Announcing Coastal Expansion 2019-2020

Announcing
Coastal Expansion
    2019-2020

WHO WE ARE
Muddy Sneakers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
that delivers high-quality outdoor science
  education to fifth-grade public school
  students. It was founded in Brevard in
   2007 with the goal of supplementing
   science instruction while connecting
  children with nearby protected lands.

OUR MISSION
To awaken in children a deeply felt
connection with the natural world —
one that inspires curiosity, stimulates
  learning, and brings new life to
      classroom performance.

WHO WE SERVE
• Fifth-grade students
  at traditional and
charter public schools

      WHERE IT HAPPENS
    We use sites within 30-45 minutes of
  partnering schools as outdoor classrooms:
 •   Schoolyards         • County parks
 •   State parks         • Privately owned
 •   State forests       protected properties
 •   National forests

HOW IT WORKS
• Partnering schools commit to 6 to 10 full-day
  learning expeditions during the school year.
• Instructors spend each
  day engaging students
  in outdoor science
  learning framed around
  a different topic of the
  NC Essential
  Standards for Science.
• Muddy Sneakers employs local, highly
  qualified science educators who are
  passionate about teaching and the outdoors.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT
       MUDDY SNEAKERS
•   Low student-instructor ratio, never to exceed 12:1
•   Repeat, immersive learning experiences
•   Commitment to serving the needs of schools
•   Unique blend of academics, exploration, and
    reflection

OUR REACH
          Western North Carolina
                    2007-present
              Home/Field office: Brevard
                   1,523 students
                     25 schools
                     11 counties
                     12 districts

* Map does not reflect county added
midyear: Madison

OUR REACH
        Piedmont North Carolina
                         2016-present
                    Field office: Salisbury
                         1,350 students
                           18 schools
                           6 counties
                            6 districts

* Map does not reflect counties added
midyear: Anson and Guilford

OUR REACH
Total enrollment 2018-2019
          2,873 students
            43 schools
            17 counties
            18 districts
  16,597 student days in the field

COASTAL EXPANSION
Prospective launch: 2019-2020 school year
    Field office: New Bern (tentative)
         Initially looking to serve:
            800-1,000 students
        from a seven-county area

COASTAL EXPANSION
        GOALS
• Adapt our successful outdoor science
  program to the coastal region
• Ignite a passion for scientific inquiry
• Provide supplemental hands-on science
  instruction in support of STEM
• Connect children with the region’s abundant
  public and privately protected land

INTEGRATED WITH
        NC CURRICULUM
• Muddy Sneakers sees itself not as a field trip but
  as an extension of the classroom.
• We have worked with DPI’s science and STEM
  team, and our programming is aligned with the
  NC Essential Standards for Science.
• We are the core “S” in STEM,
  offering early experiential
  science lessons that lay the
  foundation for continued love
  of inquiry.
• We prepare students for more
  advanced STEM instruction to
  follow.

WHAT WE TEACH
We offer curriculum-aligned expedition topics.
Schools choose a minimum of six (maximum 10).

•   Day 1: School in the Woods (required)
•   Aquatic Ecosystems
•   Ecosystems Interactions
•   Energy:
       Conservation & Transfer
•   Forces & Motion
•   Inheritance & Adaptation
•   Living Systems
•   Matter:
       Properties & Change
•   Terrestrial Ecosystems
•   Weather

A DAY IN THE FIELD
• 9:00 a.m. Arrive at site
• 9:05 a.m. Opening Circle
• 9:10 a.m. Divide into
  groups of no more than
  12 students
• 9:15 a.m.-1:45 p.m.
    • Scientific field studies
    • Experiential learning
    • Nature discoveries
    • Lunch
    • Reflection
    • Journaling
• 1:45 p.m. Closing Circle
• 2:00 p.m. Depart site

RESEARCH FINDINGS

Muddy Sneakers and NC State University
have a unique, ongoing partnership. Our first
two-year study showed that in our program:
   • Girls significantly increase their knowledge of and
     interest in science compared to those who do not
     participate in Muddy Sneakers.
   • Students grow more confident learning outside
     and increase their connection to nature.
   • Students gain a better understanding of the
     scientific process through experiential inquiry.

PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD

"You tricked me! We were
learning but it felt just like
   we were having fun!"
— Muddy Sneakers student

"I would go to school in
the summer if we got to
do Muddy Sneakers!"
— Muddy Sneakers student

"This is the best
 class I've ever had!"
— Muddy Sneakers student

"I love nature because
you can find and discover
       new things!"
 — Muddy Sneakers student

FIND OUT MORE!
    Lindsay Green                    Elise Tellez
lindsay@muddysneakers.org elise@muddysneakers.org
                   Home Office
                   828-862-5560
                    P.O. Box 146
                 Brevard, NC 28712

            www.muddysneakers.org