Summer Students Jump into Nature with "Growing Up Wild" Summer Program

Wednesday, June 8, 2016—Elmhurst Academy kicked off its summer with a “Wild Start to Summer” day of outdoor activities and nature exploration that involved water play, digging into soil, bird-watching, magnifying leaves and bark, and completing a team-oriented scavenger hunt. These hands-on learning opportunities were an exciting introduction to the summer program “Growing Up Wild,” which will inspire early environmental education and instill essential learning experiences to its students. The program also upholds Elmhurst Academy’s nature explore certification and accreditation through the Arbor Day Foundation.

The “Growing Up Wild” is a multi-award winning curriculum designed by multiple U.S. states, an initiative through Project WILD and the Council for Environmental Education. With its purpose to build on children’s sense of wonder about nature, and inviting them to explore wildlife and the world around them, the program serves as a great foundation to incorporate the core beliefs of Elmhurst Academy, said Mrs. Berger, Nature Curriculum Specialist. The summer’s nature-explorative program will be more project-based, integrating academic subjects and areas, such as water conservation, shape studies, geology and archeology, to encapsulate the students’ learning and interests.

Each week, summer students will be exposed to different wildlife and nature themes. By Friday, June 10, following the program’s kickoff, classes were already jumping excitedly into their first theme. Kindergarten Associate Teacher, Mrs. Dillard, introduced her Senior Explore students to animals, where they first identified animals on a Venn Diagram as either ‘domestic’ or ‘wild.’ The students then created their own stories from an animal’s perspective in their Outdoor Classroom, and shared their stories as other students had to interpret their animal using context clues. “During the first week of their summer program, the Senior Explorers actively engaged in various activities, and interacted in various learning explorations,” said Mrs. Dillard.

Other Elmhurst Academy classrooms were engaged in their nature investigations. Infant and toddler early learners engaged in going Green Nature and Recycled Art Exploration, and they worked with blending and mixing vibrant colors and participated in mirror play to stimulate their senses. Across the Outdoor Classroom, Mrs. Atkinson’s prairie explorers collaborated and planted their indoor classroom herb garden, filled with mint, sage, chives, thyme, and parsley. Also, each child planted their own herbs inside small cups, and was already eager to see their plants’ growth.

Educational field work experiences for the summer include excursions to Cosley Zoo, the Fullersburg Woods, and Chicago’s Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, in an effort to experience real-world examples and applications of the material they learn in class. Elmhurst Academy hosts International Mud Day that celebrates the universality of mud, and The Great American Campout that explores outdoor activities sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation. Several additional wildlife organizations will visit through the school’s Nature Outreach Program, and will teach students about specific nature topics and help them to learn in a variety of interactive ways with field professionals.

With the program’s in-depth and meaningful exploration, “Growing Up Wild,” prepares its students to handle challenges and problems more capably as they venture onward with their education, as well as learn to become better-informed and environmentally-aware young adults. “Just the fact that we are using our multiple intelligences to the fullest by being outside, using all our senses, students really get to explore in meaningful ways and at whatever level they are,” said Mrs. Berger.

As Elmhurst Academy wraps up its summer on August 26, 2016, its students will have a dynamic Summer Showcase, where the nature explorers demonstrate all that they have learned and accomplished throughout the program. The event will include visual presentations of the students’ projects and classroom study themes, as well as be celebrated with live music and delicious food for students, families, and community members.