Branching Out (5th-Grade)

Branching Out is our new monthly field study program that “branched out” from Taking Root in 2021. This program is for 5th-grade students throughout the Owens Valley. It is supported by partnerships with the Bishop Pauite Tribe and Big Pine Paiute Tribe, the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA), the Eastern Sierra Land Trust (ESLT), Friends of the Inyo (FOI), and the Eastern Sierra Institute for Collaborative Education (ESICE). The monthly lessons are presented by docent instructors. The docents and teachers walk their classes to a field site near their schools for an hour and a half lesson in the skills of a scientist, such as observation, documentation, experimentation, and journaling. This program is meant to support and extend Science Camp experience and learning for those 5th-graders that attend. In our first year, we ended with a small service project to give back, which we hope to continue doing!

If you are interested in becoming a docent and committing to teaching a class of 5th-grade students field lessons approximately one day every two months from September through May, we’d love to hear from you! Training, lesson plans, materials, and support are provided. 

Exploring Extreme Environments Through Hands-On Science

Family Science Nights are held every other year in February, alternating with the Inyo County Science Fair. The event was developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science in conjunction with the Eastern Sierra Institute for Collaborative Education. The events are now coordinated by Inyo County Office of Education in collaboration with the schools, teachers, volunteers, and science docents. At the events, there are several stations where students and their families can come and explore learning about our local environment through fun hands-on activities. The target audience includes elementary to middle school students in grades 3 – 8 and their families. All students must be accompanied by a parent, and younger siblings are welcome! These fun events are open to the public from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

What better place to study natural science than the meadows, streams, and deserts of the great outdoors? That’s what 5th and/or 6th-grade students get to do for a week at Science Camp with their classroom teachers and Field Science Instructors. Our Science Camp is not just camp, it is part of School – it is Outdoor Science School. We believe that the best science classroom has no walls! We will be learning about geology from inside a volcano – exploring lava tubes on Crater Mountain! We will study Ecosystems, Adaptations, Geology, Astronomy, and more in the Outdoor Classroom. We’ll be living, eating, breathing, singing, and acting out our Science lessons while having a great time in the outdoors.

Camp is usually held in October of each year. Classroom teachers will send camp information and registration materials home in September. See parent handbooks online for more information.

High School students who are interested in science, the outdoors, and leadership are encouraged to volunteer as counselors for Science Camp. They can earn up to 50 hours of community service credit, get a letter of reference, and valuable leadership training and experience.

5 day overnight camp at Sierra Adventure Center near Big Pine

• Archery and Whittling
• Hiking and Exploration
• Swimming (at Bishop City pool or OVUSD pool with lifeguards)
• Creek Stomp
• Arts and Crafts
• Fun and Games
• Talent Night
• Sleep under the stars (Thursday night)
   

Instructors: Most current instructors are teachers during the school year who love kids and getting outdoors – we are so very lucky to have such wonderful instructors to make this experience for campers not only fun (and secretly educational at times), but safe and supportive as well.

Philosophy: Summer Camp is a chance for children to become more self-reliant, to challenge themselves in a safe environment of support and supervision, to grow, and to be proud of themselves for what they accomplish. This is an outdoor, nature camp, away from electronics, cell phones, video games, and other distractions of modern life. It is a chance for kids to get to just be kids and become comfortable having outdoor adventures. We start each day with appreciations, and actively work toward creating a kind, cooperative, supportive community during the week, and at our closing ceremony, the effects of that focus are evident in the wonderful things campers say.

As with all of our outdoor education programs, our goal is to create an experience that is student-centered, nature-centered, meaningful and memorable.

Dates:

• Boys’ Week 2024: June 16-20, 2025
• Girls’ Week 2024: June 23-June 27, 2025