Balarat Outdoor Education

Outdoor Education for Denver Public Schools

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Igniting Curiosity and Confidence through Experiences in the Natural World.

Due to COVID-19, overnight excursions have been suspended.

We currently serving 5th grade classes through day trips, remote trips, and asynchronous learning options.

We are continuing to follow DPS protocol to protect the health and safety of all students and our employees.

DPS COVID-19 Resources

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🌲 @denverpublicschools outdoor ed program
👩🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 We teach over 10,000 students annually
🏔 #getoutdoors
⬇️ Tap for remote learning videos!

🌲🤘🏽 The stoke is so real y’all! 🤘🏽🌲

Today our fifth grade friends from Asbury Elementary helped us plant over 200 Ponderosa Pine seedlings that were so graciously donated to us by @co_nature !!

It will be so wonderful to see the new growth transform this burn area and remember all those that were involved in making the transformation happen!

The more creek crossings the better! That’s what

The more creek crossings the better! That’s what we always say 😎🥾

And YES we still have snow!!!

Team Game Tuesdays but make it science! After a t

Team Game Tuesdays but make it science!
After a thorough creek investigation teams picked their boats of choice to race down the mini river! The Lightning Bugs and The Velociraptors chose burned pieces of wood thinking of the buoyancy factor!
However The Tigers were the stars of the show when the pine cone they chose as their boat dominated the race when it didn’t get stuck on any obstacle!
At the end of the day they learned a lot about the flow of the river and which natural boats were best!

The @nationalparkservice website is an incredible

The @nationalparkservice website is an incredible resource when it comes to exploring and hearing the stories of Asian American and Pacific Islanders that are preserved in parks, memorials and historic sites all across the nation!

Some of the places you see pictured here from their website include :

📍Hakone Historic District in California: a series of gardens that make up the oldest Japanese- style country villa in the Western Hemisphere.

📍Downtown Historic District ( Chinatown ), Washington DC
In the 1930’s DC’s Chinatown moved from another part of the downtown district to where it is today.

📍Huilia Fishponds, Hawaii: out of the 97 fishponds once on the coast of Oahu, this is 1 of only 6 that still exist today!

📍Stedman-Thomas Historic District, Alaska: considered a cultural melting pot for those working in Alaska’s fishing industry!

Visit nps.gov for more AAPI Heritage places and stories and learn about the rich history each place holds!!

MAJOR SHOUTOUT to our friends @coloradonps for com

MAJOR SHOUTOUT to our friends @coloradonps for coming up to campus and letting our teachers be students for the day!

Slowing down and exploring these native plants, their benefits to our environment, and all the cool facts about them was a cherry on top of a fabulous week at Balarat!

Down the ladder and over the bridge to the creek e

Down the ladder and over the bridge to the creek exploration WE GOOOOO 🎶

Do you notice any remnants of the 2013 flood or the 2020 wildfire??

Our students sure did! The amount of in depth science discussion yesterday was out of this world!

While it’s been raining down in town Balarat has

While it’s been raining down in town Balarat has been getting a wild amount of wet spring snow!
We are living for the new seasonal ponds and creeks popping up all over campus now as a result 😍😍😍

WE LOVE OUR TEACHERS! 📝🍎 This program would

WE LOVE OUR TEACHERS! 📝🍎

This program wouldn’t be what it is today without their dedication to the the students, the curriculum and to nature!

Write in the comments below a memory you have with a past or current Balarat teacher!!

The month of May marks two particularly significan

The month of May marks two particularly significant events in the AAPI community in the US, which is why this month was chosen to commemorate the stories, contributions and experiences of Asians and Pacific Islanders!

May 7, 1843 the very first Japanese immigrant, a 14 year old boy named Manjito, arrived in America!

May 10, 1869 was the day the transcontinental railroad was completed! This is significant because roughly 20,000 Chinese immigrants worked to complete it!

Over 100 years later President Carter signed the first presidential proclamation for Asian/ Pacific Islander Heritage Week in 1972. However, in 1992 congress passed an amendment for the US to observe AAPI Heritage for the entire month of May.

We will continue to learn and uplift AAPI voices, history, and accomplishments!

If you didn’t slide down Buck point, did you rea

If you didn’t slide down Buck point, did you really hike up Buck Point?!

While the teaching staff is out exploring with stu

While the teaching staff is out exploring with students, our AMAZING caretakers are busy working on different projects around the site!

They have been working tirelessly on Spruce Lodge, giving it some much needed TLC!

This is just a little sneak peak of what’s going on! Can’t wait to show you all the beautiful upgrades they have done on one of our oldest buildings!

Yesterday was a good day! The weather cooperated l

Yesterday was a good day! The weather cooperated long enough for us to conduct our very first POND STUDY of the season!

Our fifth grade scientist from Place Bridge Academy took samples from the surface, the column, and the bottom of our pond and were able to conclude that our pond is healthy based on all the living organisms they were able to spot!

The learning and fun never stops in outdoor education!

Team Game Tuesdays are here! Pictured: Team Jump

Team Game Tuesdays are here!

Pictured: Team Jump Rope and the objective is to get the whole team from one side to the other without touching the rope in as few rope swings as possible!

During this wild year we try to squeeze some team games into each and every day trip!

Communicating in an effective way and collaborating as a team are important life skills and the more chances students get to practice those skills the easier teamwork becomes no matter the task at hand!

Wishing Instagram had a sniff function so you all

Wishing Instagram had a sniff function so you all could understand just how much this area still smells after the October #calwood wildfire!

Every time we hike kids toward this crown fire area they erupt in remarks of how much they can smell the burn before they can even see its lasting effects!

Smell is a great way to make observations and we love teaching them that!

There’s SNOW place like Balarat ✌🏾❄️

There’s SNOW place like Balarat ✌🏾❄️

HAPPY EARTH DAY 🌱 🌎 You don’t need to be

HAPPY EARTH DAY 🌱 🌎

You don’t need to be perfect at being sustainable! Just start making small habits and small changes for a big impact!

We love our mother, and let’s do our part to show that!

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Phone: (720) 424-2940 Office: CMS Community School, Room #206, 1300 South Lowell Blvd., Denver, CO 80219

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