In 2016, the Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County joined forces with The Walking Classroom. Since we are located in rural Western North Carolina, our Club has many opportunities to learn and explore here in “The Land of Waterfalls.”
However, to enrich our members’ Club experience, we are always in search of innovative, on-site programs. We added the Walking Classroom to offer our fourth and fifth graders an exciting new addition to our youth development programming.
During the first year of implementation, we ran the fourth grade curriculum during our after-school program. Members seemed to enjoy the chance to get outside and debut the “new technology.” But, we ran into issues with inconsistent attendance and limited programming time.
A reimagined approach in the 2017-2018 school year included the addition of the fifth grade curriculum. Although this produced better results, it still did not work quite as we had hoped.
Then, in the summer of 2018, we made a change, and we moved The Walking Classroom to our summer programming. This eight-week program offers a variety of activities and programs in athletics, education, health and wellness, and recreation.
Adding The Walking Classroom was a great way to begin connecting wellness and academic programming goals. Our summer leaders were eager to take responsibility for planning and facilitating. Also, the Club members loved the new and unusual activity in the mornings!
As several of our leaders mentioned, The Walking Classroom was a wonderful way to jumpstart the day members. Both the overactive and those who disliked morning activities welcomed The Walking Classroom.
Often, our weather here sends thunderstorms in the summer that potentially cancel off-campus hikes. However, having The Walking Classroom was a wonderful option to have in our back pocket.
Most of all, it was gratifying to watch members gradually and unconsciously take personal responsibility for (and pride in) their own health and learning!
Mary Jay
Education Director
Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County
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