Students at Rockford Christian School get the Ultimate Experience in God’s Creation

There’s outdoor school, and then there’s a 30-acre outdoor school with access to a nearby camp with even more learning resources, and numerous community partnerships.

Rockford Christian’s Outdoor Education program is every kid’s dream nature school.

And right now is a special time to be a student at Rockford Christian School, as they continue to expand their long-standing outdoor education program.

Principal Ben Buursma is excited to watch students and staff collaborate in their vast outdoor classroom and beyond. Kids at RCS can be part of the ideas and inspiration for growing their outdoor classroom and are learning what it means to care for God’s creation.

“It’s really a super creative and exciting time right now as we continue to build and expand the program,” says Buursma.

The Historic 5th – 6th Grade Program Has Grown to Include Grades PreK – 8

Principal Buursma says that the last few years have affirmed their plans to keep expanding their outdoor education program, which has been a core part of Rockford Christian School for years.

All grades have dedicated outdoor time, off-campus trips and opportunities to grow their outdoor classroom.

First graders spend time creating a city out of recyclable materials as they learn about what is important in a community.
Eighth graders work the hard ground outside to uncover buried artifacts as part of an archeology unit.
Fifth graders enjoy an overnight experience in “Mr. Phil’s Survival School.”
Fourth graders head to the Zoo for a whole week for an in-depth study of the animals there.

Phil Warners, Outdoor Education Director at Rockford Christian, is equally thrilled about the expanding program at Rockford Christian School.

“I am so excited to be facing this new challenge and the excitement it brings our students,” says Warners.

This has been especially beneficial to older students. Warners loves how Rockford Christian can give these 7th & 8th graders unique tools to carry with them into high school.

“Curiosity is often suppressed as students get older,” shares Warners.

“We have them doing homework, assignments, and essays that rely on doing work accurately. But in outdoor education, I feel we enhance that sense of curiosity. I want our students to look, smell, hear, and notice things outdoors that make them start sentences with, ‘I wonder why…’ as opposed to, ‘Is this right?’”

Over the last few years, their outdoor classroom has grown, too.

“We built over a mile of trails through the woods and prairie meadow areas. We built outdoor classrooms for every grade level,” shares Buursma.

And when he says “we” he means the students, with the help of staff. There is a huge sense of ownership and pride in what the students are building with their own hands at RCS, and families love being involved when opportunities arise.

They’ve built a sledding hill for winter, where kindergarten students test different types of sleds and learn about friction.

Other students are researching what it takes to add a rain garden.

Students got really excited when an old blacktop parking lot was torn up and a new natural playscape was built.

There is even an Apiary on campus, where students can learn about honeybees and their important contributions to the local ecosystem.

Rockford Christian Uses Local Assets for Their Students – Including Farms, Lake Bella Vista and Camp Roger

In addition to their incredible 30 acre+ classroom, kids at Rockford Christian go on off-campus adventures. Warners looks for unique learning opportunities anywhere he can.

“Another tenet of our program is creating community partnerships,” says Buursma. This allows the school to combine service and learning, two of the school’s major themes.

Rockford Christian has partnered with Camp Roger, Plainsong Farm and Outdoor Discovery Network, and each grade adopts a park to be stewards of as well.

In December, the school’s theme for the month was “Food” and middle school students learned from Mike at Plainsong Farm that 1 out of 10 Kent County residents are food insecure. In response:

Students shopped at the grocery store to buy needed food items for Kids Food Basket with the funds they had raised from their RCS Pumpkin Patch.
They decorated bags and packed over 200 sack suppers to help children in Kent County who are food insecure.

Basically, if a learning opportunity can be taken outside, Rockford Christian will try it.

“A sense of wonder and excitement resides in every child. They get space to come alive during outdoor education,” says Buursma.

“It’s such a natural time to ask questions and make observations. What you want to know is just a Google search away, but those inquiry skills of asking good questions are lifelong skills. Outdoor education is such a natural way to teach that.”

Students are Learning to Care for God’s Creation

Another aspect of outdoor education that’s very important to Warners is teaching students to care for our earth. Kids learn about issues in our world and are given chances to find ways to solve some of these problems.

“Our students learn that historically people have used resources, disposed of trash, and damaged our world in a way that leaves us with unintended consequences,” says Warners.

“Everything is connected. As we deal with topics like watersheds, invasive species, water scarcity, landfills, sustainable energy and the like, we are confronting our students with the issues they will be forced to solve as adults.

“Through it all, we celebrate God’s amazing created world and find out in new ways why we need to take care of what He has blessed us with.”

There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather at Rockford Christian School

“We love taking advantage of the elements,” says Buursma. “It changes kids’ perspectives on it.”

Whether it’s a 0 degree or 90 degree day, RCS encourages kids to look at the neat things you can do in that weather.

When winter struck, instead of being grumpy at the loss of sunshine and the frigid temps, kids started looking at where animals go in winter. Students used the snow to make shelters, ice forts and igloos, and went ice fishing.

Each student has a yoga mat or chair to take outside for class and knows to always have the right gear for the elements. Preschoolers even bring a waterproof suit to school as a part of their required school supplies.

“Time outside is better for kids and their development, their focus and attention. We want to be intentional about carving out those spaces,” adds Buursma.

Want to Know More? Visit Rockford Christian and be Wowed by This Outdoor Learning Experience

Interested families are encouraged to visit Rockford Christian to see this vast outdoor classroom firsthand and see how kids are inspired daily by the outdoors. Curious kids thrive in outdoor education. It fosters their sense of curiosity and gives them a bigger perspective.

“Kids love outdoor ed,” says Buursma.

To schedule a tour email Linda Vellenga, Director of Admissions, or call her at 616-574-6015. You can also catch a glimpse of their offerings on their website. Rockford Christian School is part of Grand Rapids Christian Schools.

“Our mission is to prepare students to be effective servants of Christ in contemporary society. We hope that when kids have meaningful experiences outside, they fall in love with creation and want to take care of it, “ says Buursma.