Every week, in the expansive fields of the White Farm property, children enthusiastically embark on adventures, catching bugs, tracing animal footprints in the snow, and gazing to the sky in anticipation of any majestic hawks that might grace the scene.

Despite the cars that zoom past on Clinton Street, the Concord property reveals an endless sea of green stretching as far as the eye can see. In the winter, that green turns to white as snowshoers and cross-country ski trails line the landscape.

This cherished property was once owned by Nathaniel and Armenia White, who left a mark on state politics and played pivotal roles in the women’s suffrage movement, dating back to the 1800s.

But today, a 30-acre parcel of the property, leased to the school district, has transformed into the space for Project SEE, a dedicated science and environmental education program catering to the curious minds of Concord’s students from kindergarten to sixth grade.

“We can do things at White Farm that are hard for a teacher to do in a classroom,” said Stephanie Bowser, coordinator of the program. “We have the land so we can get them outside and we can make a big mess that a teacher might not want to deal with in the classroom.”

At White Farm, education goes beyond the confines of traditional classrooms. The program’s standout feature is its immersive, hands-on approach.

While critical thinking and science skills are introduced in the classroom, they truly come to life when students step into the outdoor space.

For instance, the exploration of hibernation doesn’t end with textbook knowledge. Instead, students become active participants in the learning process. They mimic the habits of animals by burrowing under blankets, simulating hibernation and measuring the temperatures beneath the blankets.

Sometimes, students take on the task of designing nests capable of cradling delicate eggs too.

Apart from emulating animal behavior to understand nature better, they are also taught the skills to evolve into citizen scientists.

In the Backyard Birds lesson, students attentively observe the nuanced behaviors of several bird species inhabiting the area, including the song sparrow, northern cardinal, purple finch, and others, honing their skills in data recording and drawing insightful comparisons with data from previous years.

“Just seeing that light in kids’ eyes when they discover science is amazing and fun, and the outdoors is an incredible place to be, entertainment is a fantastic feeling,” shares Bowser, who has always had a love for the outdoors and critters.

Learning about nature is not the only thing that happens at the farm; students also learn to overcome their fears of the outdoors.

Bowser said that kids have all kinds of fears, like even touching soil.

Every day at Project SEE, the team is surrounded by beautiful trails where the air is filled with the melodic chirping of birds, the gentle rustle of leaves underfoot as squirrels dart by, and the ambient hum of bees.

For Bowser, who has an affection for the outdoors and nature, this experience feels like living the dream.

“I just love sharing what I love with other people,” she said. “There’s so much joy you could find in the outdoors – curiosity, entertainment – there’s so much out there that I want to share with kids because they don’t always get those experiences on their own.”