A Breath of Fresh Air
Student comments after Outdoor Discovery Day include the following: I learned to try whenever it’s hard; I learned how to work with a team and how to cooperate; I learned that when you are quiet, you can hear things better.”
“Happy…calm…peaceful…safe…excited…free.”
These are just some of the words sixth graders use to describe their feelings after spending a day learning outside.
“We know that spending time outside has immense benefits for mental, physical, and emotional health; but many of our kids aren’t getting that,” explains Mary Macias, founder and CEO of Footpath Foundation, a small, but quickly growing, non-profit organization whose mission is to connect kids from low-income neighborhoods to nature.
With a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, Ms. Macias and her team at Footpath are working with 6th-grade teachers in five Cleveland Metropolitan schools to engage students in science, language arts, and SEL standards in an outdoor setting. The yearlong program, called Discover Your Path, has three components: an Outdoor Discovery Day; an 8-unit, school-based curriculum; and an overnight camp experience.
“The reason we created our program is that we believe all children deserve the opportunity to experience nature in meaningful ways,” Ms. Macias says. “And we saw a very large gap in terms of which children received those benefits and which did not.”
Many young people from low-income neighborhoods and communities of color do not have access to quality, nearby green spaces, Ms. Macias explains. “So getting them outside and giving them 10, 20, 30 minutes of fresh air is huge for them.”
When Ms. Macias founded Footpath in 2015, she intended to provide an overnight camp experience to children associated with the Boys & Girls Club; but the mission kept growing from there.
During the pandemic, the organization provided “outdoor connection kits” to CMSD teachers and students. The purpose was to give teachers a way to connect with their students beyond the screen. Teachers taught the content virtually one day and students were encouraged to complete hands-on activities in their own backyards the next. All materials the students needed were sent to their homes. The curriculum was designed with input from scientists, engineers, curriculum directors, and current and retired teachers, and it was aligned to ODE standards.
With students back in the classroom, the program continued to evolve. “We knew we could do better,” explains Ms. Macias. “So in 2021 we enhanced the program, and we continued to change things as we went along based on teacher feedback. Meeting the students where they are and really engaging them has been very important to us,” she remarks. “Now we feel it’s very good.”
“By exposing inner city youth to nature while also teaching science and ELA content along with SEL skills, we are helping them become more engaged in the learning process,” says Ms. Macias.
“The curriculum is based on getting students outside and then helping teachers teach content they already have to teach.”
In 2022-23, more than 200 CMSD 6th-graders will participate in the yearlong experience due to the Jennings grant. They will engage in educational content aligned with science and ELA learning standards; develop social-emotional skills; and enjoy fun activities outside that stimulate their curiosity and creativity.
All nine classes in the five different CMSD schools were treated to a daylong Outdoor Discovery Day in the fall led by the team from Footpath. The educators reinforced social-emotional content while the students hiked, worked in teams to build shelters, and completed a variety of hands-on science-related activities. In the process, they worked on developing communication skills, such as how to be a good listener, how to respond appropriately, and how to trust each other. Teachers remarked that some students who never spoke up in the classroom found a voice in this outdoor setting.
Discover Your Path also includes an 8-unit curriculum, that comes with a detailed instructor’s guide, which teachers can use in the classroom and/or right outside their school doors. Kathleen Merk, who teaches 6th and 7th grade ELA at Orchard STEM School in Cleveland, has used the curriculum to instruct lessons on tulips, wind, fungi, thunderstorms, hummingbirds, and solar energy. She tries to get students outside as often as the weather permits and says students love finding examples in nature that relate to the lessons.
“My students rarely go outside when at home,” says Ms. Merk, explaining that many of her students are anxious or depressed and being in nature and “off technology” makes an incredible change in their demeanor. “They get to be kids, exploring and learning together.”
“Students enjoy the non-standard form of exploring science. Some of my favorite moments were taking the lesson outside and watching the students actually put what they learned into motion,” remarks one CMSD teacher.
Ms. Merk enjoys watching her students discover strengths they never knew they had. “They cooperate and collaborate with each other,” she says. “Students who thought they would hate being outdoors discover how calming and centering it is.”
“The curriculum is based on getting students outside and then helping teachers teach content they already have to teach,” adds Ms. Macias. “It’s meant to be supportive and not another to do on a teacher’s list. One of the positive aspects is that they get to teach it on their own time. So it’s really a win-win situation.”
Teachers remark that the extension activities connected to the curriculum spark the students’ curiosity and their classes often spend more than the anticipated amount of time on each lesson. “They are diving deep into these topics rather than just doing a unit and moving on,” says Ms. Macias. “It’s been really exciting.”
The third component and culminating event of Discover Your Path is an overnight camp experience that takes place in May. Through a variety of activities, it ties together the SEL skills students practiced throughout the year. It also focusers on building relationships, leadership, and teamwork.
“Combined, our programs increase the students’ opportunities for divergent thinking and encourage them to be engaged, creative, and self-guided critical thinkers,” Ms. Macias says. “We actively engage them in deep learning experiences and empower them to connect what they are learning during the school day with what they experience outdoors.
“It’s clear that nature has this ability to give children a ‘breath,’” she adds, “and that’s what they need.”
Ms. Macias conducts student and teacher surveys frequently to gauge how well the program is meeting its objectives. One teacher remarked: “Students are still reeling from the isolation of COVID, and giving them an opportunity to learn about nature and SEL methods is the perfect solution. Students thrive, become a more cohesive group, and are able to apply this new knowledge to their academics and everyday life.”
When asked what’s most important about Discover Your Path, Ms. Macias remarks: “Teachers are using it and their kids are benefitting from it. Not only is it meeting the standards, but it is going above and beyond, reaching social-emotional pieces and developing critical thinking.