Our partner the Virginia Outdoors Foundation wrote a great article about the Outdoor Lab with an interview of new Lab Director, Michele Karnbach.
The Arlington Outdoor Education Association partnered with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to place our land under open-space easement to preserve its natural beauty and biodiversity.
Continued development in our “neighborhood” brings the importance of such easements into vivid detail.
Looking for meaningful holiday gifts? Join us December 7th & 8th at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Clarendon or Online, to meet volunteers for the Outdoor Lab.
Gift wrapping will be available at the store on both days. Look for us at the store on the lower level by Starbucks and simplify your Holidays by getting gifts wrapped while enjoying a treat. Volunteers from the Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA), the non-profit that owns the Outdoor Lab, will also be on-hand to share info about our mission.
The AOEA has been in partnership with Arlington Public Schools (APS), serving the children of APS for over 50 years.
Sharing this information with your family and friends would help us tremendously.
The in-store Bookfair dates:
The on-line Bookfair dates:
Thank you for your continued support. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
VISIT the AOEA – Outdoor Lab Booth at the Arlington County Fair starting Friday August 16 at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
Come visit our Booth (at E16 inside the gym), we’ll have animal related “artifacts”, T-shirts ($5) and SweatShirts ($10) for sale, and you can register daily for our free T-shirt “raffle”. You can also share your favorite memories of the Lab – or send a “Happy Summer note to ODL staff”…
Join Us at the Arlington County Fair:
-Fri, August 16 4p – 10p
-Sat, August 17 10a – 9p
-Sun, August 18 11a – 7p
We’re monitoring Rain and Thunderstorms for the Open House. Please check back here for latest updates. We are a go for Open house as of 10am Friday May 3rd.
The Outdoor Lab Open House is scheduled for Saturday May 4th 12-4pm.
Enjoy nature with your family as you hike the trails, try fishing in the pond, paddle a canoe, or visit with the animals in the Lab. We’ll have a cookout with hot dogs and smores or you can bring a picnic to enjoy. It’s fun for all ages and free for Arlington Families and friends.
While at the lab, talk to AOEA board members about the upcoming capital projects or how you could volunteer. We’re looking for additional board members and have lots of great projects on our plate!
Consider carpooling with neighbors or friends to reduce your carbon footprint. Directions can be found here and parking info will be posted closer to the event.
In case of inclement weather, check back here for cancellations or updates. An Open House Rain Date has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday May 18th 12-4pm.
We look forward to seeing you!
The future of the Arlington Outdoor Lab is at stake – we need your help now to convince the School Board to restore funding for the Lab in the 2019-20 APS budget.
The Superintendent’s proposed budget eliminates all funding for the Outdoor Lab. That’s right – it cuts every teacher, every bus, and every school trip to the Lab. Unless the School Board votes to restore the funding, Arlington students will no longer experience unique STEM and outdoor education at the Lab.
We don’t have much time to convince School Board members to restore this devastating elimination of the OL program. The School Board meets on April 9 to make revisions to the Superintendent’s proposal. Board members need to hear from you about the importance of funding the Lab before then.
It’s a tough budget year and the Superintendent has proposed almost $9 million in cuts. The School Board is already hearing from many others urging them to fund important programs identified for budget cuts.
Supporters of the Lab – parents, students, summer campers, and teachers – we need your help to make our voices heard. If Board members hear from us about the value of the Lab, then we’ll be in a much stronger position to convince them to restore essential funding.
You know the Outdoor Lab is a special place for seeing science come to life, taking a hike in the woods, and sleeping in a tent under the stars. The Lab is a unique resource for students in Arlington Public Schools. We need your voice to help ensure the Lab continues to serve thousands of Arlington students next school year.
Please take a minute to tell members of the School Board how important it is to fully fund the Outdoor Lab in the 2019-20 APS budget. Feel free to use the sample comment here – and personalize it based on your family’s experience at the Lab.
It’s critically important to contact School Board members before April 9 when they will vote on changes to the Superintendent’s proposed budget.
Todd Parker, President AOEA
Sign our petition on change.org
Let them know you support the Outdoor Lab and full funding of Arlington’s schools and programs including the Outdoor Lab.
Email- CountyBoard@arlingtonva.us
Tell the School Board you support the Outdoor Lab and its hand-on, experiential, STEM learning!
Email – school.board@apsva.us and individual Board emails (below)
Phone- Call 703-228-6015, leave a voice mail for Board and individual Board members
Meet- with a Board member on School Board Open Office Hours at Syphax Education Center
| April 22 | 5 – 7 PM | Barbara Kanninen | barbara.kanninen@apsva.us |
| April 29 | 5 – 7 PM | Nancy Van Doren | nancy.vandoren@apsva.us |
| May 6 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM | Reid Goldstein | reid.goldstein@apsva.us |
| May 13 | 5 – 7 PM | Tannia Talento | tannia.talento@apsva.us |
| M | Monique O’Grady | monique.ogrady@apsva.us |
Attend Budget Meetings
*Work sessions are open to the public but no comments are accepted.
Ask Everyone you Know to contact School Board and County Board. Post information and get their help spreading the word.
The Outdoor Lab has been hit hard by the wind storms blowing down trees and knocking out power to all buildings at the lab.
Please check with your school’s coordinating Teacher for trips to the Lab for week of March 5th. Some trips will be cancelled.
The Lab Staff, AOEA Board, APS staff and various contractors are working hard to get power restored and the Lab back in safe operating condition.
Power to the Outdoor Lab was restored Monday afternoon by NOVEC and its contractors from Charlotte, NC!
Some repairs, especially to Animal Lab will take longer to complete, but deck and porch have been safely blocked off from student access so programs can continue. A vintage canoe and lawn tractor were also damaged.
Check out pictures below:
