Field It

NMF is committed to educating youth about the environment — it is the primary focus of many of our programs and efforts. We have programs to help schools go green and implement environmental education programs. And we find that children are interested — they want to learn about the environment, issues surrounding a healthy planet, and the natural landscape. We want to foster this interest while they are still young, ensure that youth understand how important their role is in protecting the environment, and demonstrate that they can take steps—no matter how young they are—to protect our environment.

Our Field It program is one of the primary ways we reach youth in schools. The overarching goal is that through real-life experiences, students will become more aware, more passionate and more interested in environmental issues. While each program is based on the same basic format, NMF works with schools to create a program plan that enhances their curriculum while encouraging active and engaging classroom and field activities.

Our Work in Local Schools

We’ve been working with and supporting schools in Western Loudoun County, Virginia since 2005. Schools we currently work with include: Loudoun Valley High School, Hillsboro Elementary School, and Emerick Elementary School. At our partner schools, we are:

Exposing students to expert speakers and environmental professionals
Supporting and funding field trips to get kids out of the classroom

Providing equipment such as field guides, laptops, and digital cameras
Supporting the installation of outdoor classrooms such as habitats and wetlands restoration
Providing a forum for classes to work on art and literature projects with environmental themes
Encouraging students to create and implement their own ideas to protect the environment within their schools

Through our varied projects with these schools, NMF is making a real difference by exposing the students to hands-on learning experiences and true environmental work.

Education on Energy and the Environment Toolkit

To reach more schools in Loudoun County and throughout Virginia, we are working on a toolkit with multi-media games, a searchable database for teachers, and Green Earth Books. This toolkit, called Education on Energy and the Environment, is being developed through a generous grant from the Luck Stone Foundation and will include versions for high school, middle school, and elementary school. They are being designed to augment existing curriculum and will help provide a fun and interactive way to learn about the environment while in the classroom.