October 20th-24th, 2025
Let’s get New Mexico’s kids outdoors to learn!
All children in New Mexico deserve the meaningful experiences and sense of discovery that result from outdoor learning. Research shows that when we support youth in daily outdoor experiences, they are healthier and gain the knowledge and skills to innovate solutions to social and environmental issues.1
EENM wants to help you, your family, or your classroom celebrate the fourth annual New Mexico Outdoor Learning Week. Below are some resources you can use to weave this important event into your life!
Do the WATER WALK at YOUR SCHOOL!
Partners: Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District, Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District, and B.E.M.P. put together an easy-to-do water walk that can be adaptive for all ages and grade levels! This is an easy hour or so activity that can be done anytime during outdoor learning week! If your school participates in this activity, tell us about it and we will share it over Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Outdoor Learning Lessons and Activities for All Ages
Use these free, NM-focused resources developed by our partners to provide your students with inspiration, meaningful learning experiences, and fun during Outdoor Learning Week and beyond!
All Ages
Honeycomb Geometry : all ages, science and art, developed by Explora. Try to make a honeycomb like a bee does!
Scavenger Hunt: Extremophiles: all ages, science, developed by Explora
Find extremophiles in nature.
Squishy Soil: all ages, science, developed by Explora
Learn about soil composition and its effects on plants.
Garden Musings: all ages, science and art, developed by the Santa Fe Botanical Garden
Santa Fe Botanical Garden’s 2020 Earth Day project, Garden Musings, includes a set of 12 mindful, observation-based activities to do outdoors with very few materials; try one or all 12 with your students.
Going Out – Field Activities (for visits to the bosque): all ages, science, developed by the Bosque Education Guide
This chapter from the Bosque Education Guide compiles an assortment of field activities to support multiple visits to the bosque.
Meandering Channels: all ages, science, developed by the Bosque Education Guide
This chapter from the Bosque Education Guide compiles classroom and schoolyard-based activities about the Rio Grande grouped by these topics: natural history, geology, water, and human influence.
Water Walk: all ages, science, developed by the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program and Valencia Water Conservation District
This outdoor observatory walk focused on watershed health is a great way for students to get some outdoor time, benefit from fresh air and physical exercise, and the opportunity to connect to the ecosystems surrounding their local schools and/or homes.
Elementary
A Walk in the Woods: K-3rd grade, science, developed by the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority
Use this field journal to observe and identify living things in the schoolyard or your backyard.
Outdoor Learning Activities: 5th grade, science, developed by the Sandia Mountain Natural History Center
A wide variety of activities to learn about plants, animals, and other natural features from Albuquerque and the surrounding areas.
Juego de Búsqueda: Grado quinto, ciencias y letras, desarollado por el Sandia Mountain Natural History Center
Un juego de búsqueda para encontrar seres y objetos naturales en una ecosistema y aprender sobre su importancia.
Middle School
Students Using LandPKS to Share Data, Information, and Knowledge: 5-8th grade, science, developed by the Asombro Institute for Science Education
Learners collect data on soil properties, land cover, and other characteristics of one or more sites in the schoolyard or local area; they then use the data they collected to generate Land Capability Classifications using the free LandPKS app.
1Nicole M. Ardoin, Alison W. Bowers, Noelle Wyman Roth & Nicole Holthuis (2018) Environmental education and K-12 student outcomes: A review and analysis of research, The Journal of Environmental Education, 49:1, 1-17, DOI: 10.1080/00958964.2017.1366155
