Camping along the Big Sur River, exploring the Monterey Bay tidepools, examining rocks used for grinding by the Ohlone Native Americans, cross-country skiing in Yosemite, checking Carmel River water samples in our “backyard” and working in the All Saints’ Organic Garden – our classrooms are certainly not confined to buildings. Instead, we appreciate and respect that our natural world and surroundings provide the perfect environment for experiential learning. Outdoor education, adventure and appreciation is woven into the fabric of our school, and from the youngest students in ECU to those in 8th grade, they all get to learn from the outdoor environment and the larger world.

All children love the outdoors, and in ECU and lower grades, students are enthusiastic as they are introduced to environmental science. They garden on campus, take field trips to farms, dairies, the forest, river, or ocean, raise butterflies for release and, in fourth and fifth grades, camp overnight under the stars and trees. Each adventure leads to new discoveries and fuels an enthusiasm for what the outdoor world offers.

For middle school students, the Environmental Education program has a comprehensive curriculum and builds on their earlier years of experiences. In addition to more research-based field trips, students in sixth grade attend Camp Sea Lab, seventh graders experience a week-long adventure program to the Marin Headlands and eighth grade culminates in an exciting week’s adventure to Yosemite. From hiking to skiing to team-building activities, these trips not only provide rich and breathtaking environments to study, but emphasize teamwork, camaraderie, confidence, and respect for self, others and the environment. They are where memories of a lifetime are made.