According to the United State Environmental Protection Agency, “environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions.”   The Campbell County Extension Agent for Natural Resources and Environmental Management provides field trips at the Environmental Education Center that address Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). From late August to mid-October 2023 over 1000 students participated.

 A class of eleven, 7^th grade students learned how to use dichotomous keys to identify trees and their utilization including foods and medicines. Fourteen, 2^ndand 3^rd grade classes and with 300 students from four schools participated in ecosystem studies and learned about Kentucky’s native plants and animals through the concept of interdependency (a class of 7 high school seniors also participated in a similar field trip). 31, 4th grade classes with over 700 students from 13 schools participated and learned about energy transfer from sun to producers, consumers, and decomposers by studying plant and animal structures, functions, and behavior, including humans’ use of solar energy. 50 teachers evaluated the field trips as highly effective and provided testimonials.

“This trip gives my students hands on / visual / real life opportunities to learn science concepts and for the kids to collaborate with others in the real world. The presenters provide questions / lessons to get my kids thinking. When we return to school, we are able to refer to this field trip during our lessons.” – Campbell Ridge Elementary School teacher (Alexandria, KY). “This field trip is very educational and aligns to the NGSS curriculum.” – St. Therese School teacher (Southgate, KY). “I teach reading and support science instruction. These topics connect to My View Reading curriculum as we read informational text.” – Reiley Elementary School teacher (Alexandria, KY). “The explanations are amazing! The connections are spot on, and DJ makes everything interesting.” – Johnson Elementary School teacher (Ft. Thomas, KY). “This allows are students to have access to experiences they otherwise would never see.” – Crossroads Elementary teacher (Cold Spring, KY). “It’s one this for us to teach them about environments, habitats, and adaptations – it’s completely different to see it.” – Woodfill Elementary School teacher (Ft. Thomas, KY). “This was a perfect application of our unit on classification and distinguishing genus / species. Students were able to directly apply what they learned in the classroom to a real-life experience.” – St. Catherine School teacher (Ft. Thomas, KY).