What We Do

Our Strategies

To develop capacity in our community for environmental education we:

• Integrate outdoor learning activities with academic content in K-12, non-formal and adult education
• Develop infrastructure & protocols to support learning at outdoor sites
• Identify funding to cover program costs and transportation
• Build connections and partnerships to develop a broad base of support for outdoor education across the community

Our curriculum is guided by four themes that allow us to capture a diverse array of interests as well as provide multiple perspectives on human interactions with nature.

The Natural World

Examine ecosystems, watershed, soils, plants and wildlife through scientific inquiry.

Garden to Table

Explore cultural connections to land and place through growing, foraging, preparing and sharing food.

Maker’s Workshop

Engage in creative design for a future in which natural resources are used responsibly.

Health & Well-being

Experience the art of living well through yoga, reflection, poetry, craft while developing self-awareness and building community.

We support teachers by providing outdoor activities for students in their classes, by providing a variety of professional development opportunities, and by providing a garden coordinator to help manage school gardens.

Garden Educator Meetings

EdenAcres and Dairy Creek Community Food Web have teamed up to host our monthly Garden Educator Meet-ups. Each meeting provides professional development opportunities, guest speakers, and/or resource support for our community of teachers and volunteers dedicated to growing garden-based learning in our schools.
Garden Educator Meetings

School Garden Funding

In partnership with the dairy Creek Food Web, we’ve written grants to provide support for school gardens. With these grants, we’ve allocated significant funding towards designing, installing, and maintaining school gardens. If you need help with a garden at your school, tell us what you need and we will help!
School Garden Funding

School Garden Coordinator

Our School Garden Coordinator is focused on facilitating classroom access to school gardens. By delivering Common Core/NGSS/STEAM aligned garden-based curriculum, garden maintenance support, curriculum resources for educators, and after school club opportunities, our Garden Coordinator works to develop a rich relationship between each school and their garden.
School Garden Coordinator

Traveling Programs

We will come to your school and deliver a Primitive Skills workshop to your students. Workshops are about 1 hour long and we can work with you to focus the workshop on the academic area that best fits your curriculum. Select from: Fire Making, Knife and Hatchet Basics, Fiber Arts, and Native Plants for Food and Healing.
Traveling Programs

Custom Programs

If primitive skills don’t fit your needs, we can work with you to develop custom-designed activities that match your curriculum. We’ve worked with Roots & Shoots, the Forest Grove Community School, Fernhill Elementary, and Adelante Chicas to develop workshops on Traditional Foods, Science and Discovery, Civic Engagement, and more. Contact us to see how we can help with engaging programs that make learning fun!
Custom Programs

Creative Alternative Learning Center

We are working with CALC to offer a Leadership Through Design course where students practice the process of envisioning change, developing effective plans for achieving that change, and then efficiently putting those plans into action through hands-on practice. Sustainability concepts are embedded throughout the curriculum, as are a consideration of community relationships, collaborative methodologies, leadership qualities, and civic-minded social practices.
Creative Alternative Learning Center

School’s IN: For Parents

Parents know that kids love getting outdoors but busy schedules can sometimes make it hard to get them out as much as they would like. We can help! We offer a variety of enriching programs in fun and safe learning environments.

Summer Outdoors

EdenAcres summer camps bring out the best in kids by engaging them with the natural world and their community in a positive and thoughtful way. Check back in February to see our 2018 summer line-up!
Summer Outdoors Registration

Early Learning Forest School

Many of the world’s great environmental leaders and activists began their lives playing for long hours outside; discovering frogs, getting dirty, and finding a love and connection with nature. This program is truly a gift we are giving to our children, and the skills and experiences will stay with them for a lifetime. Sign up now to reserve a spot in our Early Leaning Forest School, starting in Fall 2018!
Early Learning Registration

STEAM Workshops

We’ve been partnering with faculty from the Physics Department at Pacific University to offer STEAM workshops where kids can experience the empowerment of DIY as they explore a whole variety of hi and lo tech hands-on activities. Check back for info about registering in both the summer (starting in March) and winter (starting in November) registration periods.
STEAM Workshops

Homeschool Nature Monday

If you have a homeschooler, this program is made for you. Join every week as we spend the day outdoors having fun, getting dirty, and learning lots! Our Nature Monday program is ongoing and we still have a few spots open. Sign up now and join the fun!
Nature Monday Registration

Homeschool Primitive Skills Workshops

If you have a group of kids but don’t want to travel, we can come to your location to give one of our Primitive Skills workshops. Choose from Fire Making, Knife and Hatchet Basics, Fiber Arts, and Native Plants for Food and Healing.
Traveling Programs

Homeschool Custom Programs

If primitive skills don’t match your interests, we can work with you to develop an adventure that’s just right for your group of kids. We can visit a nearby forest, explore traditional foods and gardens, engage in scientific discovery, and more! Just give us a call and tell us your ideas!
Custom Programs