In addition to instructing in the Master of Arts in Environmental Education program, I also oversee Environmental Education Outreach at Merry Lea, which includes PreK-12 and public programs.
Each year, more than 4,000 local PreK-12 students participate in field trips at Merry Lea. Students participate in a range of activities, from dipping for macro invertebrates in wetland ecosystems, hiking along a glacial esker, or feeding livestock at our sustainable farm. Our team of educators work alongside graduate students to provide high-quality educational experiences to these visiting school children.
Merry Lea also offers a wide selection of programs to the public throughout all times of year. Some of our programs, like Enchanted Forest, have been offered on an ongoing basis for years. Other programs change annually, and may include food preservation, family pond explorations, literary hikes and others.
A recent area of investigation has been the implementation of a new Forest Kindergarten pilot program with Wolf Lake Elementary. This innovative model provides repeated, all-day experiences in a natural setting, providing a child-directed, inquiry-based approach to learning. We embrace the opportunity for students to face appropriate risk, and see students as co-discoverers of knowledge. The program was met with success in its first year, and we expanded the program to other school districts in 2018-2019.
