“We wanted our students to not only learn from textbooks but also from what Ellen White called ‘God’s great lesson book,’” said Yanina Jimenez, teaching principal at DGAS. “Nature gives our students a chance to engage deeply—with each other, with their studies and with their Creator.”
Through a thoughtfully crafted Outdoor Education program, students are stepping outside each week to experience learning in the natural world, guided by both academic standards and biblical inspiration.
“We wanted our students to not only learn from textbooks but also from what Ellen White called ‘God’s great lesson book,’” said Yanina Jimenez, teaching principal at DGAS. “Nature gives our students a chance to engage deeply—with each other, with their studies and with their Creator.”
Armed with clipboards and a mobile supply cart, DGAS teachers transform grassy schoolyards into interactive classrooms where students observe, measure, sketch and reflect. Each lesson is tied to the North American Division’s academic standards and designed to be cross-curricular. During a recent session, students tackled topics from Genesis 1 alongside math concepts like symmetry and data collection, art through nature sketching, and poetry inspired by their surroundings.
This holistic approach fosters intellectual growth while encouraging students to see God in all they do. A list of learning objectives—from exploring and questioning to presenting and stewarding—helps frame each lesson. But perhaps the most cherished outcome is spiritual: students are encouraged to worship through what they discover in creation.
“Every walk outside becomes an opportunity to learn science, language, Bible, and character,” Jimenez explained. “But most importantly, it’s a chance to experience awe—and give thanks—for God’s creation.”
The program draws inspiration from Ellen G. White’s writings, which urge educators to view nature as a teacher. White once wrote, “The mighty trees of the forest… are living teachers,” and DGAS has embraced that vision wholeheartedly.
Parents and students have responded enthusiastically to the shift, noting the calming effect of outdoor learning and the excitement students bring home from their weekly explorations. In an age of screens and packed schedules, DGAS’s Outdoor Education program is offering something increasingly rare: space to reflect, connect, and worship in the natural world.
As Psalm 111:2 reminds them, “Great are the works of the Lord. They are studied by all who delight in them.”
Yanina Jimenez, with Herald staff
