outdoor curricular support that integrated physical activity with other subjects. We recognized that ski trips could be expanded into a learning experience that integrated lessons of physical education, health, science and local history and culture. In the past, local schools have collaborated with the hill for low-cost field trips during the week, but volunteers wanted to enrich this experience. The education students at Cape Breton University and instructors from the ski school at Ben Eoin (15 in total) formed an eager group of guides and a local elementary school volunteered to pilot the 20-hectare classroom in February 2016.


The 20 Hectare Classroom Pilot Program “I think they think they go there just for fun but when they


get there and figure out it’s educational it’s like I’m finally learning something that is fun…It’s Fun-er.” (Grade 5 participant in pilot project at 20 Hectare Classroom)


Forty-five students from Grade four and five in Jubilee


elementary school (Sydney Mines) came out to the hill for a full day of winter sports. There were challenges in work- ing with two different grades and challenges in familiar- izing children with snow sports that many had not previ- ously experienced. Two different programs were designed to align with the school curriculum and to allow children to participate in the snow sport of their choice. Both programs were embedded in a holistic understanding of our place in the natural world, and also guided by Mi’kmaw philosophy. The grade four students took part in a program called ‘B.E. Survivor’ which focused on animal habitats in relation to adaptations and behaviour for survival in winter. The grade five program was called ‘B.E. Rescuer’ and focused on the physics of movement on snow. For both of these programs, follow up in the classroom and discussions at the hill were critical for students to develop deeper understandings of concepts, but the experience on the hill allowed them to relate complicated concepts to activities they had conducted.


Making Community Partnerships Work Based on the results of our pilot project we have identi-


fied three critical points to ensure your project can get the momentum to come together effectively. Giving everyone a specific job: We needed four basic


volunteer types: sport leaders, science/history experts, activ- ity support leaders and school liaisons. Sport leaders were those that could teach the sport skills needed, while science/ history experts provided knowledge either on the hill or in the planning of activities. The activity support leaders in our case were education students who lead the educational portion of the programs while the school liaisons did the preliminary work with teachers as well as follow up. In some cases, volunteers were able to play multiple roles and selected their role based on the time they had available. On the day of the event, we also had an event coordinator who worked at the hill and was essential to the smooth running of the day. Preparing people for their jobs: Preliminary meetings


with volunteers were critical to success. All support people had to be properly equipped beforehand with tasks and infor- mation specific to their role. In some cases, this required a bit of re-thinking about what it means to volunteer for your


child’s field trip. Many parents were familiar with the posi- tion of chaperone that involves drinking hot chocolate in the ski lodge, but we were asking for something different – we wanted everyone on the hill actively learning. To do this effectively, we needed to provide volunteers with as much information as we could about what to expect on the day and what we expected from them. Collaboration with teachers: The experiential learning


provided by the activities on the hill was just the beginning of learning. To fully engage the children in thinking about their experience time to reflect and discuss activities in a comfortable space was needed. Collaboration with the teach- ers to prepare students prior to arrival as well as to follow up with learning activities in the classroom was essential. In our case, we prepared follow up literacy, social studies and sci- ence activities that built on the hill experiences that could be used by the teachers when they returned to class. The more your partner teachers can develop and share pre and post- activities for the classroom the deeper the experience. Be flexible: The week before our event, temperatures


warmed and we lost a lot of snow. We needed a plan B, a plan C and a plan D for all of the variables that affected the day, including weather. When you go outside with so many volunteers, you need to be prepared to change plans quickly. Pre-planned slow-down periods allowed us to time to adjust plans as needed but having a set of backup plans at the ready also streamline the process. A community partnership can be a way forward when


taking children outside. By building on the infrastructure and strengths of the community many of the barriers around safety procedures and equipment are alleviated. From an educational perspective, combining exercise with academic learning is effective in that the students participate with all of their senses. A community-run ski hill is a good place to safely develop opportunities with adaptations for all learn- ers not only because of the equipment, but because of its’ network of community-minded volunteers. By mobilizing people projects can achieve far greater outcomes than they would alone on your school grounds.


Kathy Snow is an assistant professor of education at Cape Breton University, in Sydney, Nova Scotia, who focuses on science and technology education through teaching and outreach activities. Annamarie Hatcher holds an Adjunct Professor’s position in Unama’ki College, Cape Breton University and is on the board of Governors of the Bras d’Or Lake Biosphere Reserve Association. Full details of the les- sons can be found at http://blbra.ca and www.cbuask.ca/.


Notes


1. Louv, R., 2010. Do our kids have nature-deficit disorder? Health and Learn- ing, December 2009/January 2010 | Volume 67 | Number 4, Pages 24-30


2. Dhanapal, S. & Lim, C., 2013. A comparative study of the impacts and stu- dents perceptions of Indoor and outdoor learning in the science classroom, Asia-Pacific forum on Science Learning and Teaching 14:2


3. Larouche, R., Garriguet, D., Gunnell, K., Goldfield, G., & Tremblay, M., 2016. Outdoor time, physical activity, sedentary time, and health indicators at ages 7 to 14: 2012/2013 Canadian Measures Survey, Health Reports 27:9, 3-13.


4. Muthersbaough, D., Kern, A., Charvoz, R. (2014). Impact through images: exploring student understanding of environmental science through integrated place-based lessons in the elementary classroom. Journal of Research in Child- hood Education 28: 3, 313-326.


5. (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/) GREEN TEACHER 113 Page 9


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