Hands-on Learning and Growing

1,000 Redwood City fifth graders spend an action-filled week at Jones Gulch, near La Honda, exploring the natural environment and developing skills in science, mathematics, and language arts when they participate in the Outdoor Education program.

The RCEF helps to fund a coordinator who schedules all the fifth grade classrooms in the district and ensures that teachers and campers are ready for hands-on learning in the great outdoors. Funding also supports teacher stipends and transportation costs.

For many students, Outdoor Education is one of the highlights of their elementary school years. Students love the active learning experience, the beauty of our natural environment, and the new friendships they build.

In addition to the academic and personal growth Outdoor Education provides, we see this program as a key component in our commitment to science education and wellness for our students.

We are grateful to the Tim Griffith Memorial Foundation for helping to support this program with scholarships for students who otherwise might not be able to enjoy this life-changing week.

In 2010/11, the RCEF is contributing $8,000 to support Outdoor Education. The total program cost is $60,000.

Comments from our students and teachers:

"I went to Jones Gulch 35 years ago and still have vivid memories of the cabins, licking banana slugs, and the bonding I did with my classmates!" — Mark Askins, Roy Cloud Parent

"Every detail is clear: the creaky cot I slept in when we ran out of bunks, the long line that snaked out of the bathroom as we waited to take our showers, the cool crisp air that filled our lungs as we filled our water bottles before a long hike, and taking pictures of my friend. I remember laughing as we walked down to the Emerald Forest.  They're all good memories and I'll never forget them."
— Sofia, Orion alumna

"I loved it there because you would get to go to night hike, hikes, gardens, beaches, in the woods, learning nature, getting to kiss a banana slug, dunk your head in a pond, getting to taste, hear, smell, see and love nature." 
— Marie

"The part that I liked the most and the part I will never forget is when I met new friends and people." —Niza