Muddy Sneakers, Broader Minds: Learning Hits The Trail
My students need the opportunity to participate in Muddy Sneakers, an experiential learning program connecting students in Western North Carolina to their natural world.
My students are excited to experience real-world science in the great outdoors of Western North Carolina! The six local Muddy Sneakers expeditions will enrich the fifth grade science curriculum, build self esteem, and increase student engagement and motivation throughout the school year and beyond!
Our Title I school serves a diverse population of learners.
Our caring professionals meet the needs of approximately 600 students.
I will be teaching science and social studies to 77 excited fifth graders this year! My students often come to me with varying degrees of scientific background knowledge and experiences with nature. While some students get the chance to participate in organized extracurricular sports, I find that many have not been given meaningful opportunities to interact with their natural world through hikes and excursions. Some students have limited access to Western North Carolina's natural areas due to low social economic status, lack of transportation, or language barriers that can limit awareness of local wilderness areas.
I believe all students deserve to explore and enjoy the outdoors in a safe, nurturing environment. I want to help create a comfortable learning experience that supports my students while challenging them to inquire more about their world.
My Project
Muddy Sneakers is a nonprofit group that enrolls schools in a minimum of six expeditions each school year. Trips are led by trained Muddy Sneakers instructors in local parks and nature preserves. I have carefully selected topics to support my instruction and extend my students' knowledge of the content. The topics I have chosen include aquatic ecosystems, forces and motion, energy, weather, and living systems. Through interactive hikes, writing activities, observations, experiments, and games, Muddy Sneakers instructors nurture a love of learning and science exploration.
After each excursion, students will reflect on their learning and connect their daily classroom activities to the science content they experienced and enjoyed with Muddy Sneakers. To accomplish this our class will be constructing persuasive essays, diagramming, composing poetry, and writing letters allowing students to further demonstrate their understanding of the science material they explored.
Our fifth grade students were fortunate to start Muddy Sneakers last year.
Many students said the excursions were the best part of their fifth grade experience! I watched my students' confidence soar as they were encouraged to explore, question, and interact with their world. Also, science test scores rose 14% from the previous year as a result of our school's involvement. This year we face budget cuts. Please help me continue to give my young scientists meaningful outdoor experiences!
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Hammond and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
