Introductory-level environmental education has become a staple for Valley elementary schools. Each year, Basalt Elementary, Crystal River Elementary and Aspen Elementary welcome full-time educators from Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES). This program, which started at the Aspen schools in 1975, is a cherished facet of elementary education for many local children and adults who went through the program. It has also been steadily expanding.
At Aspen, Basalt and Crystal River all elementary students have environmental studies once every week. In addition, all grades at these schools have two ACES field trips every year.
ACES received funding several years ago to support work with RE-2 schools through Great Outdoors Colorado. This kicked off their programming for the RE-2 schools. Since 2018, ACES has facilitated multiple field trips, as well as in-class lessons, per year for RE-2 schools.
While the field trip program was initially based at sites in the Roaring Fork Valley, including the Hallam Lake campus in Aspen and Rock Bottom Ranch near the Emma Hooks rural neighborhood, it continues to adapt. ACES educators are mindful of the power of place and value of children learning about the ecosystems close to them. Says ACES education director Andrea Aust, “In the last few years, our field trip locations have expanded to Rifle Falls State Park, the Silt River Preserve, East Elk Creek and more.” Programs differ per season, too. In the winter, classes visit Aspen Mountain and Sunlight Mountain Resort on snowshoeing field trips to learn about winter habitats and animal adaptations, a complement to the autumn or late spring trips.
Aust emphasizes how programs resonate with children. In her experience, participant enthusiasm is consistently high in both the schools with regular programming and the schools newer to the opportunity with only the twice-a-year field trips. “We don’t see any differences in engagement with the younger age groups. All kids are excited to play and learn outside.”
Aust reports no family or parent resistance to these programs. In fact, for many of the RE-2 schools, there has been positive feedback about how kids are excited to share what they’ve learned with their parents on family outings. “We have more interest in field programs than capacity all the way down to Rifle,” Aust says, noting that ACES hopes to continue offering more field and in-school education programs.
The ACES team is excited to be able to create this early introduction to our surroundings. “We’re connecting students with local natural phenomena and helping them to learn about things they see outside,” Aust explains. Helping forge those connections has myriad benefits. Among those benefits is self-esteem boosts and enjoyment of the learning process. “Something we see with the younger students is that the students who struggle with classroom settings really thrive in outdoor hands-on learning situations.”
ACES is working on establishing regular part-time programming with additional elementary schools in the Valley.
After elementary years, though, the presence of environmental and experiential education depends on the school. Basalt Middle School’s annual experiential education programming looks very different from Aspen school programming or private and charter school programs in the Valley (discussed in the third installment of this series). Yet Basalt has more structured ex-ed than some other secondary schools. In upcoming installments, we’ll examine what has gone into building the Basalt programs, as well as the reasons they are more limited than other middle and high schools with established ex-ed.
For kids and families who are interested in having experiential learning experiences together, Aust and ACES’s public relations rep Katherine Roberts recommend a few upcoming events.
“For the first time ever at Rock Bottom Ranch, we’ve been hosting a regular all-Spanish yoga class this summer,” shares Roberts. It is donation-based participation, so technically free. The final session for the year is next Monday, Aug. 19. One-hundred percent of donations at that class support ACES general education programs.
While a date has not been set yet, ACES generally hosts its annual Harvest Party at Rock Bottom Ranch in the fall. The lively event includes locally-sourced food, environmentally-themed games and live local music. It is a family-friendly opportunity.
More about these events and ACES’ work in the human and ecosystem communities of the Roaring Fork Valley is available at
www.aspennature.org