Nature Classrooms Help Prevent Summer Learning Loss in Wyalusing

Imagine a classroom without walls, where children’s laughter mingles with the sounds of nature. This is the reality for students in the Wyalusing Area School District, who are spending their summer days learning amidst the greenery of Bradford County parks.

The Wyalusing Area Education Foundation has introduced an innovative “Teachers in the Parks” program aimed at curbing summer learning loss — the decline in academic skills that frequently happens during the summer break. This year, over 50 students are participating in the initiative.

“The hope is that by doing this … two days a week for the six weeks, right in the middle of summer, we can help with that learning loss,” explained Kaitlyn Galloway, the site administrator and a special education teacher. “We don’t want it to feel like school. That’s why it’s in the park. They get to see their teachers that they see at school … for them, it’s really cool to see their teachers somewhere else.”

Preventing Summer Slide

Teachers in the Parks originated more than 20 years ago in the Exeter Township School District in Berks County. The program was brought north by a member of the Wyalusing foundation familiar with its success.

Sarah Hofius Hall

WVIA News

Teachers work with students at Creekside Park in Wyalusing as part of the Teachers in the Parks program.

Funded through the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program, the initiative is free for students entering kindergarten through fifth grade in the fall. Participants are provided with meals, including breakfast, snacks, and a takeaway lunch.

“We are hoping next year that the program grows,” shared Deana Patson, vice president of the foundation and high school librarian.

The program employs six teachers, four substitutes, and a school nurse, all compensated by the foundation. These educators craft lessons that blend math, reading, and writing with elements of nature and play.

“It’s interesting to see what our teachers are doing with a base curriculum and then just building on it,” Patson said. “We’re hoping that this year, being the first year, the teachers that we have are now going to share their experiences, and we’ll keep building the program for the future.”

Nature’s Classroom

Worm. Six-legged insect. Squirrel. Robin. Spiderweb. Dandelion.

Reid and Lucas Fischer, seven-year-old twins, recounted their finds from a scavenger hunt. Despite their efforts, a checkmark for a cloud remained elusive on a day with a clear blue sky.

Twins Reid and Lucas Fischer look for crawfish in Wyalusing Creek during the Teachers in the Parks program.

The program began at Wyalusing Borough Park and later moved to Creekside Park for its final weeks. At Wyalusing Creek, six-year-old Jaxon Porter eagerly searched for frogs and toads beneath rocks.

Meanwhile, a group of girls gathered around a picnic table, engaging in activities to identify nouns and working on compound word worksheets.

Emilee Muench, 8, who will start third grade in Wyalusing next month, completes a worksheet on compound words.

Emilee Muench, 8, ready to enter third grade, received a sticker for completing her assignments.

“We’ve been learning verbs and nouns,” she said. “I like it … you get to play.”

Instructor Jen Morningstar engaged students by questioning if items fit the definition of a noun: a person, place, or thing. The park has become her makeshift English classroom.

“It’s great just to be out in the sunshine and exploring nature with the kids,” Morningstar observed. “We’re hoping to avoid some of that learning loss. We obviously don’t have any technology here, so the kids aren’t on iPads or on phones throughout the day, and they’re just enjoying each other, enjoying their lessons and exploring nature.”