: Outdoor School :

Glen Helen Outdoor School provides science-based, experiential learning in the outdoors while fostering respect for the natural environment and empowering people to act in its interest.

Designed for students in grades four through six, Glen Helen provides authentic learning aligned with Ohio Academic Content Standards.

Our goal is to create a educational experience at Glen Helen that meets the needs of teachers and students by providing high-quality instruction in the 1,000 acre outdoor classroom of Glen Helen Nature Preserve

At Glen Helen, students actually have the opportunity to see in real-life the concepts that they are learning about in the classroom.

For example, students learn about their locals food webs with the assistance of a live bird of prey.

Students learn about adaptations of local wildlife by actually interacting with those animals

Students learn about fossils and geologic time by exploring the fossiliferous limestone cliffs and ridges of Glen Helen.

Students learn about energy conservation by examining our solar thermal panels and making energy conservation pledges.

In addition to teaching concepts, Glen Helen helps students develop science skills that are not as easily taught in the classroom.

We engage students by asking them to perform investigations

We tap into higher order thinking, as we nurture critical thinking and problem solving skills.

We take students through the process of scientific study and encourage inquiry.

We also make time for students to make their own observations and encourage students to develop their own questions about the natural world.

The Glen Helen Outdoor School curriculum is not limited to science, as we also offer cultural history programs that again tie into the state standards.

Language arts is also part of our program and is embedded throughout the curriculum.

An important aspect of Outdoor School is the emphasis on teamwork and cooperation.

Students are engaged in cooperative activities that encourages trust in their peers and nurtures communication skills.

Teamwork within everything we do at the Glen. Students work together with their groups to collect weather data at our weather station, and then make a weather report to their classmates.

Students also participate as a team in dining hall set-up and clean-up.

Small group, team-oriented interaction is an emphasis for the Outdoor School program.

For the duration of the visit, students are in the same trail group with a maximum of twelve other students.

Each day students go into the nature preserve with their Naturalist-teacher to explore, learn, and discover through explorations of the native ecosystems.

Our Naturalists are the best! They are truly the life-force of the Outdoor School program.

Chosen for their content knowledge, experience working with children, and passion for the environment, the Naturalists teach and inspire students by using the Glen as their classroom

At night, students and teachers sleep comfortably and safely in one of our three cabins.

Dorms are split by gender, and teachers supervise students during dorm times and overnight.

Three hot meals are served in our Lodge at eight, noon, and six each day

Students eat kid-friendly meals served family-style.

Students have a healthy snack at 3:30 each day after their afternoon field explorations

Fun programs are planned for the evening time, such as skits and songs performed by our Naturalist staff.

On Thursday nights we offer the much anticipated Night Hike, where students explore the nocturnal and learn about its inhabitants.

The standard Outdoor School program is a 4-day experience, where students arrive on Tuesday and depart on Friday, with the possibility of accommodating other program lengths.

Please explore this web site for more information about the Outdoor School program!

Glen Helen Outdoor School is a residential environmental education program for elementary school children, grades 4-6. Students and their teachers come to the Glen for a 2.5-day or 4-day experience, where they are immersed in the natural world, exploring, investigating, and discovering the wonders of nature. The science-based curriculum is aligned with Ohio Academic Content Standards to support and complement teacher classroom instruction. Social Studies, Math, and Language Arts learning objectives are also included during the experience.

Each day, trail groups venture into the 1,000 acre outdoor classroom with their Naturalist-teachers for biotic explorations, where students learn about the environment, and about how to protect it, through hands-on teaching methods and authentic experiences. Students search for macroinvertebrates in the streams to determine water health, they explore native ecosystems to connect with their natural environment, and they work together to meet wasted food goals in the dining hall to learn about the importance of conservation. Our emphasis on cooperation and teamwork also transfers back to the classroom, as students leave the Glen more tolerant and trusting of their classmates, and more willing to work together.

Before schools arrive at the Glen, we work closely with teachers to design a program that is appropriate for their particular group of students. We also work to ensure classroom learning objectives are central to the experience provided at the Glen. Naturalist-teachers facilitate instruction with the students out on the trails, while teachers provide behavior management support, and supervising students during dorm time.

: See what school personnel and students have to say about our Outdoor School program :

: Meet the Outdoor Education Center staff :

INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS & PARENTS

INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS & SCHOOLS

REGISTRATION

If you are interested in registering your school for the Outdoor School Program schoolyear, please contact:

Amy Tressler, Outdoor Education Center Director
937-767-7648 or 1-800-538-4893
atressler@glenhelen.org