Outdoor Lesson #1: Have Fun
Kids these days have a lot to worry about, and it shows. Climate anxiety is an added pressure. How can we help in the face of something like that?
One thing we can do to help is show kids how their influence on nature can be positive. As many Indigenous cultures know well, land stewardship is good for the soul as well as the land. Sometimes, we just need to get outside and get our hands dirty.
That’s where we come in!
Save Mount Diablo and its partners are passionate about connecting students with the outdoors, whether the kids are already outdoor enthusiasts or have never been on a hike before.
Nature for All Ages
We bring kids outside through several free programs, like
- our Young Diablo Explorers program for third to fifth grade students,
- our school partnership with Collaborative of Academics Recreation Enrichment for Students (CARES) for elementary and middle schools, and
- our Diablo Conservation Experience (DCE) for middle school through college.
Kids and adults alike can also join us on any of our free public Discover Diablo outings.
These programs are all available thanks to our generous community of donors, who deeply believe in helping the next generation connect with nature.
Fall Land Stewardship for Kids
In both the CARES and the DCE programs, we have been practicing land stewardship with the kids for many years.
You can see it when you look at the slopes of Curry Canyon Ranch, which are decorated with a forest of blue tubes protecting wild oak seedlings that were placed by many different teams of students.
CARES students protect vulnerable oak saplings by adding protective tubing. Photo by Emily Sherwood
Land stewardship can be simple, like weeding or planting willow branches. Yet, these simple projects can have lasting benefits: erosion control, carbon sequestration, habitat preservation for local species.
Hands-on activities spark kids’ curiosity and provide lasting memories.
You can see people come to life working together on the land. Time and again, students arrive shy and leave with beaming smiles.
Recently, students in the CARES program collected oak acorns at Curry Canyon Ranch and sorted them for viability.
On another CARES field trip, students cut and planted willow branches in the creek—just in time for the first fall rains.
Many Hands Make Light Work
During a recent DCE at Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve, two classes of De La Salle High School students expanded the pollinator garden.
It was a great opportunity to build teamwork, a sense of accomplishment, and to goof around in a way that’s just easier outside the classroom.
Teamwork like this improves peer relationships and gives kids the opportunity to grow in a low-pressure situation. Teachers can relax, because the program is guided by experienced Save Mount Diablo staff, and it’s free. At the end of the day, it’s meant to be fun.
Taking a Break
When they’re not getting their hands dirty, DCE participants also got the chance to unwind and reflect during a “solo” in nature.
With notebook in hand, kids dispersed into the trees and spent half an hour alone with the sounds of the wind through the grass and woodpeckers chattering in the distance. Red-tailed hawks circled overhead.
During the group reflection after, one De La Salle student said he spent his time drawing the trees. “It’s really cool how much detail there is,” he reflected. “Even the leaves. Every tree has a different aspect to it, you know?”
It’s harder to slow down in this age of technology—but it’s still possible. With a little help, this next generation of nature-lovers will have the tools to find their own peace and joy in the outdoors.
