MISSISSIPPI DELTA NATURE AND LEARNING CENTER

The Mississippi Delta Nature and Learning Center had an AmeriCorps program that engaged in environmental stewardship activities in Washington County, MS. AmeriCorps members were responsible for removing invasive species on 14 acres, planting native plant species on the land, building trails to make the land accessible to the public, and organizing 11 community events with 200 people to educate the public on how to better care for the earth. In addition, AmeriCorps members leveraged 220 volunteers that engaged in environmental stewardship activities.

Children ages 5-15 in the Mississippi Delta were provided with hands-on educational experiences that taught them about environmental stewardship in their community. The purpose of the program is to connect youth to nature rather than teaching them abstract concepts in a standard classroom setting. Youth must feel an emotional connection to the natural world if there is going to be hope of them protecting it. With the increased use of technology in classrooms, students in the Mississippi Delta spend less time engaging with the natural world, sometimes even regularly skipping recess due to testing concerns and cutting science instruction short to focus on tested subjects. This program will provide children with experiential science learning opportunities through field trips, summer camps, and weekly programming. The project will take place both at the Heart and Soul Children's Garden at Mississippi Delta Nature and Learning Center as well as in the classrooms of area schools. Activities include hands-on activities designed around the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards. The curriculum integrates Science, Math, Literacy, Social Studies, and the Arts. The project has been designed based on research that shows one time and intermittent environmental education can be effective in creating an emotional connection to the natural world, which leads to behavior change in young participants.