Staffing
Teachers and assistants (naturalists on site)

Length of trip
4 days, 3 nights

Travel time
0.5 hour each way

Food
Lunch and snack to be brought by students for day one; all other meals will be provided

Transportation
Carpools to be arranged by teacher and roomparents

Objectives

1. To gain a sense of place.
2. To investigate the interactions between the flora and fauna (biotics) and the non-living components (abiotics) of the ecosystem.
3. To understand stewardship and the role of human interactions within an ecosystem.

Since 1977, Headlands Institute has been making remarkable things happen for students. From its scenic location in the Marin Headlands, the Institute's outdoor classroom offers a richly varied natural backdrop for exploring a variety of ecosystems.

At Headlands Institute, surrounded by sky, sun, water, and land, lessons take on an immediacy that can't be found in textbooks. Our primary goal is to foster personal connections to the natural world. Through hands-on learning and guided exploration, we work to cultivate in each student a sense of wonder about the world we share and a sense of responsibility for its stewardship, which stays with students long after the program is over.

We use a variety of effective educational methods and take an interdisciplinary approach. Our programs support the guidelines of state and national Academic Learning Requirements, and we strive to complement our attending teachers' classroom objectives. School-age community groups are welcome also.

Field instructors come from a variety of backgrounds. All have several years of teaching experience with a range of ages and learning styles. Staff are trained to present information in an objective, inclusive manner, with the goal of encouraging intellectual curiosity and developing critical thinking skills.

Reprinted by permission from the
Yosemite National Institutes.
More information available at http://www.yni.org/hi/