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Nov

3

To all residential environmental educators: You are invited!

Filed Under Children and Nature, Outdoor education | Leave a Comment

islandwoodpicStraight Talk, Sound Ideas

IslandWood is convening a conference for residential environmental educators in the Pacific Northwest!

Meet new colleagues, make new connections and friends, get fresh ideas – get inspired!

You can look forward to workshops, explorations and courageous conversations.

To date we are planning sessions on cattail weaving, bat/owl “hunting,” storytelling, linking learning in nature to urban ecosystems. We also have guest speakers who will address working outdoors with children who have attention deficit issues and teaching to diverse learning styles.

OFFER IDEAS! Session topics are still being accepted. Offer an idea from your center!

COST: $100/person, including shared (quad) accommodations, Monday breakfast through Tuesday lunch, and all programming.

For more information and to register, go to: http://straittalksoundideas.eventbrite.com/

Oct

17

Going Off Trail – New Paths in Programming to Connect Children With Nature

Filed Under Children and Nature, General public, Outdoor education, Recreation | Leave a Comment

boy_woods1Courtesy of recmanagement.com

By Kelli Anderson

Five years ago, with the addition of new management at Tamarak Nature Center in Maplewood, Minn., programming for children and their families began to take the road less traveled. It began, in effect, to go off trail.

“When Marcie, our new acting outdoor education supervisor, came on board, she asked a question,” said Jody Yungers, director of park services and recreation in Ramsey County, Minn. “If we really wanted our kids to connect with nature, why did we have signs posted that basically were saying don’t touch, don’t engage or really appreciate the outdoors? Marcie started the ball rolling and really worked with us to start the whole notion of asking the important question of how do we connect families with nature.”

An answer followed shortly afterward. One afternoon, while observing the reluctance of young mothers with children to venture beyond the interior of the nature center, Oltman began to realize that the mothers’ unfamiliarity and discomfort with the outdoors might be to blame. Her idea for a solution turned out to be wildly successful. It was also counterintuitive. Read more

Oct

7

Filed Under Activities, Carol Malnor, Children's Literature, Environmental Literacy, Language arts, Outdoor education, Programs, Questioning strategies, Schoolyard Classroom | Leave a Comment

naturetrail-w-title

One of my favorite nature quotations comes from the Japanese conservationist Tanaka Shozu who said, “The question of rivers is not a question of rivers, but of the human heart.”

I wanted to touch the hearts of my middle school students with the beauty of nature as well as inspire them to take care of the local environment. I found the perfect spot for a nature experience less than an hour away from our school campus in the Sierra Nevada. Read more

Sep

26

Deepening Science Education, Increasing Ecological Literacy

Filed Under Outdoor education, Programs | Leave a Comment

Woodland Park Zoo’s “Ready, Set, Discover” gets kids outside

readysetdiscoverBy Katie Remine, School and Community Engagement Supervisor
Woodland Park Zoo

“With an opportunity to wonder, explore, and to question, students can discover fresh reasons to excel at other subjects and sense new confidence because they pursued and acted upon their inquiry. “
—Bruce Kelly, Kent School District, K-12 Curriculum Coordinator – Science/Health Fitness

The reflection above captures the spirit of Woodland Park Zoo’s Ready, Set, Discover (RSD) program for 4th and 5th grade students in south King County, including many schools in the Kent School District. RSD, supported by The Boeing Company, integrates programs on and off Woodland Park Zoo grounds to engage students in outdoor, inquiry-based science learning to improve science skills and to foster stewardship of the environment.

Read more

Jul

22

Tips for bringing students into the field: Strategies for success

Filed Under Outdoor education | Leave a Comment

Goodall1By Joshua Klaus, Director of Academic Programs, Ecology Project International (EPI)

Taking students into the field can provide an endless array of occasions to learn new skills, see theoretical concepts enacted, make connections, and learn about the world around us.  Given the endless places that offer valuable learning opportunities, it must just be a matter of heading out the door for students to have impactful educational experience, right?

Though it would be nice if it were that easy, there are a few key strategies that will allow any educator (novice or veteran) to make the most of their time – before, during, and after their field experience. Read more

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