August 26th marked the first Seeds of Stewardship outing of the 2021-2022 school year! In fact, it was the first outing we’ve gotten to do with a school group since the lockdown started in March 2020. It was wonderful to once again bring the classroom outdoors. SoS instructors met Flagstaff Junior Academy fifth graders in Mrs. Chapman’s classroom for an […]
Read moreFor our last outing, we wanted to celebrate. Over the winter season of After School on the AZT, participants collectively hiked and cross country skied 104 miles; each spent 18 hours learning and adventuring outdoors; visited 6 unique sections of the Arizona Trail; and engaged in numerous outdoor skills and ecology-based lessons. Immeasurable, but perhaps even more important this season, […]
Read moreOn February 17, After School on the AZT spent a brisk afternoon hiking at Rocky Ridge, learning proper muddy trail etiquette, and diving into the fascinating topic of public lands. With the recent snowmelt, we were very intentional about where we chose to hold this outing. Because, in Flagstaff, wet trails mean muddy trails, and traveling on muddy trails can […]
Read moreFor our fourth outing of winter After School on the AZT, we met for an afternoon of hiking, team building, and some good ol’ forest relaxation. It was a lovely afternoon, which only seemed to get sunnier and more pleasant as we progressed along the trail. The Arizona Trail led us toward a beautiful view of Mount Elden, passing […]
Read moreThirty inches of snow! Sitting at 8,000 feet, Arizona Nordic Village finally got plenty of snow to open for snowsports. Thirty inches from one storm! The accumulation was exciting, as it meant opportunities for snowshoeing and cross country skiing awaited us—alas! After School on the AZT participants had been looking forward to this for weeks. The storm was backed by […]
Read moreThe day before our second After School on the AZT outing, we were finally graced with some snow. Up until this last snowstorm, it had been a really dry winter in Flagstaff; the precipitation was worth celebrating. On January 20, our small group met up at the Kachina Trailhead for a hike on a beautiful, sunny afternoon. Our goal for […]
Read moreTwenty-twenty-fun here we go! Tis a new year and a new season for Seeds of Stewardship’s extracurricular program! Last fall, in response to some of the challenges our community faced throughout the pandemic—a lack of opportunities for youth socialization, increased human impacts on trails, elevated strains on families, more hours spent on screens, the list goes on—we launched After School […]
Read moreOn January 29, 2020, 16 fifth graders from Ms. Maggie’s class at Mountain Charter School strapped on snowshoes for their first outing with Seeds of Stewardship. We shared a wintery day full of learning, ecology, and group-forming at the Flagstaff Nordic Village. Most students had never been snowshoeing before and were surprised to find that it was a lot like […]
Read moreOn December 17, 2019, 14 fifth graders from Mrs. Chapman’s class at Flagstaff Junior Academy Middle School braved a particularly chilly morning in pursuit of adventure, discovery, and expression. Our goals were to identify why we felt connections with certain special places, to deepen our sense of place in Flagstaff’s local environment, and to create meaningful collages using natural materials. […]
Read moreAuthored by Kim Cleary On September 19, 15 students from Mrs. Chapman’s fifth grade class at Flagstaff Junior Academy ventured into the Coconino National Forest along the Arizona Trail to observe and learn about the fire-dependent ponderosa pine ecosystem they live in. Being their first outing with Seeds of Stewardship, students were introduced to our program as well as the […]
Read moreOn November 18, 2019, 19 fifth graders from Mr. Ross’s class at Flagstaff Junior Academy Middle School explored Picture Canyon via a three mile loop, encompassing part of the Arizona Trail’s Elden Mountain Passage 32. Our goal was to infer why and how the Sinagua People lived in Picture Canyon approximately 1,000 years ago. We would accomplish this goal by […]
Read moreCo-authored by Kim Cleary On October 8, 2019, Seeds of Stewardship, equipped with a pile of topo maps and a box of compasses, met 18 sixth and seventh grade students enrolled in Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy’s Outdoor Exploration class. Over the course of a class period, we introduced students to the Arizona Trail, Seeds of Stewardship, and foundational map […]
Read moreOn October 3, 2019, 132 students from Mount Elden Middle School’s 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes visited Campbell Mesa to learn about human relationships with nature and our impacts on the environment. Campbell Mesa features 5 loop trails, which connect to the Arizona Trail’s Walnut Canyon and Elden Mountain Passages. Students rotated between four activities, wherein they explored resource […]
Read moreCo-authored by Kim Cleary Over the course of three days in late September and early October, 65 fifth graders from Kinsey Elementary School explored the Arizona Trail with Seeds of Stewardship. Since this was the students’ first outing with us, we focused on fostering proper trail behavior, a sense of place in nature, and enthusiasm for the AZT’s San Francisco […]
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