The Jarrett Meeker Foundation

Each of our programs is designed to meet the needs of our students through hands-on interactive learning strategies and in correlation with the California State standard based curriculum.

Education in the Environment: An authentic overnight tent camping experience in a natural environment for underserved and ethnically diverse children and young adults throughout San Diego County. The students study and explore the outdoor environment in a thrilling and adventurous learning experience. This experience helps re-connect students to our natural world and fosters the desire to be good stewards of the environment. It is time to recapture an essential part of childhood outdoor play.

The outdoor experience includes singing around the campfire, making smores, astronomy, hikes, learning about native Americans’ traditional way of life, nature related learning stations, activities, and crafts.

Studies from the National Wildlife  Federation show that children benefit greatly through participation in activities that bring them in contact with the natural world.  Children grow lean and strong, enhances creativity and attention spans, decreases aggression, and boosts classroom performance.  Bottom line – healthier and happier kids.

•     More Creative: Outdoor kids are more likely to use their own imaginations, inventions and creativity while playing
•     Brain: Measurably better grades in school.  The healthy bodies and minds that come with outdoor play increase cognitive focus in school
•     Eyes: Improved eyesight.  Recent studies find that kids who get outdoor time have less nearsightedness and need for eye glasses.
•     Smile:  Better at making friends.  Children playing together outdoors relate directly with one another, create games together, choose sides and improve their “people” skills by learning the tools needed for compromise and negotiation.
•     Lungs: A longer lifespan and healthier adult life.  Doctors estimate that sedentary and obese children loose three to five years from their life expectancy
•     Tummy: Trimmer and healthier kids.  An hour of play a day is what doctors say is a basic tool in the effort to ward off childhood obesity and diabetes.
•     Leg/Arm: Stronger bones and lower cancer risk.  Today’s indoor kids don’t get enough sun and are becoming Vitamin D deficient causing health risks.

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East County Earth Day is our effort to involve community partners in creating outdoor activities and environmental education for youth of all ages and backgrounds. We strongly believe that nature-based education — that is, learning in outdoor environments — helps drive home and give conservation messages weight and reality, a benefit that being outdoors can provide.

East County Earth Day: An annual event in partnership with Mt. Helix Park Foundation. The focus is on bringing Earth Day back to its roots, with environmental groups, ecology resources, recycling, and waste management vendors. The annual event will be at the Mt. Helix Park Amphitheater, a central location for East and South County, traditionally less engaged in Earth Day programming.

Date: Sunday, April 1, 2012
Time: 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Where: Mt. Helix Park “The Crown Jewel of East County”
4905 Mt. Helix Drive in San Diego County between La Mesa & El Cajon

            View the 2011 Program         See photos

Destination Nature Club: A partnership with the Children & Nature Network to provide online toolkit to assist families in engaging in outdoor family activities in the San Diego County. Online toolkits are available along with contact information to answer questions and provide program support.Download the Tool Kit [>]

The Tool Kit includes a Quick Start Guide with simple instructions on how to start a local Nature Club for Families.