For American youth, the obesity rate is at an all time high. According to the Institute of Medicine, childhood obesity has doubled over the past 30 years.  Simultaneously, once the school day ends, students are spending less time in “the great outdoors” and more time inside with video games and television.

So, how can Central Valley afterschool programs fight against this rising epidemic? They only have to look as far as their backyard.

Central Valley students have access to a treasure trove of outdoor activities that promote health as well as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning. There are numerous programs dedicated to pull students away from an overabundance of electronic stimulation in order to connect them with exciting adventures nature has to offer.

San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust
With their close proximity to the San Joaquin River and Camp Pashayan, a 31-acre reserve along the San Joaquin River Parkway, afterschool students at Central Unified School District’s Rio Vista Middle School have benefitted from an outdoor learning partnership with the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust.

For the past year, students have been participating in “River Quests” where they have learned about river conservation and water safety. This year, organizers plan to expand activities to include exploratory field trips like canoeing. 

Along with the fun and exercise of canoeing, students develop new perspectives from short, calm-water canoe experiences. They witness dynamics in the local typography and learn how the river changes and shapes their local river park over time. While learning about flow dynamics, for example, afterschool students also learn about the stream-bed morphological requirements necessary for aquatic organisms to grow, such as salmon. This is a topic currently being studied by governmental scientists involved in the historic restoration of the river and salmon fishery.

“I want everyone to know that the river is here and that it provides food, shelter and water for us. We keep it alive just as it can keep us alive,” said Mary Aldern, director of camps, curriculum, and instruction at the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust.

Aldern is passionate about the San Joaquin River and educating the Central Valley’s youth. She visits afterschool programs to discuss Leave No Trace (LNT) ethics and water safety issues with students.

The Parkway’s goal is to foster relationships with special groups who have trouble getting to the river or have no experience with the river.  They offer afterschool program support during the week and weekend to various organizations including the Boys and Girls Club.

“Some may say it is the most important [river] in our region. It has to do with farming and resources for wildlife. By learning about it, [students] can become more familiar with their relationship to it,” Aldern said.

To bring greater awareness to the relationship between the students and nature, mid-April is set aside for National Environmental Education Week. This year’s theme recognizes the connection between STEM learning and the environment. According to the National Environmental Education Foundation, students are encouraged to look to the environment for real-world challenges that engage them in meaningful hands-on opportunities reinforced by STEM concepts.

Scout Island
Another program forging ahead with enriching afterschool outdoor adventures is the Scout Island Outdoor Education Center, which is a part of the Fresno County Office of Education. Activities range from San Joaquin River canoeing and nature walks to environmental activities and service-learning projects.

“I hope [students] are inspired to like science and want to learn more,” said Sonya Force, canoe specialist and Region 7 STEM service-learning lead. 

For the past year, Force has been organizing activities for afterschool programs throughout the Central Valley.  While Scout Island hosted approximately 18,000 students in 2011, afterschool programs only brought 100 middle school and high school students during the school year. Force stresses the benefits of the service-learning volunteerism project, which offers students an opportunity to get involved in preserving and restoring the land.

“Students own what they choose to participate in. There are better results that way,” she said.

The projects can be as simple as picking up trash while learning about the surrounding environment. Force shared a story of a group of 50 high school students from Parlier who were enrolled in the STEM service-learning project. They were having a hard time getting motivated and needed a little boost.  Force said the students chose to pick up trash around Scout Island and had fun doing it.

“We had girls who were fashionistas but they were out there too,” she said.

Force hopes these experiences inspire students to be better land stewards.

Millerton Lake
The Central Enrichment Summer Adventures Program (CESA), an action-packed outlet for more than 300 middle school students in the Central Unified School District, is already using the environment to stimulate and retain STEM concepts. The program, which began in 2008, runs for five weeks and is comprised of 27 enrichment classes designed to combat the loss of information students have learned during the academic school year. One of the enrichment classes consists of a one-day outdoor crash course where students rotate among five activity stations at Millerton Lake.

“We offer about four hours of fun and adventure,” said Dan Youngren, supervising state park ranger at Millerton Lake.

The activities include hiking, boat tours, swimming, and the most popular and unique to the participants –geocaching. Students follow GPS coordinates to find clues that lead them all over the campgrounds. The activity of geocaching itself is gaining popularity nationwide. With nearly 5 million “geocachers” around the world, followers register with a geocache website and receive clues that lead to more coordinates and possible hidden treasures.

At Millerton Lake, students are given clues and information at each stop about Millerton Lake, Friant Dam and the animals that live there. The course, which was created by Youngren and is led by two park rangers, can be described as a cross between Survivor and The Amazing Race.

“The kids who participate, they are just so excited to be out there,” said Youngren.

Youngren would like to offer more activities like these at Millerton Lake but said because of budget constraints, they have laid-off park rangers, leaving them without the manpower to plan and staff these events.

Youngren is hopeful, though, that the students who do attend this one-day event will be motivated to spend more time outdoors and even consider environmental, conservation or outdoor careers.

“There have been trends of not seeing kids outside anymore... But I always tell kids that nature is all around you. The biggest thing to remember is to stop and use your senses,“ he said.

Afterschool programs throughout California are encouraged to contact local parks and river conservation organizations to find out more about experiential outdoor STEM learning programs. Outdoor education introduces youth to a healthy, new learning experience they can’t wait to enjoy again and again. 

For more information about National Environmental Education Week and other organizations visit:  
http://www.eeweek.org/
http://www.scoutisland.org/
http://www.riverparkway.org/