Balarat Outdoor Education

Outdoor Education for Denver Public Schools

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Igniting Curiosity and Confidence through Experiences in the Natural World.

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🌲 @denverpublicschools outdoor ed program
👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 We teach 10,000 students annually
🏔 #getoutdoors
📰 Check us out in the Denver Post! ⬇️

Students last week got rewarded at the end of thei

Students last week got rewarded at the end of their 6 mile hike up Fairview with this gorgeous rainbow! Think they found the pot of gold? 🌈🍯

#outdooreducation #hiking #denverpublicschools #education

Morning walk appreciation post!! 🌅🌄 Every m

Morning walk appreciation post!! 🌅🌄

Every morning at Balarat, students get to start their day with a peaceful walk and spend some time watching the sun rise. It’s one of our favorite daily routines at Balarat!

#sunrise #morningroutine #outdooreducation #denverpublicschools

Special shoutout today for our weekly 3rd grade pr

Special shoutout today for our weekly 3rd grade program to Genesee Park and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science! While our 5th grade trips are the bulk of what we do at Balarat, our DPS 3rd graders can also get a special opportunity to head up to Genesee park for a day trip to see some wildlife, investigate nature, and take a beautiful hike!

#scienceducation #outdoored #outdooreducation #denverpublicschools

Time for another Fun Fact Friday: Tree Edition!

Time for another Fun Fact Friday: Tree Edition!

One of our favorite trees at Balarat and Colorado as a whole is the much loved Aspen tree. Known for its vibrant colors and fall foliage the Aspen tree is a Colorado hit! But there’s so much more going on below the surface (literally!) While it may seem like one stand , or cluster, of Aspen trees is full of many individual trees, a peek underground would show you that they’re all connected through one root system, making it one giant organism. They can even have the same genetic makeup!

Check out these pictures of some of our students enjoying the magic of one of our Balarat Aspen Groves.

Today commemorates the 4 year anniversary of the C

Today commemorates the 4 year anniversary of the Cal-Wood fire which ignited on property adjacent to Balarat. It burned more than 10,113 acres and 26 structures were lost or damaged before the fire reached 100% containment. Thankfully Balarat was located on the back burn of the fire and did not suffer catastrophic damage.

Now, four years later, Balarat students have the unique opportunity to investigate a forest that is recovering from the effects of a wildfire. Our students get to ask important questions about the impacts (both good and bad) that a wildfire can have on a forest ecosystem. Check out these “now and then” photos to see for yourself how the Balarat ecosystem has changed and grown since the fire.

Today is Indigenous Peoples day! Balarat exists on

Today is Indigenous Peoples day! Balarat exists on the ancestral homelands of the Hinóno’éí (Arapaho),Tsitsistas (Cheyenne), and Nuciu/Nuuchu (Ute) Nations, and Colorado encompasses the ancestral homelands of 48 tribes. Currently, the City and
County of Denver and the surrounding communities are home to descendants of approximately 100 tribal nations. Today is a day of reflection, recognition, celebration and education. Please join us in celebrating the First Nations peoples histories and cultures!

It's time for Fun Fact Friday! Here at Balarat, an

It's time for Fun Fact Friday! Here at Balarat, and all over Colorado, there are thousands of Ponderosa Pine trees. These trees are incredibly unique for the scent of butterscotch or vanilla that their sap produces. This scent comes from the chemicals in the bark called terpenes. When birds come to eat insects nesting in the Ponderosas bark, they alter the chemical composition of the terpenes making the Pine more resistant to parasites and plant-eating insects! So next time you are wandering the forests of Colorado, give them a smell!

The Fall Equinox is here! Here are some fun facts

The Fall Equinox is here! Here are some fun facts about the changing of the season. - You know Fall is here when the trees start to get ready for winter. As the days grow shorter there is not enough time for photosynthesis for trees to create the chemical (chlorophyll) that gives the leafs their green color. Hence the leafs turning a vibrant reddish yellow. -The word equinox comes from the Latin equi (meaning equal) and nox (meaning night) accounting for the equinox marking the time when day and night are of equal length. Get ready to break out the warm clothes and holiday decorations! How else do you get ready for Fall?

Last week Balarat hosted this Fall Semester’s Hi

Last week Balarat hosted this Fall Semester’s High School Leaders at our site to familiarize them with our program and their role in it. They learned everything from Western and Mining History to how to lead Team Games.

We are very excited about this semesters leaders. Balarat would be almost impossible to run without our amazing high schoolers!

Do you know any high school students in Denver Public Schools? Tell them to check out our website and contact their school counselor if they have any interest joining us for a semester at Balarat!

Flashback Friday! Anyone think they can guess what

Flashback Friday! Anyone think they can guess what year this photo was taken?

#flashbackfriday #orienteering #outdooreducation #denverpublicschools

Welcome back to school DPS! Our staff is so excite

Welcome back to school DPS! Our staff is so excited to have students back on site. In preparation for your return we have been hard at work learning new skills and getting ready to give 5th graders the best year of Balarat ever! Check out some of what we’ve been up to! 🐻🪨🫎⚒️

Pics 1-2: staff training with @coparkswildlife to learn more about our furry friends up at Balarat!

Pics 3-4: Our staff getting to take a deep dive into the exciting geology of Balarat!

Pic 5: Track chair training with Staunton State Park to continue to make Balarat a more accessible place!

#outdooreducation #denverpublicschools #geology #lifelonglearner #parksandwildlife #wildlifeawareness

The water is flowing at Balarat and our students a

The water is flowing at Balarat and our students are finding all sorts of cool critters! 🐛🪲

#outdooreducation #outdoored #denverpublicschools #streamecology

Swinging into spring break! 🌞Have a great break

Swinging into spring break! 🌞Have a great break everyone!

🎵Do you want to build a snowBEAR ☃️🎵 Ch

🎵Do you want to build a snowBEAR ☃️🎵

Check out these impressive snow sculptors in our throwback Thursday!

#throwbackthursday #outdooreducation #denverpublicschools

Buckle up for another Meet The Staff Monday!!! 👏

🪲Gabe was born and raised in Tacoma, WA where he spent much of his time outdoors looking for the coolest insects and birds. Still looking high and low for organisms of all sizes he is honored with the opportunity to inspire and share that curiosity with DPS students. His favorite thing about working at Balarat is that each class is so different that ever day on campus is a new adventure. Gabe also has some fun answers to our getting to know you questions!

🐞What is your favorite hobby?
-Looking for bugs

🐛What is your favorite season?
- Spring because all the bugs get resurrected

🐜What is your ideal sandwhich?
-sourdough with pepper jack and Vegan nuggets, honey mustard and Buffalo sauce, tomato, pickles, and banana peppers. Mmmmmmmm

Inquiry Fever! 🔬🧬🥼🪨🏔️❓ Thanks

Inquiry Fever! 🔬🧬🥼🪨🏔️❓

Thanks @beetlesproject for so many fun science lessons!

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Contact Us

Phone: (720) 424-2940

E-mail: balarat-staff@dpsk12.net

Office: CMS Community School, Room #206,
1300 South Lowell Blvd., Denver, CO 80219

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