Outdoor Enrichments at Fort Scott
After a long day of virtual learning, families are looking for ways for their youth to reconnect with the outdoors to explore and play.
Our Outdoor & Nature Engagement program at Fort Scott is the outlet your child needs. Youth in grades K-5 have been spending their time with our trained naturalists and youth development staff since this past summer, and experiencing the many benefits of spending meaningful time outdoors! It has been well-documented that spending time in nature empowers youth, providing positive outcomes such as:
- Reduced stress, anger, and aggression,
- Improved relationship and social skills,
- Enhanced academic performance, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills,
- Increased enthusiasm for and engagement with learning,
- Increased impulse control and self-esteem, and
- Pro-environmental behaviors and environmental stewardship.
The enrichment program takes place on the National Parkland of the Presidio, and youth spend their time with their cohorts exploring, building community, and developing scientific inquiry skills that support NGSS standards, such as asking questions, defining problems, constructing explanations, and defining solutions. All of this is tied together through games and exploration while hiking between the wonders of Fort Scott. Youth spend time in a redwoods grove, search for tidepool critters at the beach, and learn to challenge themselves in the many places in between!
The next session at Fort Scott begins on 4/05/21 and runs through 4/30/21.
Registration information can be found at our website: https://www.ymcasf.org/programs/ymca-enrichments. For more information or to help determine if this program is right for your child, please contact me at ssedgwick@ymcasf.net.