A Visit to Vida Verde

Aliyya joins a group of students as they learn about goats and other mammals

It’s a bright, cold February morning in Half Moon Bay. Sixth-graders are walking around the garden, collecting leaves of kale and chard, using their senses to scope out items for a scavenger hunt. Nearby, another group of students gather on a semicircle of hay bales to learn about milking goats, bolstering their voices to be heard over the contented clucking of the laying hens who wander the neighboring pasture. It is, for all intents and purposes, a typical morning at Vida Verde Nature Education.

a group of Students exploring the organic garden

It’s always a pleasure to get to see the work our grantee partners are doing first-hand, and Vida Verde’s program is nothing short of impressive. Each week during the school year, they host a new group of students for a three-day, overnight outdoor education camp. During their stay at Vida Verde, students visit the Pacific Ocean, wander California’s famous redwood forests, harvest fresh produce from Vida Verde’s organic garden, cook meals as a team, milk goats, and make cheese.

The most remarkable thing is the transformation students undergo at Vida Verde. Teachers report that their shy students get an opportunity to find their voices, and rambunctious students get an opportunity to show their strength and leadership skills as they run and hike. Vida Verde’s mission is to create education equity by providing this learning opportunity to the California Bay Area’s urban student population free of charge.

Chickens roam free in the fresh air and sunshine

Getting to see these students engaging first-hand with all of the amazing benefits outdoor education has to offer, it’s impossible not to conclude that they’re doing a great job. Kids who never get to play outside are spending peaceful mornings like this learning more about where their food comes from, which is a valuable lesson for children growing up in a society that is entirely disconnected from healthy eating.

We are so excited that we’ve been able to partner with Vida Verde over the last five years and are looking forward to helping them make improvements to their new forever home at Hidden Creek. Most exciting of all, Vida Verde staff continue to search for ways to improve and build upon the work they’re doing, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.