This year Haven is introducing a new Outdoor Education Program, led by our PE teacher and classroom assistant, Katie Wallace. The focus and goal of the Outdoor Ed program at Haven is to create a space that encourages curiosity, independence, and team building while learning about the natural world from the natural world. Each elementary class will have Outdoor Ed once a month, with each month focusing on a different theme. 

Ms. Katie Wallace grew up in Minnesota, then went to college at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, where she got her bachelors in Geology in 2022. After college, she worked at an outdoor education camp that school groups would come to for a week at a time. Now a resident of Flagstaff, Katie will be sharing her experience with the Haven community!

“Outdoor Education has so many benefits,” Katie says. “Creating a learning environment with little physical structure and boundaries means there is a lot less right or wrong. There is room to flail, no ‘smartest’ or ‘best’, and it encourages wonder and collaborative learning to find the answers to these questions.”

Even when the weather is unpredictable, Katie has a plan. “Sometimes it is 15 degrees snowy and windy, and as the instructor you have to make this seem like great conditions because your mindset is what the students first notice. But I think this is a good challenge to have because it can totally change your experience too!”

We are looking forward to seeing what the Outdoor Ed program has in store for our classes. “We are beginning with practicing observation with all 5 senses,” says Katie. “Other themes will include animal studies, forest studies, teambuilding, and more!”