Backyard Classrooms – Chesapeake Edition

The Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of State Parks appreciates your use of our highly acclaimed program. Since 1936 our mission has been to protect, conserve and manage significant state natural, recreational, historical and cultural resources, and to provide
recreational and educational services, opportunities and facilities consistent with the needs of Virginians and their guests.Through quality conservation education programs-especially the education of Virginia’s young people-our parks and natural areas can play a major role in the future stewardship of our Commonwealth’s natural resources. By giving students the opportunity to relate to and understand the natural world through inquiry-driven, hands-on learning experiences, we are allowing them to develop a personal appreciation for the environment. It is this understanding and appreciation on the part of tomorrow’s leaders and decision makers that will help ensure a quality environment for future generations.Your Backyard Classroom makes it easy, fun and rewarding for students, grades K-12, to use the many State Parks and Natural Area Preserves in the tidewater region. The program, which incorporates the State Standards of Learning objective, contains 40 activities which address a variety of subjects, issues and concepts. The activities are designed to involve students before, during and after field trips and encourages them to make hypotheses, observations and inferences. Although each activity includes concise step-by-step procedures, group leaders are
encouraged to mix, match and adapt activities in order to customize field trips to better meet their own instructional goals.Please use Your Backyard Classroom often and join in the effort to protect Virginia’s priceless natural heritage by sharing sound science and a sound conservation ethic.Below you will find the PDF documents for the Chesapeake Edition of Backyard Classrooms.