Noah Welikson, 7, said his group couldn’t locate enough of the materials they needed to make a shelter against the elements.

But, thinking quickly, they instead found a hollow tree and stuffed it with straw.

Surrounded by teachers and parents, Noah and his cohorts weren’t, of course, really ever in any danger. But the youngster also commented that he now knows what to do in case of an outdoor emergency.

A classmate of Noah’s at least for the day, Clara Hope Simpson, 11, said her and Noah’s group also learned about the importance of trees and how they grow, about recycling and about compost, among other topics.

Still, and possibly most importantly to him, Noah said the Outdoor Education program of Bothell’s Lockwood Elementary School allowed an escape from his classrooms for an entire school day.

Sponsored by Lockwood’s PACE (Parents Active in Cooperative Education) program, Outdoor Ed Day happens every two years and involves every grade level in the school, said Patty Mossing, eduction coordinator for the event.

All in all, 132 kids made the trip to Seattle’s Carkeek Park on a Friday in late September. Mossing said some 75 families donated time or equipment in an effort to make the day a success.

Kids took part in three of 12 class offerings with topics ranging from “Birds and Beaks” to “Outdoor Sculpture” to “Alternative Energy.” Mossing and others said the classes concentrated on science, but also included several art activities.

“We try to balance science and art,” said Lockwood PACE Chair Sarah Pietsch. “We want them to express what they’ve learned.”

Mossing added that students from the older grades take the outdoor classes alongside younger students. Among other things, she said the arrangement gives older students a chance to be leaders.

The 12 classes were taught by five teachers and seven parent volunteers. A local artist helped students build sand castles and do plaster molds of sea shells and such along the shore of Puget Sound. At another station, a parent and Boeing engineer helped his charges create solar-powered nachos. The day was to end with a large campfire for all the students, parents and volunteers.

“There’s no better community-building than those fires,” said parent Stephanie Seiler.

Nobody seemed quite sure how many Outdoor Ed Days have taken place.

“There have been quite a few,” Pietsch said.

Lockwood teacher Justine Hurley said she’s been involved in seven Outdoor Education Days.

“I think it’s outstanding,” she added. “They (students) get a lot of time outside … and there’s just all kinds of neat things for them to do.”

Pietsch noted Lockwood’s PACE chose Seattle’s Carkeek Park for the event because of its varied environment. Carkeek offers water, a beach, fields and wooded areas all in one location, she noted. Pietsch added the idea that the entire world is a classroom always has been one of the guiding principles of PACE.

According to Seiler, there are three PACE programs scattered throughout the Northshore School District, each program serving several schools. PACE invites parents into classrooms, as well as asking them to get involved in other activities. In fact, each parent must commit to 80 hours of volunteer work over a school year.

For her part, Seiler has two children involved with PACE and couldn’t be happier with the program.

“I like the opportunity to be in the classroom,” Seiler said. Among other benefits of the program, she added PACE has turned her children into readers.

“They have fun,” she said, stating her children actually seemed excited about coming back to school this fall and were looking forward to events such as Outdoor Ed Day.

Information Night for the PACE program is planned for Oct. 20. For additional information, visit the Lockwood Web site at www.nsd.org and follow the links to the district PACE site.