In this final episode we touch on judging success, the transition to high school and ultimately the hopes for the school through the eyes of the parents and educators who have been with the school.

As I wrap up this series, I want to remind you that this has been a labour of love so if you could take a few minutes and leave a comment on the shows iTunes page and help spread the word about this show, I’d really appreciate it. As I consider the idea of continuing to document the school, it’s really your comments and interest in this topic that will influence what I do.

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My son, Nate, posing with his fort

This episode looks at the role that community plays in the Environmental School and the kind of child that the school is designed for. The Environmental School would never have gotten off the ground if it weren’t for the community support.

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This weeks show we delve deeper into experiential education by taking a look at how the Environmental School weaves together lessons and experiences. One of the most common questions that parents in the school get is, "How do they learn math?" Well, after listening to this episode you should get a better understanding of how experiential education can work with any subject.

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Experiential education is one of the central pedagogies of the Environmental School. On a daily basis, the students are exposed to places and opportunities to have unique experiences which creates a rich learning environment. Wether it's at a BMX track, archery range, power dam, beach, or forest, the lessons are designed around the place which are selected by the types of meaningful experiences that can be had.  The benefit of experiential education is that the learning has more impact because the kids are directly involved, therefore the learning sticks with the children.

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The Environmental School weaves ecological education into the fabric of the curriculum. In this chapter we’ll hear from SFU researchers, students, and educators talk about how our relationship with the environment needs to start with the youngest among us.

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This weeks episode answers one of the most common questions that parents of the Environmental School get asked, "How can kids learn outside in the rain?" It does rain a lot in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, about 168 days of rain a year, accumulating around 1400mm of the wet stuff. The kids, educators and parents have all adapted to being exposed to the elements, and don't run for cover whenever the clouds darken.

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This weeks episode is really a continuation of last weeks show which was on place based education, in that, the students of the Environmental School are very often learning in the great outdoors. One of the many benefits of the location of the school is that it is surrounded by many great parks, lakes and rivers which provide a classroom experience like none other.

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One of the more visible aspects of the school is that there is no conventional school building, all the learning happens in place around the community and every new place the school visits has something to teach.

Next week’s show we look at the learning in the outdoors

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This week's episode delves into the topic of report cards and mixed grades. The educators at the Environmental School have done away with the traditional letter grades and have developed a system that is more useful for parents and students. Unlike conventional schools, the Environmental School separates all the kindergarten to grade seven students into four clans which leads to a unique age mixing environment for the kids.

Next weeks show we look at place based education.

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This podcast series takes the interviews from the film Found In The Forest and further explores the concepts and pedagogies of the Environmental School in British Columbia.

This first episode is all about the need for change and how the idea of the Environmental School came about. Through interviews with the school's principal, educators, administrators, researchers and parents we learn how a public school that is so different than any other, can grow.

Next week’s show we look at how the school handles report cards and grade separation.

This podcast series takes the interviews from the film Found In The Forest and further explores the concepts and pedagogies of the Environmental School in British Columbia.

What's a podcast? A podcast is a way of getting free audio programs sent to your phone, tablet, or computer. The most common way people enjoy podcasts is to use a podcast app on their phones. You can download a variety of free podcast apps from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

There is no cost and you can unsubscribe at any time. Each Saturday morning, starting on April 11, there will be a new episode of the Found In The Forest Podcast released.

Please feel free to leave comments or questions for each episode in the comments section of the episode post. And if you enjoy what you are hearing, help spread the news by rating the show in iTunes.

Thank you for listening,

Craig Cerhit