Linda Harris OUTDOOR DAYS –More than 350 Jefferson County fifth graders spent a few hours in the great outdoors recently, watching bottle rockets launch and learning about litter, recycling, fishing, pollinators, wildland firefighting and even archery as part of Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District’s Fernwood Outdoor Days.

BLOOMINGDALE — More than 350 Jefferson County fifth graders spent a few hours in the great outdoors recently, watching bottle rockets launch and learning about litter, recycling, fishing, pollinators, wildland firefighting and even archery.

It was all part of Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation District’s Fernwood Outdoor Days, a weeklong event at Fernwood State Park geared primarily toward fifth graders. Launched in 1989, the program is designed to get kids out of their traditional classrooms and into nature, where experts treat them to a variety of hands-on, interactive learning opportunities.

JSWC District Administrator Wendee Dodds said the goal is to “reinforce the relevance of classroom learning by showing students how academic subjects can lead to meaningful careers in agriculture, conservation and environmental science.”

— “Rockets Away,” a spirited competition where rockets the kids themselves designed are launched into “orbit” and the distance they travel painstakingly measured. It’s a thinly disguised lesson on Newton’s Law with a smattering of physics and aerodynamics.

— Aquatic Life & Pollution Education lets kids fish — many for the first time — while learning the diversity of aquatic organisms, water quality and the impact of point and non-point source pollution on local ecosystems.

— Wildfire Prevention and Management, which introduced the kids to the science of wildfire prevention and the role of wildfire fighters, with an emphasis on forest health and safety practices to reduce fire risks.

— Beekeeping, a look at honeybees, their role in pollination and the basics of beekeeping and their importance in agriculture and the environment.

— Waste reduction and composting, where they learned how to properly sort waste, compost organic materials and apply the principles of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” to everyday life, with emphasis on the importance of sustainable waste management.

— The basics of archery “in a safe and supervised setting,” an activity organizers say promotes focus, coordination and outdoor recreation skills.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it to watch all of these kids,” Dodds said. “Teachers and presenters are excited to see the students get out and experience natural resources and the outdoors firsthand. For some of the students it’s their first time casting a fishing rod and catching a fish, it’s their first time shooting a bow and arrow or touching crayfish and seeing hellgrammites from the creek. Plus, they get to learn about Newton’s Laws, the importance of preventing forest fires, pollinators and the hard work it takes to keep nature buzzing along and the ripple butterfly effect that they can have by reducing their impact on the world through wise use and recycling.”

Dodds said it’s an opportunity to teach kids something they’ll remember all their lives.

“Every kid that I have met, even when they’re older, always remembers Fernwood Outdoor Days in fifth grade,” she said. “The impact on the students can be seen during the event, but we also hear it and see it from students who went through the program 5, 10 years, even 30 years ago. The excitement on the students’ faces and the instant positive feedback is great and it’s inspiring to see things click and fall into place in their minds as they ask more and more questions. It’s hard to say what the students expected, some might have been looking forward to it and some might have been convinced they would not like the outdoors, but at the end of the week it is obvious that most enjoyed their day in the forest.”

Erin Best, an instructor at Buckeye North, said she’s been bringing her students to Fernwood Days “for probably 28 years.”

“These are things that we don’t always talk about — for example, we don’t always talk about fire safety in the scope of our environment where we live in the foothills of Appalachian mountains and it’s important because these kids don’t know the burning rules,” Best said. “And we actually told them how last Halloween there was a brush fire, they called out a ton of units and one of my little girls told us that she had to evacuate.”

Best said kids of all ability levels get to take part, “and that’s huge. It’s an experience for everyone.”

Dodds said part of what makes this program unique is the coordination that takes place between the various agencies and partners.

“Everyone comes together for the common purpose of educating our youth and that’s something special,” she said.

This year’s partner presenters were Ohio State University Extension, ODNR Division of Forestry Fernwood State Forest staff, JB Green Team, ODNR Division of Wildlife, Biological Sciences Educator Stephanie Vance and JSWCD staff. Ohio State University Extension’s Junior Leaders and students from Brandon Pendleton’s Indian Creek High School Environmental Studies class led the groups of students and assisted with the stations.

Participating schools were Bishop Mussio, Buckeye North, Buckeye West, Buckeye South, Edison John Gregg, Indian Creek, Jefferson County Christian School and Homeschool.