HENRICO, Va. -- Each month, approximately 900 students come out to Lewis Ginter to get some hands-on experience, through Blue Sky’s Explorer Program.
A group of fifth graders from Bellevue Elementary traded in the classroom for the garden this past week, and explored the garden under sunny skies.
The initiatives hopes that such an experience will help improve student’s math and science skills.
The Blue Sky Program has worked with 11 different Richmond City Public Schools to provide hands-on, experiential learning field trips at various parks, farms, and other open spaces in the Richmond area.
Last school year, the program reached over 600 students at nine schools and saw a significant increase in the average science grades of the participants, according to Blue Sky. This school year, the Explorers program expanded from just third grade, and added in fifth and seventh grade field trips as well.
On Wednesday the Bellevue students took soil temperatures and measured the growth of trees.
"We're putting on these bigger projects, so that they can get the chance to see in context a lot of the stuff that they learned in the classroom," said Charles Johnson."So let's say for example they learned the scientific method, we want to make sure they can do that in practice...it makes it a lot more real for them."
Blue Sky recently won grand prize during the Amazing Raise, in the small organization category. They raised $41,000 in a 36-hour period, thanks to the support of the Richmond Community.
You can read more about Blue Sky here.
And more about Lewis Ginter here.
