The Arlington Outdoor Education Association and the Outdoor Lab Staff celebrate national Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 – Oct 15 annually)
We honor the many Hispanic Americans who have contributed to our schools, community and country. And celebrate our Latinx students who contribute their talents, skills and culture in all schools every day.
Visit the Outdoor Lab’s Booth at the Arlington County Fair starting Friday August 18 at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and surrounding grounds, at 3501 2nd Street S.
After your Goat Yoga and before the Pig Races, cool off inside and visit the Outdoor Lab Booth!
We’ll have new Outdoor Lab Merch, including T-shirts, car magnets and more.
Join us at the Arlington County Fair:
The Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA) supports the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month!
The Outdoor Lab is welcoming to All Students and Families, no matter their sexual identity or orientation.
Please join us in celebrating and advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community in Arlington and our world.
This May, the Outdoor Lab and the AOEA celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
With staff and directors with AAPI heritage in our families, we’d like to honor all Asian American and Pacific Islander families, their contributions to science and education and the building of our nation.
In this time of violence against AAPI individuals and communities, we stand together with all who speak out against hate, bigotry, and exclusion.
Due to predicted rain and thunderstorms on Saturday April 22nd, we are planning to:
-end the Open House at 1pm (when weather is supposed to get worse.)
For those ticket holders of 10a-1p session, you can come as planned.
For those ticket holders of 1p-4p session, you can come to the MORNING SESSION 10a-1p!
We will plan to do as many activities as the weather allows, but there may be a few showers in the morning.
We will move some programs inside if possible and have a tent over the campfire for S’MORES!
Please bring rain gear and sturdy shoes.
The Outdoor Lab is wonderful on a warm, cloudy day. Students go outside for field trips no matter the weather. (Some animals venture out and fish seem to be hungrier;)
Thank you for understanding.
Mike Maleski, President
Celebrate EARTH DAY at the Outdoor Lab Open House scheduled for Saturday April 22nd 10a-1p OR 1p-4p.
The Outdoor Lab welcomes all Arlington Families to the Open House. Grab your “pod” and explore our 226 acres of mountain trails, meadows, streams and pond. While at the Lab, your family can:
To help manage visitors, we need families to pre-register through Eventbrite here.
For the Safety of Visitors:
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!
You can find Directions here, look for signs and volunteers on where to park.
Bad weather, check back here for cancellations or updates.
We look forward to seeing you!
The Outdoor Lab offers three, week-long camp sessions that provide a number of nature-related activities and experiences to Arlington Public School students. who have completed grades 4 through 8.
A blend of traditional camp activities (hiking, evening campfires, crafts, skits) and nature exploration make this program fun and informative. Staff safely guide campers through various activities that may include aquatic studies, natural history, survival skills, and more. Campers are also provided opportunities to explore the natural world through focused activities of their own choosing and self-directed free-time activities, such as boating and fishing.
Students are transported from Arlington to the Phoebe Hall Knipling Outdoor Lab in Broad Run, Virginia on Monday morning, and returned to Arlington on Friday afternoon of the same week. Campers sleep outside in platform tents and spend most of their day outside (weather permitting). They are provided three meals and snacks every day.
Parents may apply for their student to attend camp by completing a short Google form found at Outdoor Lab – Arlington Public Schools (apsva.us) (NOW OPEN).
More information about summer camp can be found here: Outdoor Lab – Arlington Public Schools (apsva.us).
Questions about summer camp should be directed to Outdoor Lab Coordinator Rochelle Proctor at rochelle.proctor@apsva.us or 540.347.2258
The Outdoor Lab owes its existence to Phoebe Hall Knipling. Her vision and determination that children should experience science first hand, led to the creation of the Outdoor Lab and other pillars of Arlington science education like the Brown Planetarium, Gulf Branch and Long Branch Nature Centers. Learn more from a recent story from Arlington Library’s Womens Work series.
Phoebe’s daughter Anita has served on the Board of Directors of the Outdoor Lab for years. She’s continued to build on her mother’s vision and helped thousands of Arlington families experience the joys of the Outdoor Lab.
Recently, Anita was interviewed for the Biscuit Mountain Breakdown and shared some of the early history of the Outdoor Lab. Click here to listen to podcast “Walking Down Memory Lane.”
The Biscuit Mountain Breakdown podcast interviews leaders in the field of outdoor education. Such as Dr. Kendra Liddicoat who researches memories as outcomes for programs like The Outdoor Lab. Learn about how memories are an important feature of what happens at nature centers and how we can use that research to improve our program. Click HERE for Podcasts.
Outdoor Lab staff have participated in such events and documented a large variety of bird species at the Outdoor Lab. Director Emeritus Neil Heinekamp inspired generations of APS students with his bird identification expertise. His legacy continues, with current staff staff helping students identify birds by sight and sound. Now you can help scientists from your own backyard! Show us your favorite backyard birds. #GBBC #LovetheODL
The 26th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 17, through Monday, February 20, 2023.
Please visit the official website at birdcount.org for more information and be sure to check out the latest educational and promotional resources.
Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. Recently, more than 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, has also created an App called Merlin Bird ID to identify the birds you see or hear. It can help with the GBBC or anytime you’re out in nature observing birds.
Help make the Outdoor Lab better than ever! Celebrate EARTH DAY by volunteering at the Outdoor Lab Open House!
Come by yourself, grab your family or friends, or bring your group (Scouts, School Clubs, Garden Club, etc)
We still need volunteers for our Spring Open House Saturday April 22nd, EARTH DAY, 9a-4p.
No experience is necessary, but a love for nature and a desire to help others enjoy the Outdoor Lab is mandatory.
Please help us host various Arlington Families as they enjoy the Outdoor Lab. We’ll have fishing, boating and hiking. We’ll also provide S’mores and families are welcome to bring a picnic. A great way to earn community service hours!
We welcome VOLUNTEERS to come for part or all of the event. Help a bit and then explore and enjoy the ODL!
Arlington County has lost one of its finest citizens – Preston Caruthers. Thanks to his generosity and support, the impact he has made on our community is nearly immeasurable. Everywhere we turn, we see evidence of the impact of his contributions, which include gifts to George Mason and Marymount Universities, Arlington Hospital and, not least of which has been, gifts enhancing the education of Arlington’s youth. One of the area’s greatest treasures, for use by Arlington Public School (APS) students, is the Outdoor Lab, which simply would not exist, were it not for the generosity of Preston Caruthers.
In the late 1950’s, the summer science enrichment program, under the direction of Dr Phoebe Knipling, Science Director of APS, was designed to promote environmental awareness and extend the science classroom experience to the out-of-doors. Whereas this summer enrichment program had been conducted in local and state parks, it became increasingly apparent that a permanent site for the program was not only desirable, but necessary. In June of 1967, a small committee – consisting of 17 citizens and five APS employees – was formed and became known as the Arlington Committee for Outdoor Education (ACOE). An extensive search was launched for an unspoiled, natural area within easy commuting distance of Arlington, and in January 1968, an ideal location, consisting of 200 acres, priced at $90,000, was found in Fauquier County. A ten-year mortgage was negotiated with the owner, Mrs. Rose Striker, who was thrilled at the idea of an “outdoor classroom” and dedicated to the group’s mission.
The committee identified grants available for programs, but not for the purchase of land. The treasury of the ACOE stood at $355 with an outstanding bill of $100 and a membership of 63 loyal supporters. In less than a year, the treasury had grown to $5,050 and the membership had increased to 513. More and more community groups such as PTAs, garden groups and service clubs, along with individuals, committed to a highly innovative “Acre Saving” Program, in which one could “buy” an acre of land for $450 (as a contribution) and pay for it over a three – year period. Although successful, the committee was still far from what was needed to cover the first year’s mortgage. This was a discouraging period for the committee, but the dream persisted.
A donor came forward with a plan and a loan of $51,000, enabling the ACOE to get on its financial feet. However, there were two conditions. The grantor would remain anonymous and the gift would be provided at no interest, if the loan was paid back within 10 years. This benefactor, later identified as Preston Caruthers, was referred to for many years as the “Guardian Angel of the Outdoor Lab.”
And, yes, 10 years later, the loan was repaid at a mortgage burning ceremony – held in the field near the observatory at the new property – with the County Board, School Board, and loyal supporters present as witnesses to this significant event. There, as part of the audience, were Mr. and Mrs. Caruthers, standing quietly, humbly, and unassumingly off to the side, where he was reluctantly recognized. That final mortgage payment to Mrs. Striker in November of 1978 represented the achievement of a seemingly impossible task.
Such a project demanded a driving force of unlimited energy and enthusiasm. Under Phoebe’s guidance and vision, mobilized by the efforts and generosity of friends, co-workers, and families, and fueled by Preston’s backing, the group achieved the goal of providing a permanent site, in a natural setting, for multiple generations of APS students. Today, the Phoebe Hall Knipling Outdoor Laboratory, under the guidance of the non-profit, Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA), in partnership with APS, stands as a tribute to that persistence and resilience. Over the past 50 years, Arlington youth have inherited and enjoyed a priceless gem – a pristine environment in which to study science in the outdoors – thanks, in major part, to its late benefactor, Preston Caruthers. His exceptional generosity lives on!
