Outdoor Learning Kits: Great for Family or School time!
Early in the pandemic, MEEA and 20 statewide partners got together on Zoom to figure out how to create some low-tech, hands-on outdoor exploration kits to help families that were experiencing the early trauma of COVID-19’s spread. We partnered with Operation Food Search (OFS) and St. Louis County Libraries Foundation to provide 6300 outdoor learning kits to families accessing food relief through OFS.
These kits not only provide options for children at home to explore nature, but they also are a great resource for teachers looking to engage in low-effort, high-value outdoor exploration. The kits were designed to include activities for K-12, so you’re sure to find something to engage your students!
Partners
We are so thankful to the partners that helped us to so quickly provide these kits to over 6000 families this summer!
And we’re excited that this project is continuing to evolve and provide benefits to parents, teachers, and kids!
Kit Information
So far, we have 3 kits, with the themes Outdoor Play, Food & Pollinators, and Observing & Nature-Journaling. Each kit was designed to be mostly screen-free, to need minimal adult facilitation, and be accessible to anyone, anywhere–whether you live in rural, urban, or suburban settings. If you’re planning to assemble a set of these kits for a group of children, we encourage you to include items that will help kids engage with nature, like seed packets, hand lenses, and nets.
Downloads are available at the bottom of the page and in our Document Library.
Next Steps
We are close to completion on the addition of a new, bird-themed kit, thanks to the help of some new partners!
We are also looking into options for translating these kits into Spanish. If you can help us access translation resources, we’d love your help! Contact director@meea.org to get involved.
You can learn more about all our volunteer opportunities on the Get Involved page.
Nature Play
Food Pollinators
