Give The Gift of Outdoor Education This Holiday Season
MetroParks' new Access to Nature Scholarship Fund kicks off on #GivingTuesday
Give The Gift of Outdoor Education This Holiday Season
The holidays are a time to embrace the giving spirit, and Annabelle Howe is giving back to her peers through outdoor education. Howe, 13, is a seventh grade student at Brookville Intermediate School and a Five Rivers MetroParks volunteer.
Howe has always expressed an appreciation for nature, but it wasn’t until Howe’s mother enrolled her in MetroParks’ Conservation Kids programming that she flourished both as an environmental steward and social butterfly.
“Annabelle started the Conservation Kids program about two years ago,” said Howe’s mother, Julie Howe. “She loved her volunteer program leaders and learning about nature.”
Howe is on the autism spectrum and hasn’t always found socializing an easy task. Conservation Kids — a Five Rivers MetroParks program in which children complete a series of environmental education programs and a peer-based conservation project — helped Howe make a connection to nature and her peers.
“She likes to talk to people and teach them new things when she volunteers,” Julie Howe said. “She’s in her element when she’s outside.”
Howe now volunteers with her family as often as she can, educating her peers on the importance of insects and their role in the ecosystem.
“Annabelle is serving her community, fostering environmental awareness and flourishing,” said Five Rivers MetroParks education coordinator Joshua York. “These kids are recognizing their power as leaders within the community and helping others understand that through protecting nature, we protect ourselves.”
A new Access to Nature Scholarship Fund developed by the Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation will provide financial assistance for qualified families who want to participate in fee-based MetroParks programs. Fundraising for the scholarship program begins on #GivingTuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, and will focus on collecting funds from individual donors to cover fees for summer camp programming in 2017.
#GivingTuesday, a global day of charitable giving, is an opportunity to kick off the holiday season by giving back to local communities and causes.
“So many kids spend time inside,” said Julie Howe. “The scholarship program will allow kids to get outside and learn.”
According to Oxford Learning, there is a substantial need for keeping children’s brains active and engaged during the summer. During summer break, students lose the equivalent of one month of classroom competency. This learning loss — commonly referred to as the summer slide — disproportionally affects children in lower-income households. The summer slide can be combated by keeping children’s brains actively engaged during the summer months, and camps are a great opportunity for students to have fun while exercising their minds.
“Spending time outside makes children happier, healthier and smarter,” said Doug Horvath, Five Rivers MetroParks education coordinator.
Children who play outside are more fit, have better critical thinking skills and score higher on standardized tests in math, reading, writing and listening, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Five Rivers MetroParks offers a variety of summer camps that encourage children to explore nature and learn new skills. Funds will be collected to support scholarships for summer camps throughout the holiday season.
Individuals who wish to donate to the Five Rivers MetroParks Access to Nature Scholarship Fund can visit metroparks.org/donate.
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