Keystone Elementary Partakes in Heritage Conservancy Pilot Study

Mental health affects students’ emotional, psychological and social well-being, and nature may have the power to make a positive impact. With expanding research highlighting the benefits of spending time in nature, Heritage Conservancy, a not-for-profit conservation organization serving Bucks and surrounding counties, created a pilot program to explore the idea of using nature as a way to support students’ social and emotional learning (SEL).

In partnership with Fairmount Water Works and with funding from the Alliance for Watershed Education, Heritage Conservancy began piloting the program at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. Approximately 100 students in Keystone Elementary School in Bristol Township School District and Andrew Jackson Elementary School in the School District of Philadelphia are involved.

The pilot program integrates the natural environment of the Delaware River Watershed into programs and activities as a tool to support SEL, which offers a novel approach for schools to implement and combat growing mental health concerns within their communities.

“Supporting their social and emotional development now and offering nature as a resource for their mental wellbeing will serve them throughout their lives,” said Shannon L. Fredebaugh-Siller, community engagement programs manager at Heritage Conservancy. “Fostering this connection with nature may also help students to become the future protectors of our environment.”

Kati Bryson, a fourth grade teacher at Keystone Elementary School, has been collaborating with Fredebaugh-Siller for a few years now and is participating in the pilot study. Students complete a feelings assessment before and after each activity, which could be walking in nature, listening to water noises and visualizing the scene, watching a video or journaling.

“The activities focus on visualization and reflection on how things in nature make the students feel,” said Bryson. “It’s amazing to see. Around 75-85 percent of my students have an increase in positive feelings.”

Fredebaugh-Siller has also given presentations on the importance of the Delaware River Watershed and led the class in virtual tours.

Bryson says her class participates in activities every other week and she utilizes the outdoor classroom at Heritage Conservancy’s Croydon Woods Nature Preserve when she can. The outdoor classroom is behind the school and consists of slabs of stone that students can sit on for lessons or story time. Croydon Woods provides 80 acres of woodlands for the students to explore and is open from dawn until dusk for the public to enjoy for passive recreation.

Bryson and the other pilot teachers meet virtually with Heritage Conservancy once a month to provide input as well.

“With the teacher and student feedback throughout the year, Heritage Conservancy is working to make adjustments accordingly so that some journal prompts or activities that need tweaks can be improved,” said Fredebaugh-Siller. “This summer will also be a time of developing more resources for the teachers to use next year in what will hopefully be a more ‘normal’ school year.”

The pilot program will continue into the 2021-2022 school year and other schools or additional grade levels may participate as well.

“We are so fortunate to have amazing teachers who have been willing to try out this new idea with us. Having teachers and students from first through fourth grade involved this past year has been wonderful and has helped us to explore ways that Heritage Conservancy can adapt the materials for different grade levels,” said Fredebaugh-Siller.

In addition to the pilot program, the Conservancy donated backpacks filled with supplies to Keystone to explore nature and is currently planning to provide students with reusable water bottles and support a recycling program in the school.

“They are willing to work with us on everything and anything,” said Bryson. “They are eager to help and get involved in education to promote nature positively.”

She hopes the program grows throughout the District and beyond. “Many kids wouldn’t be able to have these experiences without Heritage Conservancy,” said Bryson.