Outdoor lab. Freedom. Fresh air. Fun. Friends.  

I spent a wonderful week at Outdoor Lab in 1982. Back then, I thought the year 2000 was sooooo far away, I would be 30 then!  Well, now it's 2015 and I'm 44 and I have a son who will be going to Outdoor Lab next year. I hope he will go to Mount Evans, where I went.  

I have vague recollections of arriving. No details, just the feeling of freedom. It was the first time away from my parents. I was responsible for myself. Learning to be independent has taken me to college in Florida and helped me travel across the globe.   

The activities were filled with adventures. It didn't really matter which activity: archery, hiking, compass reading... Just being in the fresh air all week made me happy. Not that we didn't spend every summer day playing outside from dawn 'til dusk back then, but the mountain air is better, fresher.  

We were the Havasupi tribe. It was so much fun, making a flag that said, " ex, nox, noxe, nay. Havasupi leads the way." Our counselor told us those nonsense words meant, "Until pigs fly."  It makes me laugh, even now, that we believed him.  

But, the memory that's stands out so clearly, is being with my friends, singing in the talent show at the end of the week. We sang an REO Soeedwagon song: Take it on the Run. I told you I was old, right? We thought we were so cool, singing that cool song with our handsome high-school aged counselor playing the guitar. Those are the same friends who are coming from 3 states for a girls' weekend next week, 33 years later.  

For me, Outdoor Lab was freedom for the first time, fresh air and activities, fun for a whole week (not a single sad moment), and friends that last a lifetime. I hope for the same for my son, next year.  

Lab Cards Program

Friendly reminder that families who start using the cards before sixth grade are the most likely to pay $0 for their student's Outdoor Lab experience. Did you know you can start earning toward a student fee as soon as a child enters Kindergarten? So if you have a future Outdoor Laber on your hands don't hesitate to get started now, and if you don't, consider helping your favorite school with their Outdoor Lab bill by using a school scholarship card.   

Lab Card Program Quick Tip: Lab Card Program families, don't forget that along with grocery purchases, cards can be used to purchase gas from the Safeway and King Soopers fuel stations!

If you're ready to start earning for the Outdoor Lab Foundation, your local school, or a specific child visit us at: www.outdoorlabfoundation.org/lab-cards-program/ or order your cards via the links below.  

Mount Evans and Windy Peak have both experienced winter in full swing. Snow days for us are very different than in town. Jeffco had a snow day the last week in February and all schools in Jeffco were closed...well, almost all of them! At Outdoor Lab, district snow days are celebrated with snow shoes and YakTrax and fun IN the snow! All of the school groups have "weathered" the cold like "storm troopers". Kids, leaders, and teachers often mention the inspiring beauty of snow on the ground and ice crystals on the needles of the trees. We feel so fortunate to experience these moments with our neighborhood schools. From flag ceremonies to classes, the students showing that they fully embraced our Outdoor Lab philosophy of stewardship.  

In other Outdoor Lab news, the staff of both sites worked in tandem to host the 33rd Annual Residential Outdoor Environmental Educators Conference. Environmental educators from Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Missouri, and Colorado gathered at Windy Peak for a weekend of learning and collegiality. Special thanks go to Warren Tech and McClain for helping us with transportation, especially Robbin Wood! From all accounts the weekend was a rousing success. The creativity and hard work demonstrated by our staff is why we are a top notch program in our field. We want to thank all of our Outdoor Lab staff and interns who helped plan, guide, feed and safely transport our guests during ROEE!

Stay tuned as we look forward to the beginning of spring!