PDF download. Order or download it here. The second edition of the acclaimed curriculum, Opening the World through Journaling: Integrating art, science, and language arts, is also available as a free download. Download the curriculum here. |
 | Description: Are you looking to build a new garden or reinvigorate your already existing school garden this spring? Life Lab offers numerous school garden resources for educators including lessons, activities, recipes, art in the garden, planting tips, and webinars. They also provide resources in Spanish. Additionally, Life Lab offers educator workshops including virtual offerings. Check out the Life Lab website for school garden educator resources. |
 | Description: Outdoor learning on a sunny day is a relatively straightforward undertaking. However, very few places in the United States can count on constant sunshine and moderate weather. So the idea of bringing learning outdoors often leads to this question: What happens when it is cold or hot or stormy? With planning and preparation, it is possible to carry on outdoor learning in a variety of types of weather. Depending on the season and region, weather challenges may include heat, cold, wind, rain, and snow that range from mild to moderate or severe. Schools in all regions will need to have multiple plans for addressing the variability of weather throughout the seasons and on any given day. Check out the resources and recommendations provided at the Green Schoolyards America website on weather considerations. |
| Audubon Center at Debs Park is a community hub located in Montecito Heights, less than five miles from downtown Los Angeles. Nestled within the 282-acre Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, the center has inspired a love of nature in over a quarter of a million residents of Los Angeles. With sweeping views of northeast LA to downtown LA and more than 140 species of birds within the park, the center is an oasis of nature for urban communities. In its holistic, people-focused, approach to conservation work, the Audubon Center at Debs Park serves as a community hub for environmental justice and advocacy work in Los Angeles and across the Audubon network. |
| The center’s mission is to inspire people to experience, understand and care for the local natural world. Habitat restoration is one of the center’s core tenets as it not only provides habitat for birds, but also increases green spaces for urban communities that may not otherwise experience California native flora and fauna. Through the efforts of staff and volunteers, one can see how these conservation efforts have restored the landscape of Debs Park, bringing with it fresh scents and experiences. In addition to restoring habitat for birds and other wildlife at Debs Park and along the LA River, the center’s primary goal is restoring the connection between people and the land in Los Angeles. |  |
| As the first center that the National Audubon Society built within an urban environment to specifically engage the Latino community, the Audubon Center at Debs Park has played an important role in building a more diverse and inclusive conservation movement in Los Angeles and beyond. Whether it’s watching a movie outdoors underneath the Los Angeles night sky or beginner birders taking their first hike up the hills with rented binoculars in tow, the center’s belief is that everyone has not only the right to be in nature, but to know that they belong. |
 | One of the other pillars of the center is community engagement, connecting birds, plants, and people together. Numerous events are held on a weekly basis, ranging from community habitat restorations to festivals celebrating winter. The center is honored to collaborate with the many wonderful community-based organizations and individuals in Northeast LA and to share their vision in green access and equity through community events and more. Not only is the center supported by volunteers and community partners, but it is also bolstered through interns and program participants. |
| In fostering the next generation of environmental stewards, the center runs the Audubon Youth Leaders program, where high school students learn habitat restoration, environmental advocacy, and community engagement. The center also hosts numerous interns from other organizations and programs, such as HIRE LA and California’s College for All Corps. In their time at the center, they will learn workplace skills, conservation skills, engagement skills, and more to help them be eco-conscious and confident in the ever-changing world. |
| The Audubon Center at Debs Park offers two types of field trips. The Self-guided field trips are not led by an Audubon Naturalist. Instead, they lend tools to groups to enhance their day in the park. The tools include binoculars, field guides to bird and native plants, and even art supplies. These are free as long as they are reserved in advance. The Audubon-led field trips are paid programs consisting of a guided tour and educational nature activities lasting about two hours. An Audubon Naturalist guides students on a nature walk followed by an engaging STEM nature activity that teaches them how ornithologists work with birds and nature. |  |
 | The programs are best suited for 3rd to 4th grade students but they can be scaled up or down depending on the group. The center offers free community events year-round for students and the whole family. They offer beginner-focused bird walks, habitat restoration volunteer opportunities, festivals, community movie nights in the outdoors, music performances, and workshops and seminars. Visit the Audubon Center at Debs Park website for a list of the most common feathery friends you might expect to see at the park. |
 | Date: December 2, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: Calling all job seekers and employers! Join AEOE for a virtual environmental education career fair. Site leaders will be grouped into breakout rooms, where they will make a pitch for their organization/worksite, share any current or upcoming employment opportunities, and end with Q&A. Job seekers will choose several rooms to attend. Interviews will not be conducted during the event, but if you make a connection you can exchange contact information and plan to follow up. Find your next dream job in environmental and outdoor education! Register HERE. |
 | Date: December 3, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: We invite you to our next virtual statewide gathering which is a great opportunity to connect, share updates, and collaborate with environmental education leaders across California. Register HERE to attend the meeting. Existing CAELI members do not need to register. |
 | Dates: December 4, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: Dr. Marci Raney, a living schoolyard researcher and advocate, will share her research and perspective on how children’s long-term physical activity and health is impacted and improved by exposure to living, green schoolyards that foster safe risk and play. This session will also include “myth-busting” about physical education standards and the “rules” that limit children’s ability to participate in a robust physically engaging environment. Register HERE. |
 | Dates: December 5, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: CAELI invites district office staff from across California to join the District Environmental Literacy Community of Practice (CoP). The District CoP brings together professionals committed to integrating sustainability principles into district operations, instruction, and culture. Through collaboration, shared learning, and resource exchange, members work toward districtwide innovation and systems-level change. Register HERE. |
 | Dates: December 9, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: Join award-winning author, artist, and educator John Muir Laws for a lively and hands-on 1.5 hour workshop exploring how nature journaling can spark curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. This engaging, cross-curricular approach helps learners of all ages build observation skills, deepen their connection to the natural world, and see science and art in new ways. You’ll leave this session inspired, energized, and ready to bring the power of nature journaling into your own programs. Register HERE. |
 | Dates: December 9, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: As interest in outdoor play continues to grow, early childhood educators are increasingly asking—how do we safely and meaningfully support outdoor play through the colder months? In this webinar you’ll have the opportunity to hear from Emily Johnson, early childhood educator and researcher, and hear real-world insights and tips from this new guide. Discover the benefits of cold-weather play for young children; how to cultivate positive attitudes among educators and families; communication strategies for engaging parents and caregivers; dressing for success: tips for warmth, comfort, and safety, and a collection of play ideas and activities to enrich your winter curriculum. Whether you’re new to outdoor education or a seasoned nature-based teacher, this session will leave you equipped and inspired to embrace the wonder and vitality of winter learning. Register HERE. |
 | Date: December 11, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: CAELI invites County Office of Education (COE) leaders in any role who are champions of environmental literacy and advocates for vulnerable and marginalized students and communities from across California to join the COE Environmental Literacy Community of Practice (CoP). The CoP provides a space for COE staff to connect with each other to share best practices and resources for advancing environmental literacy and sustainability in their county region. Visit the CAELI website for more information. |
| Date: January 20, 2026 Location: Virtual Description: The Community-Based Partner (CBP) virtual Community of Practice brings program leaders and staff from environmental education organizations together to engage in collaborative learning and build capacity. Join colleagues from around the state to share resources, explore best practices, and build connections to strengthen our respective organizations and increase our collective impact. Register HERE. |
 | Looking for resources to help expand your understanding of the natural world around you? Check out these learning tools below from across CNRA’s departments, bringing nature, culture, science, and learning for all! Topics included are conservation, biodiversity, forestry and fire, oceans, science and environment, tribal, water, energy, and fish and wildlife. Visit the educational portal HERE. |
 | Want to make science meaningful and relevant for your students? Check out the inquiry-based curriculum from the Monterey Bay Aquarium that will engage your students with hands-on learning and supports Next Generation Science Standards through classroom or field experiences. Topics include plastic in the water column, schoolyard quadrat investigations, shark anatomy, dishplan tide pool, and much more! Sort by grade level, by exhibit or a combination of both. To view the lessons, visit their website HERE. |
 | Better Environmental Education Teaching, Learning and Expertise Sharing (BEETLES) provides three types of resources for teaching science outdoors. Check out the instructor support materials where you will find handouts and reading materials to increase your understanding of teaching and learning science outdoors. Visit the BEETLES website HERE. |
  | It’s that time of year for western monarch butterflies to migrate and overwinter in forested groves along the coast of California. We know from butterfly counts that their population numbers are drastically down. How can you help? Pollinators are an accessible and easy-to-understand gateway to the larger natural world. You can explore the role of pollinators in virtually any landscape and share the ecology of these fascinating animals with youth and community groups of any age and any background. Learn to identify the common groups of pollinators in your region, contribute to grassroots science, and become a community leader by sharing the pollinator conservation message. You can learn about invertebrates, pollinators, and contribute to meaningful data collection. Visit the Xerces Society website HERE. |
 | If you are interested in expanding your geological knowledge of the Sierra Nevada, check out these two videos that feature host David Yetman. California’s Sierra Nevada is the largest and highest mountain range in the continental US. Both episodes feature renowned tectonic specialist Eldridge Moores. Episode #205 – Ice, Rock, and Water: The Sierra Nevada Episode #304 – Sierra Nevada and the Making of California |
| The Natural History Museum of Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata offers a wide range of programs and activities. It is open to the general public and hosts standards aligned programs for schools. In addition to their in-museum exhibits which includes bees, birds, butterflies, coral and sponges, crabs, fossils, shell, and rocks and minerals, the museum also provides online exhibits that include the redwood forest, prehistoric animals, fossils, and plant history. |  |
| School visits to the museum allows K-12 students to discover their unique collection of fossils, rocks, and minerals, animal specimens, and interactive activities to supplement classroom lessons. Programs are designed to encourage scientific inquiry, and engage students in the natural world. |
 | Kindergarten students learn to compare animal structures and adaptations. First graders focus on animal teeth and diet while second graders learn to classify minerals through observation of physical properties. Third graders study mammal fossils while fourth graders study rock types. Fifth graders learn about the flow of energy in a living system such as the redwood forest and sixth graders investigate plate tectonics and earthquakes. The museum offers other options for 7-12 grade students. |
| The Natural History Museum provides virtual programs for first through seventh graders. These programs include a 40-60 minute interactive virtual session with the class as well as activities for teachers to conduct with their students in advance. These programs are all aligned with NGSS standards. The Museum also offers a variety of Discovery Days with interactive hands-on activities for the whole family. Each Discovery Day has a theme including Rocks & Minerals, Anthropology, Zoology, and Astronomy. They recently held a Cool and Creepy Discovery Day. Summer Youth Camps are offered on a variety of topics. The camps include hands-on exploration, inquiry, arts integration, activities, and games. The camps are designed for ages 6-9 years. |  |
 | Internship opportunities are available for Cal Poly Humboldt students. The museum staff works with Cal Poly Humboldt faculty to design internship experiences that meet the needs of the students and adds to the richness of the museum and community. Some internships are part of a class project while others are individual capstone projects for a major. |
| The museum offers a monthly Speaker Series that strives to offer thought-provoking and information evening lectures to the community at large with a wide variety of nature based topics from dinosaurs to dinoflagellates. Upcoming events include Favorite Fungi: Meet the Parasites & Slimes and Scientific Illustration. The museum also offers a number of rotating workshops that are hosted by local experts. |
 | Teaching Boxes are available for teachers to check out from the museum for use in the classroom. They include hands-on materials and lesson plans and are designed to supplement curriculum through hands-on learning with the use of museum resources. Each teaching box contains accurate and up-to-date information on a particular topic, as well as specimens and materials that every student will be able to observe and/or touch. Each box contains a manual with factual information for background reading, developed experiential learning activities, and suggested extension activities. Current teaching boxes include birds, rocks and minerals, prehistoric people, insects, amphibians and reptiles, fossils, redwood forest, and fur. Teachers can request the boxes by calling the museum at 707-826-4479. |
 | Date: November 3-6, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: NAAEE’s Annual Conference is one of the largest professional EE gatherings worldwide. This year’s theme—Forward Together—reflects the power of collaboration in tackling the world’s most pressing social and ecological challenges. Engage virtually with more than 1,000 professionals from 40 countries, all working to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement. With more than 200 engaging sessions and keynotes, we’ll explore how education can inspire action, build environmental stewardship, and create healthier, more resilient communities. There couldn’t be a more urgent need to come together, harness our collective wisdom, and keep moving forward. Register HERE. |
 | Date: November 6, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: This lecture series, hosted by Green Schoolyards America, discusses emerging topics and provides guidance for creating and stewarding high-quality green schoolyards and schoolyard forests. It serves as a continuation and expansion of our previous Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series. Sessions feature presentations by subject-area experts including Green Schoolyards America’s staff, along with time for audience Q&A. This month, GSA welcomes Dr. Mariana Brussoni, from the University of British Columbia. Register HERE. |
 | Dates: November 12, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: Join NAAEE and the Natural Start Alliance for an inside look at Discover the Forest! The refreshed program inspires families and educators to connect young children (birth–age 8) with nature through everyday experiences. In this webinar, they will share the program’s new direction, explore the updated website and social media platforms, and highlight ways to get involved. They will debut resources that take the guesswork out of outdoor learning in early childhood, including expert guidance on how to get started, dozens of activities aligned to learning outcomes, and rich examples of the ways nature enhances learning and development starting at birth. Register HERE. |
 | Dates: November 12-13, 2025 Location: Pasadena, CA Description: For the past three years, district leaders have hosted CAELI meet-ups at the GCSHE Summit and have recently expanded to include a pre-summit gathering. In 2025, the summit will include a pre-day meet-up, as well as a networking breakfast and lunch event on November 13. Join your CAELI colleagues at this event. Registration is now OPEN. |
| Date: November 18, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: The Community-Based Partner (CBP) virtual Community of Practice brings program leaders and staff from environmental education organizations together to engage in collaborative learning and build capacity. Join colleagues from around the state to share resources, explore best practices, and build connections to strengthen our respective organizations and increase our collective impact. Register HERE. |
| Date: December 2, 2025 Location: Virtual Description: Calling all job seekers and employers! Join us for a virtual environmental education career fair. Site leaders will be grouped into breakout rooms, where they will make a pitch for their organization/worksite, share any current or upcoming employment opportunities, and end with Q&A. Job seekers will choose several rooms to attend. Interviews will not be conducted during the event, but if you make a connection you can exchange contact information and plan to follow up. Find your next dream job in environmental and outdoor education! Register HERE. |
 | This is a comprehensive set of recommendations about the knowledge and skills or competencies educators use to provide effective environmental education. Environmental Educator Knowledge and Skills: Guidelines for Excellence outlines the experiences and learning that will help educators foster environmental literacy, plan environmental education programs, and implement them. These guidelines suggest a broad vision—a goal to work toward and a guide for personal, professional, and programmatic development. Free download available HERE. |
 | Birds are such a fantastic way of connecting the local schoolyard or backyard with the wider natural environment. Birds are visible and identifiable and they provide learners with the opportunity to make connections with the ecosystem that they are part of. The Outdoor Learning Store offers some fantastic resources for helping your students learn through birding. View their resources HERE. |
 | This is the world’s largest collection of peer-reviewed literature about nature’s benefits for children. Each month, they review the latest research on children and nature, then choose and summarize the most relevant studies to add to the library. The sheer volume of research now available makes a compelling case that when children have access to nature, they are healthier, happier, smarter, and better stewards of the environment. Explore the library HERE. |
 | What does it mean to fall in love with nature—and why does that love matter for the future of our planet? In this episode of The World We Want: The NAAEE Podcast, host Gerry Ellis sits down with Sean Southey, CEO of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and longtime champion of nature-based education, to explore how love and connection form the foundation of lasting change. Join us as we hear from someone whose confidence in love’s ability to change the world and our relationship to it is both inspiring and activating. Sean shares powerful stories about how nature-based education transforms not only classrooms, but also communities, shaping how we live, lead, and care for the world around us. This conversation reveals why fostering a culture of care begins with the simple act of helping people connect—and fall in love—with nature. Sean guides listeners through the stages of reflection from childhood memories of wild play to global movements like Nature for All and Outdoor Grannies, from that one teacher who planted seeds of connection with nature to the potential for a more caring and connected community spanning countries and continents. Listen HERE. |
 | Nature-filled schoolyards – or green schoolyards – provide a wealth of well-documented benefits for children’s health, well-being and learning. A growing number of communities also recognize the role of green schoolyards in supporting climate resilience. And there’s another key benefit. A new report, “How Green Schoolyards Create Economic Value,” authored by former Federal Reserve economist Rob Grunewald, outlines the economic returns that can accompany investments in greening school grounds. Read the report HERE. |
 | This groundbreaking study examines the Skills for Thriving development of over 5,000 young people in outdoor programs across multiple states, comparing their growth to peers in other programs. While all different types of programming promote these capacities, the results of this study are striking, showing that engagement in outdoor programs significantly boosts Skills for Thriving, particularly among male and Latine youth, who form deeper connections with peers and mentors. These findings demonstrate the benefits of the outdoors in cultivating a Positive Youth Development culture that enhances growth. This has significant implications for out-of-school programs and highlights ways using the outdoors more intentionally could redefine youth development leading to better mental well-being, stronger relationships, and greater educational and employment engagement for youth today. Read the report HERE. |
| The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, Inc. mission is to preserve and restore San Joaquin River lands of ecological, scenic or historic significance, to educate the public on the need for stewardship, to research issues affecting the river, and to promote educational, recreational and agricultural uses of the river bottom consistent with the protection of the river’s resources. They offer a wide range of educational experiences for students and the community. |
| For over 25 years, the River Parkway Trust has offered an exciting, fun, and safe day camp experience at River Camp. River Camp provides campers of all ages to spend time at the river exploring, playing, making friends, and learning about nature. The San Joaquin River is one of the most beautiful and important natural resources in the area – a water source, home to fish and wildlife, and some of the last undeveloped open space. At River Camp, children have the opportunity to experience this treasure right in their own backyard. River Camp programs are offered seasonally throughout the year as well as during the summer months. Campers enjoy exploring wildlife habitat, playing games, creating arts and crafts, and building new friendships during their seasonal day-camp experiences. The Young Explorers Enrichment Program (YEEP) is designed to supplement a child’s regular pre-school or early elementary learning through nature-based experiences. The focus is on learning through play, exploration, and hands-on experiences using nature as the classroom; children are outside for the duration of each program day, and the environment is the teacher. |  |
| The journey of each individual is unique, and activities and curriculum are based on the interests and curiosities of participants and aligned with California’s NGSS and Common Core Standards. YEEP uses natural phenomena to strengthen foundations of learning including literacy, mathematics, science, socio-emotional learning, self awareness and critical thinking skills in participants. |
| The River Parkway Trust began offering school field trips to the river in 1989, and continues to be a leader in the field. They work in partnership with the Fresno Unified School District, Madera Unified School District, and Fresno County Parks to provide experiential learning opportunities for grades K-12. Upon request they can also provide educational experiences for high school or college groups. River field trips for 1st to 5th grade students consist of 3-4 activity stations including nature walks, educational activities or games, and art or poetry. Field trips to Sycamore Island, a 600 acre site with river access, are offered to 6th to 8th grade students and include canoeing and team building activities. |  |
 | The Youth Parkway Ambassadors (YPA) program is a 3-month program commitment in which high school students learn about the San Joaquin River and its role in our community, share memorable outdoor experiences with new friends, access and explore multiple Parkway properties, and gain experience planning events, creating outreach materials, and leading outdoor activities at free public open house events. |
| The River Parkway Trust offers a variety of family-friendly Recreation Programs throughout the year, including guided nature walks, family scavenger hunts, and seasonal events. These activities are designed to engage all ages, allowing families to explore and learn about the San Joaquin River’s natural beauty and ecology together. Family Scavenger Hunts gives children the opportunity to be outdoors, solve clues, and search for hidden items. They provide a checklist for a Neighborhood Nature Scavenger Hunt. |
 | Nature Walks are another educational experience the River Parkway Trust offers. They invite community members to come out and explore the wild and wonderful natural world of the San Joaquin River Parkway. Participants explore beautiful natural spaces while listening to bird songs, the sound of the river and breeze, and soak up the sense of peace and respite time spent outdoors can provide. The nature walks are typically 2 to 4 miles in length on fairly level ground. |
| Children 7+ are welcome on general hikes and children 12+ are welcome on birding hikes. No dogs, please. Nature walks are free of charge; donations are welcomed. They ask that large groups or organizations arrange special group tours rather than attending regularly scheduled hikes. |  |
