Ridgefield fifth graders return to Cispus Outdoor School

At Cispus, students do all of their learning outside, rain or shine and they enjoy hands-on activities like soil and water sampling, plant identification, and nature art

For more than fifty years, the Ridgefield School District has taken its entire fifth grade class to Cispus Outdoor School. Unfortunately, COVID restrictions put Cispus camp on hold for the last three years. This made it especially exciting for this year’s fifth graders to be the first group to return to Cispus. Like many generations before them, they were elated with the life-changing experience of sleeping in cabins, enjoying outdoor classes, and hiking through the woods. 

At Cispus, students do all of their learning outside, rain or shine. They enjoy hands-on activities like soil and water sampling, plant identification, and nature art. But they also learn how to build survival shelters, practice manners at family-style dinners, and keep the cabins and dining room clean. Learning is an all-day activity at Cispus. 

Supervised groups of students explore the campgrounds, trails, and forest, learning about the ecosystems, resources, and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest