What Happens When Science Leaves the Classroom?
At Sierra Nevada Journeys, we’ve impacted more than 360,000 children through our science-based education programs. These programs help build critical thinking skills and inspire natural resource stewardship.
So what happens when science leaves the classroom?
When kids learn outside, ponds become laboratories, and a rock becomes a story. Questions from a trail might never come up indoors.
Through our school-based programs, students across Northern Nevada and Northern California learn by observing, testing, exploring and figuring things out for themselves.
Teachers begin seeing their familiar students learn in a whole new setting and find ways to bring what they learned back into the classroom.
Kellen, Teacher, Ophir STEAM Academy, described his experience at Overnight Outdoor Learning:
“The curriculum blended learning with hands-on activities. I will be teaching the concepts we learned at camp later this year or next year. I believe this experience established a strong foundation which I can build on in class.”
Science Students See, Touch and Explore
Standing beside the water looking for signs of life feels different when students are learning about ecosystems. When students can pick up a rock, study its features and compare it with what they have learned in class, geology feels different. When what students describe is right in front of them, vocabulary becomes more than notes on a page.
The hands-on nature of the experience is a key strength for teachers who have participated in Sierra Nevada Journeys programs. They tell us they appreciate activities that get students actively involved, opportunities to explore and learn in nature, and lessons that give them a foundation they can continue building on back in the classroom.
Samantha, Teacher, Regency Park Elementary, said,
“Students absolutely loved all the fun games and science talks that took place throughout. They didn’t even realize they were learning because the activities were so enjoyable. They were talking about the adaptations and interesting things they learned out on the trails back at their cabins and during meals.”
Even though outdoor learning is structured, students still have room to wonder and be curious. Questions can lead the group discussion in new directions. A tiny discovery might be the thing everyone remembers, and often, it is something a student might not have noticed on their own.
Veronica, who attended Overnight Outdoor Learning as a Chaperone with Dry Creek Elementary, said,
“When the instructor took us on a night hike, he showed our kids that you don’t need light to observe things at night. He showed us that rubbing two rocks together creates a light effect, which all of the kids had to try for themselves.”
Those moments we treasure.
Curiosity Has Room to Grow Outside
Our educators guide students through activities that ask them to observe closely, talk with one another, test ideas and make connections.
Students get muddy, the group might get distracted by an insect, a bird or something moving in the water; and the best part of any lesson begins with, “Wait, what is that?”
A Hunter Lake fifth-grade student captured that excitement perfectly:
“I found a crawdad, and it is so cool because it was just sitting there!”
Learning outside so powerful because of that sense of discovery. Students have the time and space to look closely, follow their curiosity and get excited about what they find.
Top-notch instructors for experiential learning
In post-event feedback, our Sierra Nevada Journeys instructors are described as enthusiastic, patient, kind, knowledgeable and engaging, and they have also noted how much students respond to that excitement.
Alex, Teacher, Charles Armstrong School, put it this way:
“We felt that year two with Sierra Nevada Journeys met and exceeded our experience from last year. By far, out of the six-plus camps we have been to with different grade levels and areas of California, Sierra Nevada Journeys has the most well-trained and supportive naturalists.”
In outdoor learning, science becomes something happening around students rather than being taught to them or found only in a textbook,
Shannon, Chaperone at Overnight Outdoor Learning with Ophir STEAM Academy, agrees:
“The kids loved the games and the interactive learning experiences. Thank you for an insightful, fascinating adventure.”
Outdoor Learning Builds Other Skills, Too
Students practice much more than science along the way:
Teamwork
Listening
Communicating
Decision-making
Taking Turns
Trying new things
Kellen from Ophir STEAM Academy said,
“The instructors did a great job balancing the kids’ engagement while letting them be kids in nature. The fun challenges and activities forced the kids to think and work together.”
Even an activity that might sound boring, like studying rocks, can open the door to communication, mindfulness and empathy. One teacher who participated in Classrooms Unleashed said,
“I really love all the activities, but the ‘Meet a Rock’ activity stands out. I love that it wraps Social Emotional Learning into geology learning by teaching empathy, communication skills, and mindfulness.”
Teachers Get to See Their Students Differently
Watching how their students interact with a new environment gives teachers valuable insights:
A quiet child in the classroom may be the first one to notice a pattern, and classmates respond with new ways to work together.
The student who struggles to sit still in class can become completely absorbed in an activity when they can move, investigate and explore.
Students become scientists, teammates and explorers right before their teachers’ eyes.
One fifth-grade student from Hunter Lake said it best:
“It was extremely fun. My group was awesome, and we discovered many things.”
Bringing the Classroom Outside
Sierra Nevada Journeys creates science experiences that extend learning beyond the traditional classroom and works with schools through programs including Classrooms Unleashed and Family STEM Nights.
These programs offer another way to bring science to life for teachers, and for students, they create something even harder to measure:
When curiosity takes over, or the moment a student finds something and has to show everyone.
When science leaves the classroom, and a teacher hears, “This was the best field trip ever,” or witnesses a child begin to see the outdoors, science or even themselves a little differently.
Learn more about Sierra Nevada Journeys’ science programs for students, like Classrooms Unleashed, Overnight Outdoor Learning and Family STEM Nights and how to bring an outdoor science experience to your students.
Take Learning Outside: Why Hands-On Science Makes an Impact
A new school year brings fresh notebooks, new routines and plenty of time in the classroom.
It also brings a new season of opportunities to explore.
At Sierra Nevada Journeys, we see what happens when students get the chance to see, touch, test and investigate the science they are learning. A rock becomes something to study. A pond becomes a site for data collection. A walk through a park can lead to questions about plants, wildlife, weather, water and the changing seasons.
Science starts to feel less like something students read about and more like something happening all around them.
That is the idea behind Sierra Nevada Journeys’ school-year science programs. And as students and teachers settle into a new year, it is a great time to start planning experiences that get kids learning, exploring and asking questions together.
Why Take Science From the Classroom Into the Field?
Classrooms Unleashed combines a hands-on classroom lesson with an outdoor field study, giving students the opportunity to build science concepts and then apply them in the real world.
Lessons are grade-level-specific, aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, and designed to actively engage students. They observe. They build. They test ideas. They work together. They use new vocabulary and begin connecting classroom concepts to the places around them.
That local connection matters.
In Sacramento, for example, Sierra Nevada Journeys partnered with the Language Academy to offer lessons centered on salmon and their role in local ecosystems. Students explored migration patterns, created a mural that stretched nearly the length of the classroom, built dioramas of salmon habitat and even wrote and performed stories using a larger-than-life puppet theater.
A lesson about ecology became something students could build, draw, discuss and connect to the watershed where they live.
That is the kind of learning Classrooms Unleashed is built to create.
Last year,9,367 students in 121 classrooms participated in Classrooms Unleashed.
Student assessments also showed measurable growth. Average scores measuring understanding of outdoor science concepts increased from 50% before the program to 75% afterward, a 25-point gain.
Sixty-nine percent of participating students said they are more comfortable being outside in natural spaces, and 65% said they want to learn more about science.
Teachers see the difference, too.
One told us:
“The kids said this was the best field trip ever!”
Another shared:
“I just enjoy watching my kids enjoy learning.”
That second comment may be one of our favorites because it captures something numbers cannot.
When kids enjoy learning, they lean in. They ask another question. They want to see what is under the next rock or figure out why something happened. They begin to see themselves as people who can do science.
Additionally, 98% of teachers said Classrooms Unleashed improved students’ understanding of science standards, while 100% said Sierra Nevada Journeys programs helped students build critical-thinking skills.
Classrooms Unleashed was also redesigned to better support teachers, including a simpler booking process and a single point of contact. We want the experience to work well for the adults coordinating it, too.
Why Bring the Whole School Community Into the Fun?
Back-to-school season is also about rebuilding connections.
Students reconnect with friends and teachers. Families learn new routines. Schools welcome parents and caregivers back for open houses, family events and the beginning of another year together.
That makes fall a great time for a Sierra Nevada Journeys Family STEM Night.
Family STEM Nights transform a school evening into a hands-on science experience for students and the people who care for them. Families move through interactive stations and tackle activities together, from engineering challenges to experiments that invite them to build, problem-solve and play.
Students may design lunar landers, build spaghetti towers or test wind-powered cars. Many activities are language-neutral, giving families another way to participate and learn together across language differences.
And the students often get a chance to become the experts.
Parents and caregivers get to watch their kids approach a problem, test an idea and try again. Students get to share what they know. Teachers and school leaders have a chance to engage families outside the regular classroom routine.
Last year, Sierra Nevada Journeys held 76 Family STEM Nights serving 6,911 children and parents.
Those numbers represent thousands of families spending an evening learning together.
For schools looking for a way to kick off the year, build family connection or add something memorable to an open house or school community event, a Family STEM Night can bring everyone together around something kids already do naturally: wonder, experiment and play.
Why is September a Great Time to Learn Outside?
Fall gives young scientists plenty to notice as nature itself changes.
Days get shorter. Temperatures begin to shift. Plants change. Seeds move. Wildlife activity changes. The same schoolyard, park or nature area students saw a few months ago may suddenly offer something new to investigate.
You do not need to travel deep into the wilderness to practice science.
Start with what is nearby.
What changed since yesterday?
What lives here?
What signs of wildlife can you find?
Why do these plants grow here?
Where does this water go?
What do you notice when you stop and look closely?
Those questions can turn an ordinary walk outside into a science lesson.
What Kind of Learning Can Students Carry With Them?
Sierra Nevada Journeys’ science programs are built to strengthen students' understanding of science while helping them practice critical thinking, teamwork and connection with the natural world.
That can happen while testing water during a field study.
It can happen while two students work together to solve an engineering problem.
It can happen when a child notices an insect they have never seen before and wants to know its name.
Or it can happen during a Family STEM Night when a student and caregiver stand over a project together and decide, “Let’s try it one more time.”
Those moments matter because science asks kids to stay curious.
To observe.
To make a prediction.
To test it.
To learn from what happened.
To try again.
Those are useful skills in science, in school and far beyond either one.
How to Start the School Year With Curiosity?
As classrooms settle into new routines this fall, make some room for discovery.
Classrooms Unleashed helps students take grade-level science from the classroom into nearby outdoor spaces, where they can observe, test and explore what they are learning.
Family STEM Nights bring students, families and school communities together for an evening built around hands-on science, teamwork and fun.
Both start with the same simple idea:
Kids learn by doing.
Teachers and school leaders, now is a great time to begin planning your fall and school-year programs with Sierra Nevada Journeys.
Bring science to life in the classroom.
Take learning outside.
Invite families into the experience.
And see where one good question can lead. If you’re an educator and would like to learn more about our programs, please feel free to contact us!
Sierra Nevada Journeys Adds Title Sponsor, SilverSummit Healthplan, to Family STEM Nights
Sierra Nevada Journeys secures its first-ever title sponsor of Family STEM Nights. Dynamic after-school events, Family STEM Nights, bring families together through interactive science activities and an exciting engineering design challenge. These hands-on experiences inspire confidence in students' STEM skills while fostering curiosity and a love of learning.
“We’re thrilled to partner with SilverSummit Healthplan to bring Family STEM Nights to over 45 schools across Northern Nevada this year. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to engaging families in education and wellness, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for Nevadans,” said Sean Hill, President and CEO of Sierra Nevada Journeys. “Family STEM Nights create meaningful opportunities for students and their families to bond, explore science together, and spark a lifelong love of learning through fun, interactive activities.”
Students and their families are invited to a dynamic 1.5-hour event at their school, where they dive into the wonders of STEM through interactive science and math stations. These stations showcase captivating concepts like magnetism, surface tension, air quality, local watersheds, natural selection, and engineering. The evening wraps up with an exciting design challenge, where family teams collaborate to tackle hands-on problems, such as building the fastest wind-powered vehicle, designing lunar landers, or constructing the strongest bridge. This unique experience allows students to witness their parents or guardians modeling persistence, creativity, and teamwork while enjoying meaningful, uninterrupted family time.
"Sierra Nevada Journeys has done incredible work with their summer camps, providing unforgettable experiences for our Members. So, when the opportunity to collaborate on Family STEM Nights arose, we knew it was the perfect chance to get involved. At SilverSummit Healthplan, we’re not just committed to providing health insurance to Nevadans — we’re dedicated to supporting their overall well-being. What better way to do that than by bringing families together for a fun, engaging evening of STEM challenges and hands-on learning? We're proud to support this initiative to help inspire the next generation of innovators," said Nicole King, Vice President Community Solutions SilverSummit Healthplan.
With SilverSummit Healthplan as the title sponsor and a $50,000 contribution, Sierra Nevada Journeys is poised to expand the reach and impact of Family STEM Nights, empowering even more families to explore the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and math together. Learn more about Family STEM Nights.
About Sierra Nevada Journeys
Sierra Nevada Journeys, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, delivers innovative outdoor, science-based education to foster critical thinking and inspire resource stewardship. Our programs include classroom and virtual sessions, overnight science camps, teacher development, and parent engagement, providing students with tools for success. Annually, 30,000+ children participate, with 59 percent from financially challenged communities, 59 percent BIPOC, and 15 percent living with disabilities.
Our 515-acre Outdoor Education Camp, located 50 minutes from Reno in Plumas National Forest, serves as a 240-bed facility for customized programs. We emphasize team-building, social-emotional learning, leadership, and environmental education using Next Generation Science Standards and UC Berkeley’s BEETLES pedagogy.
About SilverSummit Healthplan
SilverSummit Healthplan (SilverSummit) is a managed care plan that provides health insurance to the people of Nevada. Established in 2017, SilverSummit exists to improve the health of its members through focused, compassionate and coordinated care. SilverSummit is a Centene Corporation company. For more information, visit silversummithealthplan.com or visit silversummithealthplan.com/caringforNV.