- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller, RDN
Rio School District, in Oxnard, is a welcomed new partner. This year, Rio added the 4-H Sustainable You! Summer Camp curriculum to their district-wide Summer Science Camp that serves over 200 students K-6th grade and runs for the next three weeks. The district understands the importance of STEM education and fully funds the camp that is offered free of charge to students who register and submit an essay to qualify for a coveted spot. It's a no nonsense, attendance mandatory opportunity; structured with plenty of learning and lots of fun! The full day camp, operated at Rio del Mar School, provides a nutritious lunch and snacks to all participants.
Last May, HAREC educators conducted a 4-H Sustainable You! Summer Camp curriculum train-the-trainer and will support Rio Science Camp by loaning Sustainable You! activity kits. This exciting program helps youth understand what it means to be sustainable and features interactive activities based around the five major areas of sustainability: land, air, food, energy, and water. Gena Mathwin, is the energetic teacher extending the program to over sixty 5th and 6th graders. On August 11th, Rio campers will round out the Sustainable You! experience with a visit to HAREC and further study of our local food system.
We caught up with the campers on the second day of "Land" and learning about recycling food waste into healthy soil using worm composting.
- Author: Susana C. Bruzzone-Miller, RDN
What does it mean to live sustainably? How do we protect our natural resources? Oxnard educators will help youth understand sustainability concepts this summer.
Rio School District in Oxnard conducts a district-wide summer camp for their K-6th grade students. This year, the district is partnering with the Hansen REC education team and will deliver the 4-H Sustainable You! Summer Camp curriculum to sixth grade campers. The goals of the camp are to help youth develop respect for their natural environment and learn what they can do each and every day to lessen their impact on the environment and conserve resources. To help enthusiastic teachers prepare, the HAREC team held a Sustainable You! Train-the-Trainer last week. The hands-on training covered the concepts and fun activities for the five sustainability themes: land, air, food, energy, and water.
HAREC educators created activity kits for each sustainability theme. These kits will be on loan to teachers to support implementation of the program at a Rio school site. As an added bonus, over sixty campers will experience “food day” at the Center. Students will explore Ventura County agriculture and as well as harvest, prepare, and sample farm fresh fruits and vegetables.