Nature Study Cooperative
Nature Study co-op
Nature Study Co-op is led by local nature enthusiast and dad Gary Nordell, who will share his favorite wild places with us each week. Gary offers an immersive, on-site nature study lesson about our beautiful county’s flora, fauna, and geology, followed by a time to break off, explore, and nature journal.
“My goal with the program is to have participants increase their awareness of the many elements that comprise our outdoor world in all its rich complexity and its elegant simplicity. We will use all of our senses to collect not only data but to begin to find our own places in the natural world. I hope to share ways to make meaningful observations that will serve them not only when in the landscape but everywhere. I will endeavor to select locations and topics that will interest all age groups and present material in ways that can involve both younger children and adolescents. Ideally we can create a culture of cooperative learning in which helping and guiding others is as valuable as collecting experiences and knowledge. Though I will have a plan each outing I will try to asses the passions of our community and remain open and guided by our collective creativity as well as serendipitous occurrences.
Because we meet only a couple hours a week I encourage families to be active outdoors all week and to pursue things of interest with research, study and observations of their own. On the outings, people may engage in any of the hands on activities we do or simply observe. It is not required but I encourage participants to bring a journal each week to make notes and sketches. Journaling is a major focus on our outings, and we will be referring to our journals from last year too! We will explore topics ranging from botany, geology, orienteering, hydrology, wildlife biology—particularly invertebrate, reptile and amphibians and avian ecology—riparian ecology, and more.” —Gary Nordell
When
Nature Study Co-op will meet every Friday from June – August. We will meet from 10am-12pm for exploration, learning, and nature journaling, in a different location each week.
Where
We will visit a new wild place each week in South Siskiyou County. Three locations per month will be close by with minimal travel, and accessible to moms and babies. One location per month will be a bit more of an excursion, with either a longer travel time or more of a hike. Locations will be shared on the Wednesday before the Friday session.
Join Us
Nature Study Co-op will cost $10, per student, per session. The sessions will be capped at 25 students each, and paid for by the month. To save your spot, please sign up for your sessions in advance with the form below, and we will get back to you shortly with payment information. Thank you!
