Nature is the greatest and gentlest of all teachers.

Hands-on, out-of-classroom learning adds educational options and greatly enhances comprehension. Virginia's widespread and numerous state parks are ideal settings for such learning, and the system’s SOL-referenced Your Backyard Classrooms program offers an easy, fun and exciting ways for teachers to help students learn about the natural world.

The Virginia’s State Parks… Your Backyard Classrooms guide is a set of K-12 science and social studies activities tailored to the parks. There are three editions: Chesapeake, Mountain and Piedmont. Each contains activities directly related to the natural environment in the region.

Each activity:

• is correlated to the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL).
• has clearly stated objectives.
• has background information and step-by-step instructions.
• includes pre- and post-visit classroom elements.
• includes a list of enriching suggestions and resources.

DCR, which manages Virginia’s state parks, distributes Your Backyard Classrooms during on-site workshops conducted by park staff. At workshops, instructors learn to use the guide to cover lessons suitable for students’ interests and abilities. Teachers also get to know friendly, professional park staffers, the park and its resources.

Teachers interested in Virginia State Parks… Your Backyard Classrooms should contact the state park nearest their school to set up a workshop. Click here for a map of Virginia’s state parks.

Sample activities

Click here (PDF) to download the Feathered Feeders activity pages pertaining to birds common to the region. Click here (PDF) to download the Going... Going activity pages covering weathering and erosion.