A SCHOOL WITHOUT WALLS
Online videos don’t describe the feel of a feather, the perfume of wet soil, the wonder of binoculars or the chill of an incoming storm.
After a pandemic filled with too much screen time and too little green time, children from inner city San Jose were thrilled by a recent outdoor adventure with the Youth Science Institute, searching for all things bright and beautiful, any creature great or small.
Isabella Banulos, 8, marveled at her first-ever deer sighting. “They skip!” she exclaimed, as the small herd vanished down the trail. Online learning hadn’t explained that, either.
The Youth Science Institute’s new “Science Saturday” program at Alum Rock Park is reaching about 66 at-risk and low-income children from Title 1-eligible schools, defined as having a child poverty rate of at least 40%.
“Children from low-income communities already experience an education gap,” said Erika Buck, executive director of the Youth Science Institute, based in Los Gatos. “And then, with the pandemic, children had to learn virtually from home. They weren’t given the ‘in person’ hands-on experiences that YSI can provide.”
YSI’s hands-on program not only sparks interest in science and learning, but fosters environmental stewardship, said the parents.
“It is really reinforcing the value of protecting our Earth, protecting our trees and our waterways and protecting habitats for wildlife,” said Yesenia Lombera of San Jose, a foster mother to three children, ages 2, 5 and 11. “It’s the perfect adventurous experience in nature for our city kids.”