Plein-air science lessons

Smith Elementary students spend four days in the mountains learning about rocks, plants, animals and stars as part of a countywide program. Science is fun. No, really, it is.

Just ask the fifth-graders at Smith Elementary who recently spent four days in the mountains at Outdoor Science School, one of many Inside the Outdoors Science Study Programs administered by the Orange County Department of Education.

The program, which fulfills a number of science curriculum requirements, incorporates hands-on science activities, games and lessons and also aims to improve students’ social skills and sense of responsibility.

“I just like the idea of seeing the kids get out and actually touch things and experience things,� said Dee Sheahan, fifth-grade teacher and coordinator for Outdoor Science School for Smith Elementary. Sheahan has been participating in the annual field trip for 27 years.

All fifth-grade teachers -- Sheahan, Juliette Greyshock, Debbie Harris, Normajean Janssen, Lori Postmus -- went on the voyage with their students.

“The county provides us with a lot of materials and guidance,� Sheahan said. “This is a great thing to support fifth-grade science.�

The students are kept busy learning about geology, astronomy, ecology, animal behavior and habitats, and conservation through various hikes and activities. They also learn about history and even get to try their hand at gold-panning while learning how the prospectors lived in the 1800s.

“I tried to find a big nugget for retirement but I didn’t have any luck,� Sheahan joked. She said the school provides total immersion for the students. “It really brings a lot of life to science and excitement to the kids.�

She added that many children come back from science school and take up their own science-related hobbies such as rock-collecting or astronomy.

“We find that the kids grow academically as well as socially,� said Tracy Meyers, project assistant for Inside the Outdoors. “Students learn a lot of independence and responsibility.�

Meyers said that the students often become more excited about science and it also improves their learning in other subjects.

Sheahan said she believes strongly in the program, citing the hands-on experience combined with the emotional connection the kids can make with the outdoors.

The school is funded partially by the PTA, which covers $85 per student. The remaining $215 is paid for by the parents, though scholarships are available.

Sheahan said she was able to get some additional funding for scholarships through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

For more information on programs available through Inside the Outdoors, visit www.insidetheoutdoors.org.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM covers education and public safety. She can be reached at (714) 966-4625 or [email protected].

20060202itz69hncKENT TREPTOW / INDEPENDENT(LA)From left, Makenzie Wilkings, Ashlee Walker, Jennifer Jaurequi and Cooper Davie hold rocks and pine cones they studied as part of the Outdoor Science School they attended with other fifth-graders from Smith Elementary School.