Educational Overview

Naturalists at Large’s experience has been that the students’ participation in the process of learning and living together provides the basic framework for a successful outdoor program. The program will emphasize outdoor skills, along with an introduction to the various environments of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Naturalists at Large takes responsibility for evening activities.

Naturalists at Large instructors work with their groups to teach basic outdoor skills and conduct outdoor education activities on local trails. Students are constantly encouraged to solve problems posed by the Naturalists at Large instructors, comprised of both intellectual problems and well thought-out and well executed physical problems (i.e. initiative activities). Each trail group is with a Naturalists at Large naturalist-instructor, and a faculty or parent chaperon each day for the entire program.

Activities can include:

• Natural History Hikes
• Study of human impact on the surrounding forest
• Challenge/ropes course, initiatives, group activities
• Coastal range natural history, group and individual challenges
• Introduction to environmental science concepts
• Use of playing fields

Options

• Farming at Green Oaks Creek Farm
• Kayaking at Elkhorn Slough
• Año Nuevo State Park – home of the Elephant Seals
• Tidepooling at Bean Hollow State Beach