Spring has sprung, and fifth-graders at Harvard Elementary are eagerly looking forward to one of the highlights of their school year: a weeklong camping trip to Nature’s Classroom.

This will be the 16th year that Harvard’s fifth-graders have participated in an extended overnight trip. In recent years, the students have visited Nature’s Classroom, a residential environmental education organization. This May, fifth-graders will be trying an ocean-based experience at the Nature’s Classroom facility in Maine.

Fifth-grade teacher Terry Monette helped establish the trip back in 1993, when she and other teachers agreed that it would be worthwhile for the students to participate in an extended trip together. The success of the program has made it an annual tradition and a rite of passage for students leaving the elementary school and moving on to Bromfield.

In describing what the fifth-graders do at Nature’s Classroom, Monette extols the benefits of experiencing science in a hands-on environment. Students participate in lessons, take educational hikes, and experience low-ropes courses.

“They have many opportunities to learn how to be better problem-solvers and Earth stewards,” she says. “They gain an increased awareness of their relationship and responsibility to others and the environment.”

Even more importantly, the students have the unique opportunity to learn about their capabilities as individuals as well as come together as a class.

“The kids eat, sleep, play, work, learn, and grow together,” she says. “They grapple with sharing a small living space with a group of classmates for a week away from home and take on the responsibility for setting up, serving, and cleaning up at mealtime. They come together for evening activities such as night walks, student skits, and quiet sing-alongs. They gain insights about themselves, their peers, teachers, parent-chaperones, and the environment. They grow in self-confidence, make new friends, and bond as a group.”

Monette believes that this bonding experience is one of the keys to the students’ successful transition to the “big school” across the street.

“The bonding that comes from this intense shared experience is probably the greatest benefit of the trip. We send a pretty cohesive group off to the middle school,” she says.

By all accounts, the experience is certainly a valuable one, but it does not come cheaply. The cost of the trip per student is $320. While the Harvard Schools Trust provides scholarships for students needing assistance to attend Nature’s Classroom, this year’s fifth-grade parents are also coordinating a mammoth effort to raise additional funds.

Parents Pat Cooper and Pam Erdos, with the help of many fifth-grade parents, have been working together to make this year’s fundraiser, “Growing Greener Every Day,” a success, and they are using a multi-pronged approach in their appeal to residents for funds. The “Growing Greener” theme has informed all of the group’s fundraising, with projects that focus on recycling, reuse, and renewal.

This Saturday at Town Meeting residents can purchase “Growing Greener Every Day” tote bags for $10. Residents in need of sustenance while voting on warrant articles will be able to purchase baked goods, and fifth-grade students are also taking orders and selling Hogan Bros. conventional and organic coffee through April 4.

Bromfield art teacher Sharon Chandler has also donated her time to benefit the fundraiser and will be teaching two two-hour art classes for students during Town Meeting. She is donating the entire $20 class fee per student to the fifth grade.

The centerpiece of the “Growing Greener” fundraiser is a town-wide yard sale, entitled the “REsale,” that will be held indoors at the elementary school Saturday, April 12, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents and local business owners are invited to purchase tables for $25 each; the table fee benefits Nature’s Classroom, but table owners keep the profits from their sales.

In addition to the tables, there will be “boutiques” hosted by fifth-grade students and parents, including a “BakeRE” cafe with homemade food and drink, a “REread” gift shop with gently used books, a “REplay” sports shop with used sporting goods, a “crafty REcycler shop” with handmade crafts done by fifth-graders as well as craft supplies, and a make-your-own-trail mix and coffee bar.

The “Growing Greener” fundraisers also aim to get private homes in on the act, with “REmote” sales for people who want to hold tag sales at home. According to Pat Cooper, the benefit for the homeowner lies in free advertising of the yard sales, while the fifth grade benefits from the $20 participation fee. Cooper explains that on the day of the sale, shoppers will be able to pick up a map at the school that lists the locations of all the home-based yard sales.

Cooper is passionate about making the fundraiser a success. She says that her son John’s wonderful experience made her realize how important it is for all fifth-graders to be able to experience Nature’s Classroom.

“Either your child is coming up through the ranks, or your child already has, and that’s why you should feel connected to it,” she says. “It’s an amazing opportunity.”