Thousands of kids around our state are participating in A Day in the Life of the Hudson River, a program run by the Department of Environmental Conservation. Our Sabina Kuriakose has more on how students at one local school got involved.

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GREEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Sixth grader Eli Miller couldn't imagine a better school day. He walked the shores of the Hudson River, getting his feet wet and his hands dirty.

"We're testing the Hudson River for dissolved oxygen, pH, macros and invertebrates.

For these kids from Robert C. Parker School in East Greenbush, that means trudging through rocks, collecting water samples, and catching many of the small critters that call the Hudson home. They're among 3,000 kids across the state living A Day in the Life of the Hudson River. It's the Department of Environmental Conservation's effort to connect kids to nature, and these kids gave the experience an A grade.

"When you do something physically, it helps you learn what to do and how to do it, and it's more fun," said Miller.

"I get to be with friends and learn interesting things about our environment and the stuff around us," added seventh grader Ben Braun.

"You get to be more interactive, instead of sitting in a seat all day," said seventh grader Mark Vandewal.

By taking learning out of the classroom and into the field, the hope is to spark a lifelong interest in science for these kids.

"The experiences these youngsters have today might lead to job choices that are going to be part of the green economy in the future," said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis.

"It's teaching me things I might need to know in my life if I go for another occupation," said Miller.

And it might be teaching these kids something even more.

"With the connection, they feel a sense of responsibility to it. And they're also moved by it. It's beautiful," said teacher Lynn Schuster.

It's a lesson that doesn't end at the classroom door. Researchers at Columbia University and Rutgers University will study the samples these kids collect.