May 28th, 2019, twenty-three students from Ms. Patterson’s class at Flagstaff Junior Academy finally had a well deserved trip to Griffith’s Spring to remove invasive species and study water health. The previous day, students participated in several simulations to look at both how invasive species disrupt an ecosystem and the way energy flows from producers, to primary, secondary, and […]
Read moreOn May 16th, 2019, fifty-two students from Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School visited Marshall Lake south of Flagstaff near the Arizona Trail to remove invasive weed species. Prior to our visit students participated in a simulation to demonstrate the way invasive take over an area and why they can be so problematic. They also learned to identify some common […]
Read moreOn May 1st, 2019, forty-two students from the 5th grade class at Flagstaff Junior Academy visited Griffith’s Spring to study concerts old and new. With large groups, it’s always important to spilt into smaller groups for optimal learning and minimizing impact. On this day students rotated between collecting aquatic macro invertebrate specimens, measuring water chemical qualities, and looking for […]
Read moreOn April 26, 2019, sixty-one students from Mount Elden Middle School 8th grade traveled to the Arizona Trail north of the San Francisco Peaks to learn more about the way water travels downhill, how to design trail to make minimal impact on the watershed and make some drainage improvements to the trail. Students rotated between working with volunteers and […]
Read moreOn April 18, 2019, twenty-seven students of Ms. Esparza’s 5th grade class at Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School visited Griffith’s Spring near Flagstaff to continue their semester long study of watersheds, water quality, and human impacts on the environment. Students hiked a total of a mile round trip. While at Griffiths spring they conducted water chemical quality testing to […]
Read moreOn April 11, 2019, twenty-five students of Mr. Caslin’s 5th grade class at Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School visited Griffith’s Spring near Flagstaff to continue their semester long study of watersheds, water quality, and human impacts on the environment. Students hiked a total of a mile round trip. While at Griffiths spring they conducted water chemical quality testing to […]
Read moreOn March 6, 2019, 60 students from Mount Elden Middle School 6th grade met with SOS educator at the Picketpost trailhead to view and experience a passage of the Arizona Trail very different from the ones they are used to in Flagstaff. Students had the opportunity to take a 1 mile hike to explore the desert ecology and experience […]
Read moreOn January 30, 2019, forty students from Flagstaff Junior Academy made a visit to the Arizona Nordic Village to experience the joy of learning outdoors in the winter. If you think getting 40 5th graders dressed in snow clothes, boots, and snowshoes is easy, you’ve definitely never done it. Figuring out the straps, getting them tightened down, and then […]
Read moreOn January 24, 2019, twenty students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy made a visit to the Flagstaff Nordic Village to make the most out of the remaining snow. Out of 20 students only 5 had ever nordic skied before. Just learning to lace boots tightly, and attach them to the ski was a difficult skill that took focus, […]
Read moreIt was the kind of outing we aspire for every time we take our students out. Magic was happening December 6th, 2018 when 19 students from the Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff bundled up in their winter best and made a trip to the Flagstaff Nordic Center. Our first and most important goals was to teach the students […]
Read moreOn November 27th, 2018, 18 students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy had an introduction to map and compass navigation. In a world of cell phones and GPS devices, it can be easy to dismiss maps and compasses as irrelevant, but without this foundational knowledge it is difficult to impossible to know what one is looking at on a GPS […]
Read moreOn November 15, 2018, 120 students from Mount Elden Middle School APEX program went to the Arizona Trail on Forest Road 303 near Walnut Canyon for a day of trail work and exploration. With a group this large we need to break them up into much smaller groups to rotate through a variety of activities. Lessons with teachers, trail […]
Read moreOn November 14th, 2018 48 Students from Northland Preparatory Academy traveled to Gooseberry Springs Trail Head on the Arizona Trail Mormon Lake Passage to participate in some trailwork. Having learned from the day before, we changed the plans altogether. Though the day was slightly warmer and a lot less windy, the temperatures were still on the low side and […]
Read moreOn November 13, 2018, 50 Students from Northland Preparatory Academy went to Gooseberry Springs on the Arizona Trail Mormon Lake Passage to attempt some trail work and trail design lessons. It turned out, that though we studied trail design and cross slope a little, our biggest lesson was how to prepare for and manage very cold temperatures, frozen ground […]
Read moreOn November 8, 2018, 17 students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy went to Campbell Mesa to learn about trail design and do maintenance on the 2 mile Campbell Mesa loop. With plenty of help from our partners at the US Forest Service and Arizona Conservation Corps, the group was able to hike and repair drainage on the entire […]
Read moreOn November 6, 2018, 40 students from Mount Elden Middle School Alpine Academy joined us for a day of trail work and design. With large groups we tend to divide the group in half. One group learning about trail design and hydrology, the other group repairing trail. After a hearty lunch and, of course, cookies we trade. Students first […]
Read moreOn November 1, 2018, 48 students from Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School visited Aspen Corner and the Arizona Trail to build trail and learn about trail design and construction. Students dug drains, discussed hydrology, and practiced designing their own trails. Though the day was chilly, they kept warm moving dirt and exploring. Experts from the US Forest Service were […]
Read moreOn October 30, 2018, 38 students from Mount Elden Middle School Alpine Academy joined us for a day of trail work and design. With large groups we tend to divide the group in half. One group learning about trail design and hydrology, the other group repairing trail. After a hearty lunch and, of course, cookies we trade. Students first […]
Read moreOn October 25th, 2018, 19 students From Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff Middle School gave their all to some trail work on Deer Hill Trail from Little Elden Horse Camp. This group is always keen, enthusiastic and ready to work! Students first had a lesson in trail design, hydrology and the process for getting a new trail approved. Next […]
Read moreOn October 23, 2018, 19 students from the Peaks School in Flagstaff had an outing to the Elden family homestead site and Elden Spring on Little Elden Trail. Students had a big day of learning! We learned the history of the Elden family and other homesteaders like them. Why they came to Flagstaff and why, in this case, they […]
Read moreOne of the most important skills educators, especially outdoor educators, need to have is flexibility and a willingness to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. On October 18th, 2018 we had to put this skill into action. Both 5th grade classes from Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School were scheduled for outings to the Arizona Trail on the San Francisco Peaks this […]
Read moreOn October 4th, 2018, 19 students from Ms. Lemke’s class at Peaks School visited the Arizona Trail on the San Francisco Peaks to view the changing leaves. Students started their hike at the Aspen Loop trailhead. We walked through tunnels of beautiful peaking fall leaves to a warm and sunny spot in a meadow. Here we learned some Arizona […]
Read moreOn September 27, 2018, 17 students from the Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff’s Middle School made a visit to Little Spring and Bismark Lake near the San Francisco Peaks Passage of the Arizona Trail. We had a full day of learning and outdoor experiences. Using the Jr. Explorer Handbooks students learned about C. Hart Merriam’s Life Zone theory that […]
Read moreOn September 26, 2018, 38 students from Flagstaff Junior Academy’s 5th grade visited Picture Canyon along the Elden Mountain passage of the Arizona Trail. Students hiked a 3.5 mile round trip removing invasive weeds and learning about the local area as we went. A few days earlier during a classroom visit, the students had been introduced to the idea […]
Read moreOn September 25th, 2018, 7 students from Flagstaff High School’s Outdoor Discovery class went for a hike on the Arizona Trail San Francisco Peaks passage. The goal of the day was simple. Students wanted to hike 5 miles total and experience the beauty of the mixed conifer forests at a higher elevation than town. Prior to setting out on […]
Read moreOn September 21st, 2018, 16 members of the Flagstaff Junior Academy Mountain Biking Club gave back to the Flagstaff community by doing trail maintenance on the Arizona Trail Elden Mountain Passage. As mountain bikers, and some of them as returning trail builders, they have developed a great sense of how to sculpt a drain for good water flow and […]
Read moreOn September 20th, 2018, 8 students from the Pre-AP Biology class at Flagstaff High School headed to Little Elden Trail at Elden Spring Road to finish off a section of trail that had recently been rerouted. Little Elden Trail, which is also the Arizona Trail Flagstaff Equestrian Bypass section, has for years followed unsustainable fall line paths up and […]
Read moreOn September 11th, 2018, 80 students from Mount Elden Middle School’s Alpine Academy took a short walk from their classrooms to learn about the science of phenology and take a baseline observation. Phenology is the study of seasonal changes in plant and animal life throughout the year. It is the timing of the budding of flowers and the changing […]
Read moreOne September 10, 2018, 120 students from The Mount Elden Middle School APEX program visit Picture Canyon in Flagstaff along the Arizona Trail Elden Mountain Passage. With such a large group we need to divide things up. So one group started the day with a tour of the Wildcat Hill Wastewater Treatment facility where they learned about the process […]
Read moreOn September 5th, 2018, 25 students from Ms. Esparza’s 5th grade class had an introduction to the Arizona Trail and a short hike from school to the urban trail near their school. We learned about trail courtesy and Leave No Trace practices that are expected on our SOS outings and had a chance to practice on our short hike from […]
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