Hello everyone,

Unfortunately, due to low enrollment we are taking a hiatus from homeschool. Next Thursday, January 25th will be our last class. Thank you for your support over the last few years.

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Registration is OPEN! To maintain the quality of our programs, classes are limited to 15 students.

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Classes are held rain or shine. Cancelled if there is the chance of thunderstorms or wind over 12 mph.

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Unit 4: Dinosaurs, Fossils and Behavior

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Date: January 4th, 2024

Location: Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve

Lesson #1: What is a fossil?

Description: The most common fossils are bones and teeth, but not all fossils are body parts. Explore the wide-ranging evidence of ancient life...

Parking: Parking Location (no parking fee)

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Date: January 11th, 2024

Location: Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve

Lesson #2: Bigger Than You Think

Description: Dinosaurs come in all shapes and sizes. The Apatosaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs that ever lived. In life, this 84-foot long dinosaur weighed about 30 tons. But not all dinosaurs were large. Compsognathus, for example, was about the size of a chicken and weighed only about eight pounds.

Parking: Parking Location (no parking fee)

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Date: January 18th, 2024

Location: Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve

Lesson #3: Be a Trackway Detective

Description: What can you tell from looking at a fossil record of dinosaur footprints? Everything from which dinosaur was there first to what their behavior was like. 

Parking: Parking Location (no parking fee)

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Date: January 25th, 2024

Location: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History (Reservation 11am start time)

Lesson #5: Santa Cruz Geology and Fossils

Description: Discover the geology of Santa Cruz through displays on common rock types, minerals and the lime industry. From mastodons to microfossils, our region is home to fascinating fossils of all kinds. Use the online guide to the fossils of Santa Cruz County and see what fossils you can find in our garden.

Parking: 1305 East Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95062

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Unit 5: Geology of California

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Date: February 1st, 2024

Location: Alum Rock Park

Lesson #5: Sedimentary, Metamorphic and Igneous Rock

Description: Igneous rocks form when molten rock (magma or lava) cools and solidifies. Sedimentary rocks originate when particles settle out of water or air, or by precipitation of minerals from water. They accumulate in layers. Metamorphic rocks result when existing rocks are changed by heat, pressure, or reactive fluids, such as hot, mineral-laden water. Most rocks are made of minerals containing silicon and oxygen, the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust.

Parking: Mineral Springs Parking Lot15299-15297 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose, CA 95132

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General Information: 

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Our homebase is Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve but we visit other locations throughout the county. 

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Ages 6-12 (younger and older siblings welcomed)

Thursdays 10:00AM - 11:30AM

Please email before dropping in to ensure space and materials. 

The cost is per class and limited to 15 students:
$30 per student

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Per semester:

$540 per student 

*We do take checks made out to Saved By Nature. Homeschool classes run weekly during the normal school year with holidays, and summer off. We are approved with Ocean Grove Charter School! This is a drop off program. (we encourage parents to hike in a group)

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1st Semester Begins 2023 (18 classes)

August:  24th, 31st

September:  7th, 14th, 21st, 28th

October:  5th, 12th, 19th, 26th

November: 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd no class, 30th

December:  7th, 14th

January: 4th, 11th

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2nd Semester Begins 2024 (19 classes)

January:18th, 25th

February: 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th

March: 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th no class

April: 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th

May: 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th

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What better place for your kid(s) to learn and build an affinity for nature than outdoors? Nestled between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range and home to burrowing owls, California badgers, endangered tiger salamanders and mammals such as coyote and gray fox, everything we need is right here! Homeschool Outdoors is an outdoor science laboratory, where we learn together through hands-on experiments, observation, and art!

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"As a long-term homeschool Mom, I can attest that Richard Tejeda is phenomenal with kids and has a special heart for homeschool families! We miss our homeschool classes with him!"

 

Your Instructors/Naturalists:

Richard Tejeda (aka Mr. Richard) - has degrees from West Valley College in Park Management and from San Jose State University in Environmental Studies with a minor in Sustainable Water Resources. He is the 2020 Environmentalist of the Year, a generalist naturalist and the founder and Executive Director of Saved By Nature. He has worked for CA State Parks, Santa Clara County Parks, Open Space Authority, Monterey Bay Salmon Trout Project, Valley Water and created the homeschool program in 2008 at Guadalupe River Park Conservancy where he taught for 6 years.

 

Cindy Medina - Bio coming soon.