Outdoor Learning Connects Students with Natural World

Imagine seeing the leaves in front of your house suddenly begin to change color for the very first time. Autumn is the season when leaves not only vary in wonderful shades and breathtaking colors, but in size and texture. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has put together a scavenger hunt that gives young children the chance to both discover nature on their own and recognize the diversity and characteristics of the plant world.

Children are eager to experience and appreciate the world around them and, following the adage that says "the best way to learn is by doing," we put together a series of educational lesson plans that will help students "do" some activities that result in fun and increased knowledge of our natural world. The garden scavenger hunt, designed for first and second graders, is one of sixteen environmental lessons which can be found on our Web site.

The educational lessons, divided by grades levels 1 through 7, are beneficial to anyone looking for environmental learning activities, such as home-school teachers and scout leaders and can be conducted in both an outdoor classroom setting and indoors.

The pictures shown above are from an outdoor learning session at Fort Pitt Elementary School in Garfield, Pa. and were taken by WPC's Assistant Community Planner Shelley Zock.

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