Project Based Learning Electives provided by the Berrien Springs Virtual Academy
Natural Acts: Environmental Studies & Hiking Fall 2025
All students must complete a project for these classes
Contact: Tom & Colleen Hurst
Email:loonling.lc@gmail.com
- Class time: Sundays 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
- Start Date: September 14, 21, 28, October 5, 12. Make up date Oct.19. Class will be canceled in case of poor weather and moved to make up date.
- Location: Various areas within 20 miles of Berrien Springs.
- Ages: 6 and up, must be good walkers. Typically this is a class that a parent joins.
This is a class where families are introduced to local natural areas. We will meet at a different spot each time. Hikes will be less than 4 miles and will include nature, forestry, geology and history instruction. A snack break will be included. This is designed as a family participation activity where a parent joins the hike. We will introduce hiking equipment, trail food and wilderness safety.
Younger children in carriers are OK. Sorry no strollers. All participating students over 6 years need to be registered for the class. Solid outdoor shoes are a must. We will send out specifics prior to the start of class. Emails will be sent out prior to each hike with instructions for location, parking, activities. We do need to be a bit weather flexible. Classes will not be held outside in dangerous conditions.
Our area is rich with many large parks and publicly accessible natural areas. From original forests to sand dunes and river walks. Berrien county is diverse. Past hikes have included. Love Creek, Ross Preserve, Warren Woods, Grande Meer, river valleys, orchards, lake shores, and farm activities. Colleen & Tom have been exploring the outdoors and guiding trips for schools, families, youth groups and conservation organizations for over 30 years. Allow us to share with you some of our local favorites. Detailed directions will be shared by email prior to each class.
*Please note: it is important to make as informed a decision as possible when choosing your student's Community Resource classes. Most locations will allow a student to drop a class after one meeting, at no charge if it wasn't a good fit for the student, but not all. Some classes plan ahead based on the number that have signed up and have purchased materials, hired teachers, etc. and there might be a fee for class time or materials given to the student if the student drops after one or two meetings. The school cannot pay for classes that students do not complete, so choose wisely; if you do not take the class off of your student's schedule by the deadline, you may be asked to pay for the class time incurred prior to dropping the class.
Teacher of Record: Tom Hurst
