Sierra Outdoor School

On the morning of December 12th, 2013, trail group B from Napa Valley Language Academy headed off to their Pond Life class, but this was not your typical Pond class. Due to the below freezing temperatures that we've had since the 7th, there was a 3" layer of ice covering the pond! This didn't stop these students from doing some hands-on data collection. Chaperone and students determine the turbidity. Searching for life in the pond Measuring the temperature and depth of the pond. In addition to collecting data, the students had a chance to observe nature, learn about haikus, and write one. Here are a few examples of what they came up with: The pond never moves It will always be in place Yet, I will travel -Mario Calderon The pond is frozen Yet trees around jump with life But all life seems calm -Azrael Hillyer After exploring the pond and writing they headed into the lab to discover what microscopic life might live in the pond. Luckily ...

We have some Sierra Nevada fall weather moving through SOS this week.  The cold and wet temperatures might not be for everyone, but Reagan Elementary was out in it having a good time. High Ropes - Students from Reagan Elementary Group C don't mind the light rain.  From left Joshua, Vince, Jada, Drake, and Ashley are ready to climb the High Ropes course and go down the zipline.  In the back ground are staff members Rachael Mallon (back to camera, on the ground) and Maggie Berisha (in the 'crow's nest' getting ready to check the zipline.) Wilderness Skills - Before trying out their skills on the orienteering course,Group B learns about the parts of a compass and how to use one to take a bearing. Raptors and Conservation - The weather did drive Group A in for a little while to learn about our birds of prey.  Here staff members Ed Wynimko (with male great horned owl) and Justin Covino teach about the adaptations that are characteristic to raptors. Don...

Young miners working a Long Tom A miner takes a rest in his tent after a day in the gold fields Learning about Miwok culture.  Can you tell what the different artifacts were used for and how they were made?

Liddell Elementary school Trail Group B experiencing the High Ropes course and Zip Line Ed Wynimko sends off one student from the crows nest and gets ready for the next climber coming across the Catwalk St. Helen's School  also joined us this week and took our newest class called  C.S.I. - Critter Skull Investigation Rachael Mallon helps a group determine the ratio of the size of the eye to the distance between them to see if the critter is a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore  Justin Covino teaches his group about different types of teeth  Devin Peyton and Kim Pedersen encourage a group as the figure out the eye ratio and do some quick math Molly Schreiner helps a group talk through characteristics of a skull as the students puzzle out if it is a predator or a prey animal Alta Height's Magnet School was here and took or Pond Life class.  At one of the stations the students write Haiku Poems.  Here are a few samples: ...

We welcomed Sherman Thomas, California Montessori Project (CMP), and Harold Woods Elementary School this week.  After almost a month with out kids (due to the Rim Fire and the residual smoke) our staff was excited to get out on the trails and do some teaching. Sherman Thomas did a full range of classes with us over their four day stay including High Ropes, Team Challenge, the Silent Mile, and People of the Sierra.  It was CMP's first visit with us and we hope to see them again soon.  They also had a great visit that included some Mountain Biking.  Woods is rounding out our week.  Here are a few pictures from today's classes of a group working through a challenge in the Team class, and of a group learning about Raptors and Conservation.

The good news is that the Rim Fire is now 80% contained, the bad news is that the back fires that they have been lighting to fight the fire have been causing lots of smoke at SOS.  Because smoke levels can cause the air quality to sometime reach unhealthy levels we have had to postpone some of our visiting schools; we look forward to seeing Knightsen, Pinewood, and Napa Valley Learning Academy later this fall.  We are still planning on having Garfield Elementary coming on September 18, but we will be monitoring the air quality and the fire to make sure it is safe for everyone. Here is a picture of a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter flying over campus yesterday on the way to drop water or foam on the fire.  Did you know that the Skycrane can carry more than  2,650 gallons  of water of foam?  It can fill its tanks while hovering (by using the hose you can see hanging) in less than one minute! With no students on site yet we have been busy getting our...

Hello!  I have been meaning to get a post up on the blog to welcome the new staff.  However, I think that this morning it will be more important that I get some information out about our current status involving the Rim Fire that is burning less than 10 miles away. Sierra Outdoor School is not currently under any evacuation advisement, and the fire crews are working hard to keep the fire from crossing Highway 108.  We are closed this week, and had to reschedule Knightsen for later in October.  We will be making a decision on Friday about Pinewood's visit next week. We will be closely monitoring the fire as well as the air quality; the smoke has been thick in the mornings, and we need to make sure that it is healthy for our staff and visitors to be here. Here is this morning's information about the fire. Incident Type Wildfire Cause Under Investigation Date of Origin Saturday August 17th, 2013 approx. 03:15 PM Location Groveland Range District, Stanislau...