Happy Graduation

Congratulations and thank you to all who participated in our first ever Teaching Naturally program!  It was great to be together and hear about the wonderful projects you have done with your students.  In the future everyone should hand in a one-pager of your own design to describe your project as a permanent reference for other teachers.  I wish I had thought of that earlier because your projects were all so wonderful!  It was really inspirational hearing you all share.  Thank you!

Here are some of the resources that we discussed as being of interest (click on names for links)

• Nature Soundmap has recordings of nature sounds from all over the world beautifully mapped
• Virtual Owl Pellet Dissection on the Kidwings website.  Put ALL the bones back for a great surprise!
• Newspaper Seed Pot Maker This is the great little seed pot tool we were talking about. This is only one of many sources. If you do a search you will find lots of options.

Please remember that we will still be in touch and are always here for your needs and questions! Enjoy this wonderful wet weather and the life that it will bring.

 

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby."  -Langston Hughes

Even More Capstone Ideas

Just in...here are some other great new teaching ideas for Teaching Naturally Capstone Projects

MP's three new ideas

A gift thanks to that tiny rain we had!

1. Nature exploration option at recess...maybe a "Tree Club" for schools without class time available.
2.  Weekly "Nature Study" or even a "Junior Naturalists" group looking closely at what's available nearby.  These guys have already started out studying orchards and comparing native black walnut with imported English walnut...which of course must be used together to grow walnuts in CA.  What a terrific way to start looking closely at nature while bringing in science, history and society!
3. Developing nature exploration experiences for students with different needs...specifically students with varying degrees of hearing loss. 

JM-B:  In her own words, "I think I will have my class design a hummingbird garden, concentrating on native plants.  We will be spending time on Montara Mountain identifying native plants and how they have adapted to their environment."  What a fun way to learn AND help restore vital habitat! (my words) I'm sure this will be very exciting and empowering for students.

Reunion Report

The reunion meeting was great fun...complete with campfire! We noted how our practices of outdoor journaling help us to slow down, become more attentive, and encourage personal reflection. We also discussed how this could benefit our students especially if given the opportunity to find their own space all to themselves for regular writing and observation throughout the year. 

Classroom Capstones - Here are some great ideas already in the works... 

MP: Worm composting, inspired by students' expressed interest in trash and where it goes.  
WH&DM: Taking advantage of a schoolyard that's mostly grass by 

• looking at insects, patterns in nature, plant structures, or birds on campus
• bringing leaves from home to study
• bringing a seed from home to grow...what's going to happen? What will it become?
• looking from different perspectives...above, close to, and beneath the grass, and tying observations into Common Core writing concepts

DT: Extending the preschool's "Joy of the Earth" unit by looking more closely at nature using the rope circles, rolling down grassy hills, and lying down to watch and describe the clouds with parent help to record thoughts and observations.
JR: On-campus tree investigation including naming, measuring, comparing, artistic representations, exploring associated species, and wholeheartedly adopting their new tree friends.
CO: A spotted owl project inspired by first-hand experience!

What do you plan to do?  Send me your ideas to share. In December we'll come together to find out how things went (or are going) and celebrate!

Holding the Outside Inside

As we plunge back into our hectic schedules, I hope that we are able to recall the peace of being outside and the calm of the water from our summer adventures. When you need a break, remember how restorative a little time outside can be.

I encourage you to continue journaling whenever you have the chance. Make friends with a new spot. Tell your family that dinner will have to wait...you have important work to do outside! Teachers and students alike, it's something that we all need.  

Expanding Your Journaling Practice

Hello from Canada!  I hope you are well and continuing with your observations and journaling. As you are in this process, so am I.  We each have a sit spot that we try to visit every day (although I confess that I've missed a few) and dedicate ourselves to both observational and reflective journaling.

As you become more comfortable with journaling, experiment with different ways to interact with the page...it can bring out new observations and insights. As you sit with your space, you might discover internal ideas, emotions, and motivations that you didn't recognize before. I encourage you to let those come out too. Your journals are private, and although you will be sharing your experience of journaling, you need not share your actual journal with anyone if you choose not to.  

Kayak Trip Snippets

"Our daily work, conversations, and relationships are the very areas in which we can transform our ways of living with each other and the planet."

Melissa Nelson

More photos and photo links to come in August...until then,enjoy these happy memories of our awesome day!

Other Wildlife Curricula

I don't know about you, but I'm still a bit speechless about our amazing luck with wildlife sightings during our Elkhorn Slough kayak trip! The whales especially were an unexpected treat.

Though we didn't have a chance to talk about it, if you would like to learn more about training opportunities and lessons centered around wildlife, you might want to check out Project WILD, another good national curriculum. 

They have also developed an early childhood version called Growing Up WILD with activities geared toward children age 3-7 that I highly recommend. We periodically offer trainings for that program here at CDM. Let me know if you're interested and I'll be sure to notify you of our next GUW training opportunity!