Beginning in June, Web of Life Field (WOLF) School will teach educational programs modeled after their successful outdoor science school lessons during both Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s and the Monterey County Office of Education’s respective 2017 STEM Summer Camps.

Homebased in the stunning Santa Cruz Mountains at Little Basin Cabins and Campgrounds, part of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, WOLF School is a nonprofit organization that provides inspiring, educational outdoor experiences for K-12th grade students and teachers at campuses throughout California. (Locations include the Sierra foothills, Sonoma, Santa Cruz area, and Southern California.) Ranging from the traditional California science camp, to California living history education, to teambuilding retreats, WOLF School’s programs maintain the highest educational standards—programs are California State Standards-based, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned, and are designed to enhance classroom curriculum through hands-on experiential learning.

WOLF School annually serves approximately 3,500 California students, but the majority come from schools in the San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento areas. As such, when opportunities arose to educate students in their own Monterey Bay backyard, WOLF School eagerly applied for the chance.

Through local educator networks WOLF School discovered that both Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) and the Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) were given funding to offer 2017 STEM Summer Camps to elementary students in their districts, but needed to find educators to teach during the camps. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) has long been integrated into programs provided by WOLF School, which also offers In-Class Presentations to schools that enhance students' regular education experiences. Combining these latter two areas of expertise, WOLF School designed programs for both PVUSD’s and MCOE’s 2017 STEM Summer Camps.

For PVUSD’s 2017 STEM Summer Camp, offered through their Extended Learning program, WOLF School naturalists will teach groups of 3rd grade students during one hour block periods on Mondays at Ohlone Elementary, Wednesdays at Ann Soldo Elementary, and Fridays at Landmark Elementary, for a total of nine classes each week from June 19-July 17, 2017. The STEM-themed classes will be modeled after outdoor education lessons taught during WOLF School’s In-Class Presentations.

WOLF School will also participate in MCOE’s one week STEM Summer Camp, held June 19-23, 2017. This year’s MCOE STEM Summer Camp theme is Watershed and Design Thinking, and will be offered to approximately 30 5th-8th grade students from various Monterey County schools. Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) from San Jose will lead the camp on day one, Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) will lead on days two and three, and WOLF School will end the week teaching Watershed science on Thursday, June 22 and Friday, June 23.

For more information on educational opportunities with WOLF School, visit WOLFSchool.org/Programs.