The School in the Forest program has several components, including orientation, classroom visits, a one-day trip, a two-day overnight trip, and Hudson River experiences for classes participating in the program.

• Pre-trip orientation. Before the first class visit to the Forest, teachers visit Black Rock Forest for an orientation session, where they meet and work with Forest staff in the Center for Science and Education, explore outdoor learning locations, learn the trail system, and familiarize themselves with the resources and pedagogy used at the Forest. They return to their classrooms with lesson plans and materials to prepare their students for their Forest visits.(In some cases, new teachers will skip the orientation and will accompany an experienced teacher from their school on a class visit to the Forest.) Forest staff also visit the classrooms for preparatory activities to build student confidence and knowledge in advance of the trip.Forest staff also offer a parent education component, if needed.
• First trip to the Forest. During their first (one-day) trip to the Forest, students learn from the science and nature curriculum developed for their class (which directly addresses New York State Learning Standards).Activities vary depending on the ages of the students, but can include leaf and tree identification, finding evidence of animals without actually seeing them, water quality testing, experiments on pH and seed germination, measuring trees, and learning about acid rain and the effects of deer browsing on forest regeneration.All students learn map and compass skills and hike on the Forest’s many trails.
• Between visits. Between trips to the Forest, the students engage in projects in their classrooms and neighborhoods, collecting data, generating hypotheses, and creating questions to be explored on their second trip.
• Second trip to the Forest. The second trip to the Forest is an overnight trip.Students build on the activities they engaged in on their first visit, and also have the opportunity to experience two days and a night away from the city and its light and sound, observing the stars and sunset and sunrise, and immersing themselves in the Forest environment. Removing the constraint of limited time on one-day trips allows the Forest staff to greatly expand the students’ experiences, including singing around a campfire and taking night hikes.
• Visiting scientist program. The School in the Forest program also provides scientists who visit the students’ classrooms.This enhances student understanding, piques their curiosity, and introduces them to the lifestyle and thinking of scientists and the possibilities of becoming one.
• Visiting the Hudson River. Thanks to a grant from the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, many of the classes visit the Kowawese Unique Area, a nearby park on the banks of the Hudson River, to study the river environment directly and make connections between the River and the streams in the Forest that feed it. A new grant from the Estuary Program is enabling the School in the Forest program to offer professional development to fourth and fifth grade teachers and to music and art teachers and to develop a Hudson River curriculum that includes music, art, and drama projects.
• Professional Development.  Black Rock Forest educators are holding a professional development workshop for School in the Forest teachers in June.  Links to resources for further information can be found here.