Sierra Outdoor School

After a fun and busy year spent learning and growing as interns at Sierra Outdoor School, our time on Big Hill is coming to a close. We are so thankful for all we have seen and experienced during the past ten months, and we will miss the great staff, students, programs, and facilities of SOS.  However, we are excited to bring our new skills and all we have learned to other communities and programs! Here’s where we are headed next… Following her passions for the ocean and adventure programming, this summer Alli will be returning to her adopted home state of Washington to work on the San Juan Islands. As a returning staff member at YMCA Camp Orkila, she will be facilitating leadership development curriculum and weeklong sea kayaking expeditions with 15- 17 year olds.  After what is sure to be a salty summer of whale and bald eagle watching, Alli will continue working as a Naturalist at the YMCA East Bay Outdoor School at Camp Arroyo in Livermore, CA.  She can’t ...

Spring is that wonderful time of year when all types of new life are emerging. Beautiful birds, buzzing bugs, blooming blossoms, and many other interesting organisms are now flowing throughout the campus of Sierra Outdoor School. Though it is very noticeable during these post-winter months, changes and "new life" appearances are happening year-round! The study of the timing of nature's cycles is called phenology . This can include life cycles, climate, weather, migration patterns, breeding, and flowering. Let's check out some of the phenological happenings from around SOS: We've all heard that April showers bring May flowers. The pictures below show our well known plant "bear clover" (aka mountain misery), which recently blossomed beautiful white flowers. This is the perfect time to see different parts of the flower's life cycle, from buds to blooms! The new blooms have also been attracting many pollinators such as bees... ...

Every year, over 2300 students and adults visit Sierra Outdoor School to experience the Gold Rush in the heart of the Motherlode country. Although SOS was founded as an outdoor based science and exploration program, we began welcoming students from around the state to our hands-on Gold Rush program in 2012 . Read on to learn more details about our Gold Rush Experience, or call now if you're interested in booking your school:  sos.cusd.com . The Gold Rush Experience highlights a unique and impactful period in California’s history, and visiting students have the opportunity to try their hands at a wide range of both mining and Me Wuk activities.  At the center of our Gold Rush program is an emphasis on hands-on learning where students are able to feel and experience what life was like during the 1850’s. During their stay, students are transported back in time during a visit to Columbia State Historic Park, which contains the largest single collection of existing Gold Ru...

It's spring time and for many people that means it is time to plant flowers. Here at Sierra Outdoor School we have five native plant gardens. With so many choices at your local hardware stores and plant nurseries, we encourage you to choose native plants when possible. We worked with our local chapter of the California  Native Plant Society  (CNPS) and with the  California Garden  Foundation  to get funding and plants for our gardens. If you're interested in starting a native garden at home or at your school, check in with your local  CNPS chapter  and stores that carry native plants. Read on to see why native plants are a good choice and to see pictures of our gardens. Happy gardening! Why should we grow California native plants?   Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil type (in your zone) No fertilizers are required (mulch and compost instead) Habitat and food for wildlife Many are drought tolerant Many aid in erosio...

We are so excited to announce the launch of our new website! We would love it if you took a minute to check it out!  http://sos.cusd.com/ In navigating our wonderful new website , some of you may have noticed we have two names in our staff bibliographies. And we are not just talking about first and last names! Here at Sierra Outdoor School, some school groups choose to attend a class called Talk About Trees, where students learn the important uses of trees and their physiology. Then students receive a tree cookie necklace where they write their given name on one side, and a nature name on the other! Let's take a look at how our staff got their nature names! Naturalists: Maggie (Monarch): My "Nature Name" was given to me by another Naturalist "Half-dome" years ago when we first began using them. Half-dome was referring to the Monarch Butterfly when adorning me with this special name. Ed (Squirrel): I was given my nature name when I was in college bec...

Experiential education is not only for students that visit the Sierra Outdoor School; it is also for the Naturalist Interns that spend time here. This program acts as a training ground for those interested in the field of Outdoor Education or Interpretation. Through a combination of hands-on and guided learning experiences, interns will become better educators and naturalists. Under the guidance and supervision of our experienced permanent Naturalists and Program Coordinators, Naturalist Interns will learn a variety of classes, activities, and skills. Over the ten month internship, interns will teach science and cultural history based classes, facilitate low ropes and team building activities, as well as learn how to belay and facilitate high rope elements and a zip line. Interns receive training in all classes before they teach on their own. Additionally, paid trainings are provided throughout the year in areas including: pedagogy and educational theory, classroom and group man...

Meet the Barn! As part of Clovis Unified School District’s Bond Measure “A”, Sierra Outdoor School has been undergoing campus wide renovation s and this month construction bears fruit. Sierra Outdoor School staff are excited to announce the opening of the new science building “The Barn”. This building is on the site of the old barn classroom.  Conveniently located near the pond, the raptor center and many challenge elements, it provides a great addition to our program. The building provides a modern lab space to support our field science and lab classes including Pond Life and Owl Pellets. The building also includes indoor space for rainy days and a large classroom perfect for large group activities.  The front of the Barn One of three new lab rooms.   This one is set up with equipment for our Pond Life class  One new feature of Barn is a large covered patio perfect for class a rainy day or for shade on a hot spring day ...