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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday October 27 2016, @06:06PM   Printer-friendly
from the no-video-games-out-there dept.

Each year, thousands of Oregon parents hug their kids goodbye and send them tramping into the wilderness for up to a week to learn about their state's natural wonders.

The Outdoor School program was groundbreaking when it started more than a half-century ago. Since then, more than 1 million children have enjoyed—or endured—this rite of passage at campsites scattered from Oregon's stormy coast to its towering evergreen forests to its rugged high desert.

At the program's heyday, 90 percent of sixth-graders spent the week testing water samples, studying fungi and digging through topsoil. Today, just half of Oregon's 11- and 12-year-olds take part, mostly through a patchwork of grants, fundraising, parent fees and charitable donations. Caps on property taxes, plus the recent recession, have forced many school districts to scrap the program or whittle it down to just a few days.

Now, backers of a statewide ballot measure want to use a slice of lottery proceeds to guarantee a week of Outdoor School for all children. If it passes, the measure would make Oregon the only state with dedicated funding for outdoor education, including students in charter, private and home schools, said Sarah Bodor, policy director for the North American Association for Environmental Education.

It's more biology camp than Outward Bound.


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  • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Thursday October 27 2016, @06:50PM

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 27 2016, @06:50PM (#419524) Journal

    Just the commercials, though. Don't want them accidentally seeing a special on global warming that doesn't attribute it to ancient aliens.

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  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday October 27 2016, @06:58PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Thursday October 27 2016, @06:58PM (#419527)

    I was going to object that it should be Fox News, but I'm sure we can try to secure a campaign donation from the local Christian broadcaster.