Image Credit: Maurita Crew

Virtual Learning Enhances Real Outdoor School

Montana Conference's outdoor school is much-anticipated every year. Because of COVID-19, we were met with the challenge of abiding by our state mandates and our desire to ensure students were able to keep a loved tradition.

During the teacher meetings before school started, the teachers were given a tub filled with necessary items to complete three days of activities at their own school sites. A binder containing specifics on how to implement the program was also included.

When the October dates for outdoor school came around, the schools in the conference met each morning for worship. On Wednesday a special Zoom online assembly featured Stan Hudson from the Creation Study Center at the North Pacific Union Conference. Patterns in nature, the water cycle, DNA, moon phases, tide cycles, the Fibonacci sequence, symmetry and creek health were just some of the patterns students were able to learn more about over the course of the three days.

Many schools continued the week past the three days and used some of the extra activities. Diane Haulman from Highland View Christian School in Butte, Montana, said, "My kids are really enjoying this week. It's amazing what they are retaining.”

The students' journals were filled with learning and also what the Bible has to say about patterns. The final two summary texts, Gen. 1:31 and Rev. 4:11, remind us God created a wonderful world to point us to Him. The two texts are the bookends for Scripture all throughout the Bible showing God as the perfect Creator.

Featured in: January/February 2021

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