Students in Urbana need your help to connect with the environment and learn about nature!
Every year, Urbana Park District hosts hundreds of students on field trips to learn about nature and the environment, and for some students, this is their first exposure to natural areas. Classes can visit several of Urbana Park District’s Natural Areas: Busey Woods, Weaver Park Wetland, or Spomer Prairie at Meadowbrook Park. Each offers something different and unique for students to learn, but securing funding for these field trips is becoming increasingly difficult. Budgets for field trips and transportation are tight, and like many school districts, Urbana schools must rely on a separate company for transportation to and from field trips.
To ensure that all our Urbana classes have the opportunity to visit and learn about our natural environment, the Urbana Parks Foundation is raising funds in support of the Urbana Park District’s Connecting Classes with Nature program. Connecting Classes with Nature helps to eliminate funding barriers for class field trips and provides valuable experiences in Urbana Park District natural areas for Urbana students. Your donation to this program will have significant impact on students’ exposure to the natural world:
- $42 will cover the program fee for one class of 20-25 students
- $145 will cover the transportation cost for one class
- $187 will cover both the program fee and transportation costs for one class
Teachers can apply for funding through Connecting Classes with Nature, and there are already nine classes on the waiting list! Our local teachers are excited about getting their classes out into our natural areas and understand the vital importance of learning about our environment. Here’s what they had to say:
“This will be beneficial as we can connect environmental education to the web of life (our science unit) and allows students to connect their daily activities with environmental changes they experience on their own. My students learn best with hands-on activities and being in a new learning environment, I believe will further their interest and excitement in learning!”
“They would benefit from this education field trip by making connections to real life and having more of an outlook on science and we can mesh it into our curriculum.”
“My students would truly love to be engaged in an environment where hands-on activities are interactive. They love to explore and ask questions, which leads me to believe that they would truly benefit from learning outside of the classroom setting.”
Both students and teachers enjoy these field trips, so let’s get Urbana students outside and learning about their environment!
We invite you to join us as we seek to raise $2,000 this Giving Tuesday (November 29) in support of Connecting Classes with Nature. Click here to donate!