CONNECTIONS A Pathway for Place-Based Learning
2024-2025 OUTCOMES REPORT
CONNECTING STUDENTS TO
Every child deserves learning experiences like these. The Connections program brings this vision to life for K–6 students in the Mount Baker and Blaine School Districts through 5–10 hours of joyful, hands-on outdoor learning each year. Beginning in their own school gardens and expanding outward into local ecosystems, they deepen their understanding of who they are in relation to the land and to community.
Curiosity Confidence Community Culture
THROUGH OUTDOOR EDUCATION
A
child makes a meal from vegetables they grew, discovers the magic of the forest, helps create a healthy habitat for salmon and maybe for the first time, they visit the mountains they’ve spent their whole life experiencing from afar. They are learning and experiencing so much more than they realize. They are learning to eat well, to feel rooted to place, and discovering the power they have to protect the natural world. They’re finding community, building resilience, moving their bodies, and practicing mindfulness. They’re gaining skills and experiences that will serve them for a lifetime. They are making Connections.
Connections is more than a program—it’s a collective vision for a healthier, more equitable region, bringing together partners and resources to open a pathway of transformative, culturally rich outdoor learning for every child. Our approach is collaborative and centered on the whole child. Through a coalition of community organizations, Tribal partners, and schools, we integrate classroom learning with place-based experiences such as studying salmon life cycles, exploring school gardens and living systems, investigating watersheds, and learning about mountain ecosystems.
LEARN MORE whatcomenvironmentaleducation.com/connections-program