1 minute read
Education and Programming
from 2022 Annual Report
by Merck Forest
MFFC provided programs for everyone - from young toddlers that attended our new Kits and Cubs program to adults seeking professional development opportunities to broaden their outdoor knowledge and skills. MFFC connected children to the natural world through summer camps and school programming and gave adults and families opportunities to get outside, learn and enjoy themselves!
Highlights:
Next Generation Science Standards Field Studies has been offered to regional 5th and 6th grade students since 2016, covering topics such as decomposition, biodiversity, and invasive species management. Using MFFC as an outdoor classroom, students’ enthusiasm for this ecology-based curriculum keeps the activities, lessons, and exploration that take place on site fresh and exciting.
MFFC Summer Camp expanded capacity to serve more K-8 campers in 2022. The Education team implemented a new camp staff training and completed some exciting projects with Trail Crew campers - they improved the Wildlife Trail and focused on teamwork, tool use and outdoor skill-building.
Kits and Cubs, a toddler/preschool program, launched and quickly expanded to engage toddlers, preschoolers and their parents and caregivers. Participants exploreed the natural world and then participated in related songs, stories and craft time. This program reached a new demographic for MFFC.
Long Trail School E-Classes. MFFC partnered with the Long Trail School (LTS) to offer twice-weekly exploratory classes where students headed up to the mountain to work with members of MFFC’s education and resource management teams, digging into a variety of topics such as livestock management, maple sugaring, and gardening.
