PENFIELD – As the snow melts away, and the days get longer, thoughts turn to spring. For many students and teachers, spring thoughts turn to the end of the school year and field trips. Increases in transportation costs means that it is often difficult to find a meaningful field trip destination near-by.
Also, with more and more standards to be met, educators may sometimes feel as though they have to sacrifice certain opportunities and activities to focus more on preparing students to meet these standards.
However, opportunities exist in Pennsylvania state parks that can address these concerns, and at little or no cost. Parker Dam State Park offers just such an opportunity for teachers, schools, home-school organizations, and other organized groups looking for a field trip destination. Part of the park’s mission, as one of PA’s 117 state parks, is to “serve as outdoor classrooms for environmental education.”
Many of the Field Learning Experience programs offered at Parker Dam State Park have been developed so that they align with topics students in various grade levels are studying in the classroom. Effort has also been made for various programs to cover several of the standards and anchors for Environment and Ecology from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The park can accommodate a wide variety of topics in the environmental science, natural resource, local history, and recreational fields at any grade level, pre-school through high school. A couple of the more popular programs include Sensory Awareness for kindergarten and first-grade students, and Predator-Prey Relationships for third through fifth-grade students. Seasonal programs, such as spring Maple Sugaring, autumn Apple Cidering, or winter Snowshoeing Basics are also available.
Today’s youth are becoming increasingly disconnected from the outdoors. Busy schedules leave little or no time for outdoor exploration and other opportunities to be connected to nature. Many times, children spend their free time in front of a television or computer screen. Something so simple as a school field trip to a state park could awaken a child’s curiosity toward nature and the life-long learning it may inspire. Now is the time to start re-connecting our youth, and future stewards of our natural resources, to their environment, the outdoors, and to nature. If you are interested and would like more information on the environmental and outdoor education opportunities that are available at Parker Dam State Park, please contact the park office at (814) 765-0630, or email cahuber@state.pa.us for a brochure outlining some of the programs offered. Field Learning Experiences are free-of-charge, but donations to the park’s Environmental Education and Interpretation program will be accepted. Reservations are required for all organized group programs; and the 2009 Field Learning Experience calendar is filling up quickly. To schedule, contact Carey Huber, Environmental Education Specialist, at the park office phone number or email address above.
You can find more information about state park programs and special events by logging on to the DCNR Web site. Click on “State Parks”, then, click on “Calendar of Events”.
“The primary purpose of Pennsylvania State Parks is to provide opportunities for enjoying healthful outdoor recreation and serve as outdoor classrooms for environmental education.”
Access for People with Disabilities
If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks:
888-PA-PARKS (voice)
717-558-2710 (local or international voice)
888-537-7294 (TTY)
717-558-2711 (local or international TTY)
711 (AT&T Relay Services)
