Spring/Summer 
2008 Issue

Click here for PDF
 

 

<— Back to Table of Contents

Online Archives

At The Ecology Center

Ecology Center to Help A2 Public Schools 'GO! Outdoors'"

October/November Issue, 2003

The Ann Arbor Public Schools, in partnership with the Ecology Center and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, recently received a $200,000 grant to establish “Go! Outdoors,” a program designed to encourage outdoor activity for children and families. The Great Outdoors Leadership Grant was one of twelve grants awarded to regional organizations in September by the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan (CFSEM).

The grant will provide two years of funding for GO! Outdoors, a citywide outdoor education program for children and families. GO! Outdoors will involve children and their families in outdoor learning and recreation activities before and after school, on weekends, and during the summer recess. The program will be based at Lakewood Elementary School and will make use of various outdoor sites throughout Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, including schools, neighborhood parks, nature areas, and community centers.

Ultimately, the project seeks to replace passive indoor activities (TV, video games) with constructive outdoor activities, to promote children’s sustained physical activity and interest in the natural world, to strengthen the involvement of adult family members, mentors, and naturalists in the lives of children, and to strengthen collaboration among the school district, community organizations, and environmental groups in ways that benefit children.

The Ecology Center’s role in the program is to serve as a liaison with other organizations to create outdoor projects and to promote a Walking School Bus/Kids Walk-to-School Campaign.

For more information on
GO! Outdoors activities, visit:
http://greatoutdoors.cfsem.org/
apply/ann_arbor.html.

BACK TO TOP