Outdoor School Naturalist (YMCA Camp Dudley)

• Create meaningful outdoor experiences for 5th and 6th graders
• Facilitate hands-on learning stations that deepen students’ care for the natural world and their communities
• Lead outdoor adventure activities (hiking, canoeing, archery, low ropes, rock climbing, etc.

At outdoor school, fifth and sixth grade students from the Yakima Valley and surrounding areas come to camp for one to four days to participate in hands-on outdoor education programs that make the science concepts they’ve studied in class come to life. Our curriculum is interdisciplinary, state standards-aligned, tactile, and fun—we integrate Indigenous science, Western science, history, writing, art, math, engineering, and social emotional learning into lessons to help students develop meaningful, comprehensive visions of our connected world.

Naturalists lead groups of fifth and sixth graders in 75-minute rotations, which include a mix of recreational and curricular activities. Each school selects their recreational activities and learning stations from a curriculum menu (which includes archery, canoeing, hiking, low ropes, rock climbing, ziplining, and classes about biodiversity, trees, ecosystems, habitats, birds, watersheds, nature mindfulness, and more). In addition to leading small group rotations, naturalists also assist with campfires, whole group activities, and dishes on a rotating basis.