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1. There are a few ways to use funding that already exists within your school or district to fund outdoor education, including using to fund
2. Communication with all involved parties (parents, students, teachers, and administration) ensures support and goodwill.
3. Grants, individual donations, and events are favored means of fundraising. Groups often evaluate their own capabilities and select an approach that suits their strengths.
4. Express gratitude and thanks to donors, volunteers, and team members.
5. Maintain and keep all records of activities and results. They can assist future groups with their fundraising efforts.

1. The Teachers Fund, administered by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation offers Small Grants (under $1,500), Collaborative Grants (up to $5,000), and Professional Development Grants (up to $5,000) for projects in public elementary schools. The Foundation also offers workshops on grant writing.
2. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation is open to the public and runs a useful library.
   2440 West El Camino Real, Suite 300
   Mountain View, California 94040-1498
   Phone: 650.450.5400
3. A few suggested resources for finding funds for school educational programs are the Federal Register Grant Index; the National Guide to Funding for Children, Youth, and Families; and the National Guide to Funding for Elementary and Secondary аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ

The library and the internet have information on fundraising procedures and ideas. Below are a few more ideas:

Sell Environmentally-Friendly Products

Students learn ways they can help the environment. For example:

• Sell t-shirts. The Jim Morris Environmental T-Shirts® catalog offers beautiful shirts with environmental messages. They donate over 10% of their profits to environmental groups.
  P.O. Box 18270
  Boulder, CO 80308-1270
  1-800-788-5411
• Sell trees. Contact a local nursery to donate or sell trees to your school at a reduced cost. After selling the trees, offer to deliver and plant them for an additional fee.
• Sell reusable string or canvas shopping bags.
• Sell unbreakable, reusable thermal coffee mugs. Have students design an environmental picture or message to print on the mugs.
• Sell recycled paper items.

Start a Recycling Program

Start a recycling program at school and use the funds for sending students to Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ every year. This can give students a hands-on opportunity to reduce waste. Try to include all types of paper. One middle school in Virginia collected 125,000 cans in two days and made over $2000 (Recycler's Handbook).
Collection Ideas:

• Put bins on school grounds for recycled items.
• Send notices to parents and other community members to bring their cans and bottles to school on specific days for recycling.
• Recruit volunteers to transport recyclable items to a recycling center or see if a recycle center will pick up large quantities. For information on starting a recycling program contact: 
  County of San Mateo RecycleWorks 
  555 County Center, 5th Floor
  Redwood City, CA 94063 RecycleWorks Hotline: 1-888-442-2666
  Email: info@recycleworks.org

Sponsor an "A-thon"

• Walk-A-Thon: Pledges are made for each unit of time or distance accomplished.
• Clean-a-thon: Students get sponsors to pledge money for every piece of litter picked up or every minute worked. Hold a Clean-a-thon at the beach, in a park, along a stream bank, or any other local area. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to the community while raising funds.
• Spell-a-thon: Students collect sponsors to pledge money for every Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ vocabulary word they spell correctly. Students will have the opportunity to learn while raising funds.

Other Ideas

• Turn local businesses into art galleries. In exchange for a donation, use students' art to decorate offices.
• Make crafts from "junk" as a class art project, then sell them at a crafts fair or parent night. Another idea is to make and sell bird feeders and include drawings and natural history cards about the birds that might eat from the feeders.
• Wash cars and provide a flyer on how to make a car more fuel-efficient.
• Have a bake sale or sell popsicles or pizza.
• Partner with a grocery store to sell grocery scrips.
• Approach service clubs for scholarships (Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.).
• Organize a school carnival, book fair, or talent show.

Older but serviceable clothing is best. We urge that you NOT buy new clothing or equipment. Space is limited – please bring only one duffle bag or suitcase and a sleeping bag.

• Sleeping bag, (or blanket/bedroll and sheets, fitted bottom sheet and pillow)
• Two pairs of shoes (tennis shoes are fine)
• Five pairs of socks
• Five changes of underwear
• Three t-shirts
• Two heavy cotton/flannel or wool shirts
• Three pairs of pants (jeans, cords, or heavy trousers)
• One heavy jacket or coat (regardless of the weather)
• Water bottle, daypack
• Rain gear (no matter how sunny)
• One hat or cap
• One or two pairs of pajamas
• One bathing suit
• Toilet kit containing: one bath size towel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, sunscreen, one washcloth, comb or hairbrush, shower slippers or flip-flops, letter writing materials (pencils, stationery, stamps), laundry bag or plastic garbage bag

Items that will be important for you as a teacher to bring are:

• Flashlight
• Watch or alarm clock
• Pencils (for teacher time)
• Any other supplies necessary for teacher time (paper, crayons, etc.)

• Digital or film camera
• Video camera
• Binoculars
• Nature field guides, rainy day videos, or other instructional resources
• Musical instrument
• Snacks (some refrigerator space is available)

Specialized vocabulary will be utilized during the week at Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ. Students should be familiar with the words in bold type before they arrive to Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ.

Adaptation: A physical or behavioral change in characteristics that produces better adjustment of an organism to its environment and increases its chances for reproduction and survival.

Aquatic: Describing an organism that lives in water.

Carnivore: Animals that feed on other animals.

Carrying Capacity: The maximum population of a given organism that an ecosystem can support without being destroyed or degraded long term.

Chlorophyll: The green pigment in plants responsible for absorbing light energy for photosynthesis.

Climate: The average weather conditions of an area over a period of years.

Community: A group of living things that live and interact together within an ecosystem. The effective management and use of resources provide maximum benefits to the ecosystem – today and for generations to come.

Consumer: Organisms that get their energy from feeding on other organisms.

Cycle: A series of continuous changes that always return to their starting point.

Decomposer: Organisms that break down dead materials into simpler forms, such as fungi, insects, and bacteria.

Diurnal: Organisms most active during the day.

Ecology: The study of the relationships between living things and their environment.

Ecosystem: A unit of living organisms and non-living elements that interact.

Endangered: Describing a population that is declining to dangerously low numbers and may result in extinction.

Energy: The ability to do work.

Environment: Everything that surrounds an organism, both living organisms and non-living matter.

Erosion: The wearing away of soil particles by wind and water.

Extinction: The death of all individuals of a particular species.

Food Chain: The transfer of food energy through a series of organisms as each one is fed upon by the next – from producers to consumers.

Food Web: The interconnecting combination of all food chains that exist in an ecosystem.

Habitat: The environment in which an organism lives that provides food, water, shelter, and space for the organism.

Herbivore: A consumer organism that feeds primarily on plant matter.

Interdependence: The reliance of two or more organisms upon each other for survival.

Migration: The annual seasonal movements made by birds and other animals, often for feeding and reproduction.

Natural Resources: Materials found in nature that can be used by people – sunshine, air, trees, mineral, and water.

Niche: The particular role of an organism in an ecosystem. Different organisms in different places can fill the role – in California, deer are grass-eaters; in Africa, antelope are considered grass-eaters.

Nonrenewable Resources: Natural resources that, as they are used, do not replenish themselves by natural processes such as oil, coal, and metals.

Omnivore: Organisms that consume plants and animals.

Organism: Any living thing such as plant, animal, or microbe.

Parasite: An organism that lives on or in another organism and uses it for food and/or shelter.

Pesticide: A chemical that is used to kill pests, such as insects, fungus, and bacteria.

Photosynthesis: The process by which green plants utilize sunlight with water and air to make food.

Pollution: The contamination of air, water, or soil with undesirable amounts of natural or artificial compounds.

Population: The number of one particular species in a defined area.

Predator: An animal that kills and eats other animals.

Prey: Animals that are killed and eaten by other animals.

Producer: Plants that use the sun's energy to grow and serve as food for other organisms.

Recycling: The practice of processing waste and using it as raw material for new products.

Renewable Resource: Natural resources that have the capacity to renew themselves within a human lifespan, such as trees and sunlight.

Scavenger: An animal that feeds on dead plant and animal matter.

Species: All of the organisms of a single kind, usually defined by similarity of appearance and the ability to produce fertile offspring.

Symbiosis: Two organisms living together in a way that often provides mutual benefit for both organisms.

Terrestrial: Describing organisms that live on land.

Water Cycle: The cyclical movement of water that involves evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. List guidelines for appropriate behavior on trails.
2. Participate safely and actively in learning activities at Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ.
3. Discuss natural resources that may be found at Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ.
4. Develop a personal trail user code of ethics.

Description

Students discuss the importance of appropriate trail behavior and develop a trail user's code of ethics.

Duration

One to two hours.

Concepts

Cooperation/sharing and caring and critical thinking.

Subject Areas

Science, social studies, and language arts.

Vocabulary

Environment and natural resources.

Background

The purpose of this activity is for students to begin to realize that nature is everywhere around them such as in the woods, the ocean, their backyard, and their schoolyard. By investigating microhabitats in their community, students begin to appreciate the diversity of life around them and its interdependence. Students should be encouraged to generalize about their microhabitats and apply them to the whole planet.

All living things need natural resources. Some of the most important include air, soil, water, minerals, plants, animals, and sunlight. Individuals have a responsibility for the quality of the environment around them. Learning to respect the earth and all of its living things will enable people to live more in harmony with nature. This is important if we wish to survive as a species. We must learn to separate needs from desires when considering actions involving our natural resources. Each human being has a direct effect on the environment, and it is becoming increasingly important to weigh detrimental activities against the benefits received as our population grows and natural resources dwindle. Changing lifestyles and behaviors can slow depletion of our resources and environmental degradation.

Appropriate behavior on trails includes:

• Respecting the environment around you.
  • Protect wildlife; leave plants and animals in their natural condition.
  • Observe animals quietly and with respect.
  • Stay on the trail. This prevents erosion of areas outside the trail.
  • Leave only footprints; take only pictures and beautiful memories. Put litter in pockets or in a trash can. Leave natural objects in their place.
• Respecting other people.
  • Follow directions given.
• Be aware of safety.
  • Stay with a leader.
  • Walk at all times.
  • Stay with the group.
  • Watch out for low branches, roots, rocks, and holes in the ground.
  • If someone is hurt or sick, let your leader know immediately.

Materials

Create a transparency from the Good Manners Worksheet, paper, and pencils.

Procedure

1. Begin by asking students about natural resources. What are they? Where do they come from? Do we need them? Why or why not?
2. Discuss natural resources that may be found at Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ.
3. Display transparency, "People Versus Nature."
4. Ask the students to study the drawing and try to list eight inappropriate outdoor behaviors shown there. Make a list of these on the chalkboard. Discuss the impact of each of these on the environment and other people.
5. Let the students know that at Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ they will be walking on many trails to learn about ecosystems and the plants and animals in them. Discuss the reasons why appropriate trail behaviors are essential at Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ.
6. Have students think about which appropriate school behaviors would apply to Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ, e.g., following directions, respecting others.
7. Now have the students generate a list of appropriate alternatives to the behaviors seen in the transparency. Brainstorm additional appropriate Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ behaviors. Make a list on the board.
8. Divide class into small groups. Ask them to develop their own "Trail User Code of Ethics." This can be completed as a list of rules, a statement, a pledge, etc.
9. Have each group share their code of ethics with the class.

Extensions

• There are many possibilities for discussion:
  • How might the environment at Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ be different from a school classroom?
  • Why do we want to protect our natural resources?
  • Why should we follow appropriate trail behaviors? What would happen if everyone followed inappropriate trail ethics?
  • Do these trail ethics apply only at Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ, or are they important in other places, such as national, state, and county parks?
• In addition, you can have each student develop their own "Personal Trail Ethics List." They can each sign it, and the lists can be displayed on the classroom wall as an important reminder before Outdoor аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê×ÊÁÏ.