Natural History Museum of Utah takes Learning Outdoors with iUTAH

The Natural History Museum of Utah sponsored a series of outdoor learning activities for K-12 students to provide them with the opportunity to conduct their own hands-on water research at the Bear River Watershed in Northern, Utah.

Activities included a series of water workshops, water tests and scientific discussions focusing on the topic of water sustainability."The outdoors is a great place to integrate the curriculum!" said Jessica Wright, a participant from Viewmont Elementary. "There are so many subject areas that can be integrated through learning outdoors. Students can use research skills as they research to find out more and they can use math skills as they analyze data they find."

Aaron Daniels, a participating teacher from Murray High School, commented on the impact of the outdoor learning activities had on his students."Learning outdoors allows for an authentic experience where students are involved in their own learning. They are observing, questioning, making inferences and writing it down so they can learn from it. They are thinking about themselves and how they are a part of their surroundings. They can learn that they can make a difference."

Additional iUTAH outdoor learning activities will strive to promote these same educational learning values within educational institutions throughout the state.