Inyo County Outdoor Science SchoolThe Outdoor Science School program has been in existence in Inyo County for 40 years. It is a five-day, four-night program for 5th and 6th graders and their classroom teachers. Students participate in on-site field lessons taught by qualified instructors, and an all-day field trip to the nearby lava tubes. Classroom teachers, outdoor school staff, and volunteer high school cabin leaders who sleep in the cabins supervise the children 24-hours a day. 
Educational Program
Activities
Sample Schedule
Meals
Facilities
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS The Outdoor Education Program is learning in real life situations. It is discovering the world firsthand. It is using all the senses: hearing, seeing, feeling and doing in the Outdoor Classroom. Children and adults tend to learn most effectively through direct and firsthand experiences. Students explore, discover and share adventures which lead to more effective learning. Through direct experience, students begin to appreciate the interdependence of living and non-living things and to understand their connection to the natural world. Outdoor Education is not a frill in the educational program. It is definitely not a vacation for the teachers, high school volunteers, or the students. The Outdoor Education Program enhances and enriches classroom activities and makes material in books come alive. The students spend at least five hours each day in various learning activities. There are many incidental learning experiences that take place continuously throughout the week as well. Students learn to live with others outside their families; to give and take and to accept others; to be a part of a team and to work together to gain success as an entire group, as well as individually.  The curriculum is coordinated with the California Science Framework and includes these concepts: energy flow, cycling of natural materials, change and adaptation, interdependence of living and non-living things, and conservation of natural resources. top ACTIVITIES There are several activity periods each day. Students participate in field lessons during which they hike, observe, play games, and discuss what they've observed. The longest hike is to the Lava Tubes, a field trip to Crater Mountain near the Bernasconi Center. This hike is about 3 miles round-trip. There is a recreation period each day for students to play, visit with each other, shower, and/or rest. Evening programs vary, consisting of campfire programs, dancing, night hikes, and astronomy activities. On Thursday night students perform their own original presentations showing something they learned during the week. This year we have a new "challenge course" where students will build social skills while trying to walk together on giant "skis", get their group through the "spider's web", cross the pool of "toxic waste", find their way through the maze, or experience a number of other group challenges! 
topSAMPLE SCHEDULE
top MEALS Students are served a hot breakfast, picnic lunch, and hot dinner each day. Meals are "kid-friendly" and nutritious. Breakfast menus include eggs, pancakes, french toast, and cereal. Burritos or enchiladas, chicken, spaghetti, pizza, or hamburgers are typical main courses at dinner. Students bring their own bag lunches on Monday. 
top FACILITIES The Outdoor School is located at the Bernasconi Education Center on a 91-acre site leased from the L.A. Department of Water and Power. It was once a ranch with fruit orchards and a fish hatchery. The school has separate dorms for girls and boys, and students understand that they may only be in their own dorm, and only when their leader or other supervisor is present. Teachers and staff reside in a building close to the student dorms. There are separate bathroom and shower facilities for the boys and girls. Because there are no private changing rooms, many children feel more comfortable showering in their bathing suits. A large building houses the kitchen and dining hall. Additional facilities include the campfire circle, two spacious classrooms, and a small nature center. top |