About 20 fifth- and sixth- grade students from Lugonia Elementary School learned about geography in a hands-on, all-day camp at the University of Redlands on Saturday.
The university makes extensive use of Geographic Information Sciences expertise and technology in its curriculum, research and operations, and hosts the educational camp at every summer.
The students explored their neighborhoods, country and world using traditional maps and online computer applications.
A key application that was used in this year's event was Esri's ArcGIS Explorer Online.
To finish the day, the students created a movie that showcased their research of an assigned foreign country.
University of Redlands faculty members Carol Franklin and Catherine Walker have partnered on this event since its inception seven years ago.
Three University of Redlands students assisted with the camp, two of them from the Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems program and another one from the teaching credential program in the university's School of Education.
Another key player in the camp was Kristin Alvarez, a School of Education associate professor who died Jan. 26 after battling cancer.
She was an advocate for spatial learning in the classroom and enjoyed working with young people as they explored together the wonders of the world around them, the U of R said in a news release.
As soon as she joined the University of Redlands in 2009, Alvarez became involved with Geography Kids Camp. She helped organize the event and taught a portion of the activities.
It was one of her last wishes that the camp continue after her death, and her memorial contributions were made in honor of the program.
The camp is free and is funded strictly through donations.
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