The problem

According to Child Mind Institute and Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-deficit Disorder, kids are spending significantly more time indoors than outdoors.  On average the American child spends 4-7 minutes a day outside in unstructured outdoor play but 7+ hours in front of a screen.  

Many studies have proven a wide-range of benefits from children spending times outdoors, ranging from academic improvement to better physical and mental health.  

The educational program response

Boone County Extension has implemented a full day field trip for students to explore their environmental through guided hands-on learning.  This experience allows students to learn different ways to explore nature and the services nature provides in a new way that allows for future exploration of the environment.

The participants/target audience

3rd-5th grade students

Other partners (if applicable)

Boone County Public Schools, Boone County Private Schools, Erlanger/Elsmere Independent Schools, Homeschool Co-ops

Program impact or participant response.

18 different groups/schools with over 1,300 students and over 200 chaperones came to the Boone County Environmental and Nature Center in 2023, all of which are returning from the 2022 year.  Teachers continue to claim that it is one of the best environmental experience for their students and feel it contributes to testing success.  Students comment they have never gone on a hike, looked for bugs, witness tadpoles or experienced nature in such a unique way.  Many students have siblings and friends who have already attended the field trip and explained how much fun it was, making the current students excited, engaged and ready to learn!