SNR, Community Learning Centers pair up for Backpacks for Adventure

Delanie Bruce, senior fisheries and wildlife major, prepares fish flash cards for the Backpacks for Adventure program. | Shawna Richter-Ryerson, Natural Resources
Delanie Bruce, senior fisheries and wildlife major, prepares fish flash cards for the Backpacks for Adventure program. | Shawna Richter-Ryerson, Natural Resources

It’s a simple idea that will bring science learning and exploration to underserved youth one themed backpack at a time.

And last weekend, Backpacks for Adventure, a collaboration between the School of Natural Resources, the Center for Civic Engagement and the Community Learning Centers at Lincoln Public Schools, kicked off with the help of the Environmental Education class in Hardin Hall.

For several weeks, the SNR students made cold-calls and dropped by shops to garner donated materials around the themes: birds, nocturnal animals, aquatic life, mammals, insects and plant identification. They gathered fishing line, seeds, bird identification books, fish identification cards and feathers. They made simple fishing poles out of sticks and created themed games that would encourage the children to get outdoors and explore nature.

Last weekend, 60 backpacks, 10 each of six themes, were filled with the hope that they will encourage students and their families to explore the outdoors, connect with nature and learn about science.

“Our program may unearth a lifelong interest in science, nature, sustainability and the outdoors,” wrote Lisa Pennisi, SNR associate professor of practice, in a letter to donors. “With your help, we may inspire the next generation of scientists and naturalist who will transform our community.”

Kathie Phillips, curriculum specialist with Lincoln Public Schools Community Learning Centers, said the program will target elementary and middle school age students who attend the Audubon Spring Creek Prairie summer camps in 2017. For the last two years, students who attended were from Title I Schools in Lincoln, students who live in neighborhoods that have high levels of poverty.

“These students often lack opportunities to explore nature and the outdoors, as their world exists in the inner-city neighborhoods within Lincoln,” Phillips said. “At the end of the week of camp, one can see the joy that comes with discovery and exploration on the faces of all the campers.”

The summer camp traditionally ends with a family picnic, where campers share their experiences on the prairie with their families. Next summer, Phillips hopes to engage those families with Backpacks for Adventure, which will extend the learning “into the hearts and homes of the campers.”

“We believe that students do better in school when their parents are engaged in their child’s education,” Phillips said. “The backpacks will provide the activities and materials needed to extend the learning from the prairie into the context of the outdoors within the city – and all family members could participate in these backpack adventures.”

Families may end up keeping the backpack for one week or two, whatever each CLC site decides is best for its students.

If the program is successful, if students do check out and use the backpacks, Phillips would like to see the program extended to the other areas of STEM, Language Arts and Social Studies, with an emphasis on family reading time.

The SNR students are rooting for a successful program. They gave it the best foundation they could, mixing fun with education and creativity. As they boxed up fishing bobbers, nature flash cards, plant bingo games and books for the backpacks, a little bit of their love of nature, a little bit of their hearts, went with it.

- Shawna Richter-Ryerson, Natural Resources

More details at: http://snr.unl.edu