PVAS’s Outdoor School is a great opportunity for your child to participate in hands-on, experiential learning. Each class consists of a thematic nature lesson, a hike, and nature exploration. Reading, writing, art and math are all incorporated into our nature lessons. Sessions are held once a week for a month! Sessions will be kept small – 10 kids total and two adult instructors.
Outdoor School was created in Fall 2020 to provide safe outdoor nature-themed learning opportunities to children in a time when indoor educational and socialization options were limited. Outdoor School was such a success that we are delighted to be bringing it back per our community’s positive feedback and requests.
If you have any questions, please contact Amy Moore at Amy@PotomacAudubon.Org
September
(3 sessions, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
- $135 members, $145 non-members
- Location: Cool Spring Preserve
- Tuesdays: September 14, 21, 28
- Thursdays: September 16, 23, 30
October
(4 sessions, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
- $165 members, $175 non-members
- Location: Cool Spring Preserve and Yankauer Nature Preserve
- Tuesdays at Cool Spring : October 5, 12, 19, 26
- Thursdays at Yankauer: October 7,14, 21, 28
November
(3 sessions, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. )
- $135 members, $145 non-members
- Location: Cool Spring Preserve and Yankauer Nature Preserve
- Tuesdays at Cool Spring: November 2, 9,16
- Thursdays at Yankauer: November 4, 11, 18
December
(3 sessions, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. )
- $135 members, $145 non-members
- Location: Cool Spring Preserve
- Tuesdays: November 30, December 7,14
- Thursdays: December 2, 9, 16
Registration for Fall 2021 Outdoor School Programs is Open!
Program themes will be announced in September 2021
Policies
At Outdoor School, we believe that “there is no bad weather, only bad clothing (choices)!” Any child can happily enjoy the outdoors for many hours, even in cold or rainy weather, if equipped with the right clothing to keep them warm and dry. So please send your child with the right layers to set them up for success.
For cold weather we recommend:
- A base layer consisting of synthetic (polyester, polypropylene) or wool long underwear to go under their clothes and wool socks to keep their feet warm
- Warm fleece pants and a fleece pullover or zip-up jacket.
- A down or synthetic puffy jacket
- A fleece or wool hat, a fleece neck warmer, a pair of thin fleece, wool, or synthetic gloves, a pair of waterproof mittens
For days that are particularly cold, students will be broken into small groups to enter the nature (masks required) for 15 minute warm up sessions.
You are welcome to send you child with a thermos containing a hot beverage.
Children and instructors are required to wear masks when social distancing cannot be maintained and when they enter a building to use the bathroom. Children will be notified when masks can be removed for activities such as hiking, working independently, eating etc.
To maximize safety we will:
- Limit sharing of materials and supplies
- Lend assigned supplies and equipment such as nets, magnifying glasses, binoculars to each participant for the entirety of the program
- Promote healthy hygiene practices
- Conduct health screening of staff and participants upon daily arrival
- Intensify cleaning, disinfection of shared supplies
- Promote physical distancing of at least 6 feet between staff and participants
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces multiple times daily.
- Disinfect bathroom after every use
- Only allow participants to enter inside facility space for restroom use and thorough handwashing only
- Require students to self-clean bathroom after each use
- Provide an experience that is entirely outdoors
Furthermore, PVAS will adhere to the following Daily Arrival Screening Procedures:
- The temperature of each participant will be taken. Participants with a temperature of 100.4° or higher will not be allowed to attend.
- In order to attend, participants must be able to answer “Yes” to all of the following statements:
- Neither the participant nor anyone in the participant’s household have had a fever (temperature of 100.4° or higher) within the past 72 hours.
- Neither the participant nor anyone in the participant’s household have had symptoms of COVID-19, such as shortness of breath or persistent dry cough, within the past 72 hours.
- The participant has not been exposed to anyone that has symptoms of COVID-19 in the 72 hours.
- The participant has not taken any fever reducing medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen in the past 24 hours.
- The participant is free of symptoms of other communicable illnesses, and is healthy enough to engage in program activities.
PVAS will cancel outdoor school days if:
- West Virginia Governor’s order restricts group sizes or issues a Stay at Home Order
- Hazardous weather is in the forecast that would create unsafe road conditions or unsafe conditions for being outside.
If PVAS cancels a day of outdoor school, you will be refunded for the amount of the cost of that one day of Outdoor School.
Parents will be notified by email of any cancelations by 5:00 p.m. the evening before an outdoor school class.
You may cancel one or more days of your registration and received a pro-rated refund if:
- You do not want to send your child due to concerns about COVID-19
- Your child is feeling unwell
- Anyone in your house hold has COVID-19 or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in
- Anyone in your household has had a fever in the last 72 hours
*We understand that last minute cancellations might need to happen, but please try to let us know as soon as possible, so that depending on the circumstance, we can open the spot to someone else.
The Potomac Valley Audubon Society (PVAS) does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any service recipient, applicant, program staff, or the public on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, age, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or veteran status.