Just before the pandemic Boxerwood won a $80,000 federal grant to promote outdoor learning for underserved youth in afterschool settings. One of only 29 sites selected nationwide, Boxerwood proposed a model that connected students to science through high-interest outdoor recreation like kayaking and fishing. The project is now complete and the results are in.
The big take-away is … it worked! Despite challenges in the pandemic era, our “Trail Blazers” program connected more than 500 children with high-quality outdoor learning over the past 2.5 years. These kids were part of state-supported enrichment programs at Enderly Heights Elementary (BVCPS), Natural Bridge Elementary (RCPS) and Maury River Middle School (RCPS) Special funds from NOAA/B-WET with the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) enabled Boxerwood to think big in terms of program activities: the same thing we wanted to encourage in the youth we served.
While some programs occurred afterschool, the majority took place in the summer where kids could enjoy sustained time outdoors. During the grant period we provided multiple day camps free of charge at Boxerwood, Glen Maury Park, and Lake Robertson. Although the watershed-focused camps had different themes, campers tackled given challenges as scientists, artists, authors, haiku masters, and stewards of the earth. In the process more than 250 middle schoolers also learned how to canoe, kayak, and fish. You’ve read about these efforts in previous NewsLeafs. What’s worth reporting this time are the evaluation results.
In pre- and post-surveys we discovered some great things about Boxerwood kids. Regardless of age or school these students already had positive feelings about learning outside and strongly wanted to do things that care for the earth: a great baseline to build from. As a result of the camp activities, our young friends demonstrated even more gains in pro-science and pro-earth care attitudes. And they sure loved that time together. Asked if we should offer such camps again in the future, for example, 98% and 100% of gr. 6 & gr. 7 MRMS campers respectively gave an enthusiastic yes. Sample comments:
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- Yes because they can see themselves change after they go through the program and see what they learn.
- Yes bc everyone should have the chance to learn how to fish and boat.
- Yes because it was fun!
Equally encouraging were the reviews from our professional peers, the many classroom educators who accompanied the students in their camp adventures. Over two years more than 35 teachers from three schools participated in Boxerwood activities with their students.. Regardless of the school or program these teachers gave Boxerwood perfect or near perfect scores for aligning the camps with their own program’s needs. Most also reported that participating along with the kids in the camp programs gave them new ideas for their own classroom teaching. All were highly satisfied with the experience. Sample comments:
- This program allowed students to experience STEM in the real world and there was so much teamwork. - MRMS teacher
- There were activities built in to allow kids to be kind and helpful. It was nice to see them attack tasks with kindness. – MRMS teacher
- I realized that there is a lot you can do outside to make learning more fun. - NBES teacher
- I loved it and so did the kids. - EHES teacher
As for next steps, Boxerwood is already in discussion with schools to continue the connections as resources allow. Our grantors, meanwhile, are using Boxerwood’s findings as well as those from the other 29 grantees to shape future funding opportunities for afterschool programs across the nation. Our Boxerwood program demonstrated there was great need and interest in tying watershed learning with outdoor recreation. In addition to blazing a trail, we made a splash.
