This fall Heritage Conservancy initiated four new after-school nature programs for middle and grade school students in Bristol Township School District. The programs served over 60 kids, teaching them about nature and their local outdoor environment.

“Students really enjoyed the activities,” said Kaylyn Brindisi, Community Programs Associate at Heritage Conservancy, who led the programs. “A number of them said that learning more and getting involved made them hopeful for the future. It was empowering for them when learning about and living with the effects of climate change.”

Elementary School Children After-School Learning

Heritage Conservancy ran two programs for grades 3 and 4, one at Brookwood Elementary, the other at Keystone Elementary, where a longstanding partnership includes an outdoor classroom, wildlife tracking tower, a Tree Guardian program, and other environmental education.

Together the two programs served 46 kids and included nature journaling, relaxation, local litter cleanups, and educational games. Activities taught the kids about the local watershed, the interior life of trees, bird migration, the small macroinvertebrates that live in healthy streams, and more.

“They had so much energy,” said Kaylyn. “I couldn’t believe how excited they were to join activities after sitting in a classroom all day. It really inspired me.” Kaylyn is photographed above with some samples of a leaf activity that was particularly popular with the kids at Brookwood.

Students shared excited feedback. “I love sharing with my family and friends,” said Amelia. Emily said she learned about “how our lifestyles could affect the earth.”

Mia Hibbs works with Kaylyn to lead after-school groups. She was struck that the kids served by our programs have grown up with the climate crisis, and it’s the only reality they have known. “They are so much smarter than we think they are,” she says. And she and Kaylyn build problem-solving and solutions into their outreach.

Kaylyn Brindisi (left) ran programs with Mia Hibbs (right), one of Heritage Conservancy’s Part-time Educators.

Middle School Tweens and Nature Clubs

Heritage Conservancy ran after-school nature clubs at Neil A. Armstrong and Ben Franklin Middle Schools, with smaller groupings of 6 – 10 students at its meetings.

Like the elementary school programs, the clubs focused on the natural spaces immediately surrounding the school. “We want the kids to see nature as something they live with and belong in, not a space they have to drive to,” says Kaylyn. “Focusing on their local surroundings gives them a sense of place and responsibility.”

Mia likes working with both age groups but really enjoyed going deeper with the older kids. “We had interesting conversations that went beyond basics like recycling. We talked about consuming less, being smart and conscious with our buying choices, the problem with single-use plastics.”

The older participants focused on nature journaling, trash cleanup on the grounds of the school, and activities that helped them connect to their environment – birdwatching and learning to identify local trees by their leaves. “To name it is to value it,” says Kaylyn.

Mia says that they especially enjoyed the trash cleanup on the grounds around their schools, feeling that connection to place and the ability to make a direct difference where they study every day.

The programs ran for 6 weeks this past fall, and spring plans are just starting.

“I love hearing about the kids’ experiences and memories of nature – fishing with parents, walking in the woods,” says Kaylyn “These early and ongoing experiences are fundamental to creating future stewards of nature.”