Intro: If I'm outdoors it's going to be somewhere I can get sun/swim or I'll be playing a sport.
I wish I lived somewhere close to some hiking spots though...that sounds like fun!
#scitlap
My parents are actually going this weekend for their last trip. They also have a few kayaks and a canoe, it’s nice to escape and relax in nature! #scitlap
A1 I think it affects some more than others. There is a definite lack of background knowledge. I had to explain that a bird we saw was a goose not a duck once. #scitlap
My favorite (but sad) outdoor story is when outside, a kid said it smells like air freshener out here. I said "really, like the fresh air scent one?" Then I laughed so hard at my own joke! #scitlap
A1: Yes! We're a district surrounded by many "things" & not enough nature. There are opportunities to immerse in nature but Ss seem to opt for indoors - if they travel it's exotic/resort type without the "nature" experience. There are too many other "things" to do! #scitlap
I find some kids WANT to have the experience but don't know what to do or where to go. There is no family culture involving nature. My family spent lots of time hiking. #scitlap
A2 Just this week I had a student who immediately asked for the net and said she was going to catch a fish.-She got a minnow! We had a great time outside. #scitlap
A2: I took my senior bio kids to the zoo last year and was shocked by how many hadn't been since elementary! I know it's not "nature" but it was some of their only exposure to animals outside of cats/dogs in their homes. I want to take them to some wetlands this year! #scitlap
A2: depends on the activity. My own children love to go outside, ride bikes, go to the playground, swim in the lake. They have so much energy and I prefer they use their imagination instead of watching YouTube all day(which would gladly do) #scitlap
I am lucky to be a before/after school leader. My team wanted to get fishing going a couple years ago. No standards or timeframes to control us. #scitlap
A3: Honestly not often bc there's nowhere to go. Football field, parking lot...those are our options. To take them somewhere more organic I would have to arrange transportation. I wish there were more outdoor opportunities, I would take advantage of them! #scitlap
A2: Absolutely! Sometimes they just need to be shown what nature can offer. The easiest way to get them to enjoy it IMO is to grow something. Anything!
Our kids really enjoy checking on our fruits and veggies grow everyday. In the winter, we search for animal tracks #scitlap
I do a research project with my HS kids were we compare biodiversity of plants on the football field and a "less mowed" area on campus. Sometimes we need to be creative with what we have. #scitlap
A3: Last year I took my ss out once in the spring to write their names in chalk and decorate the sidewalk. They had to mass the chalk before and after calculate how many moles of chalk they used #scitlap I wish I had more opportunity to go out with them
That's a good idea! Sometimes we just go outside to be outside! Sun...natural lighting...sounds of the outdoors...my room is internal w/ no windows so sometimes it's just about the stimulation of the outdoors and not an activity. #scitlap
A4: Our new addition will have an outdoor area but I'm not 100% what it will look like or how we'll share the space.
I would love more outdoor areas with benches, picnic tables surrounded by flowers and trees!
What a nurturing learning environment!
#scitlap
A4: my school actually has a green house, nature trail, a bicycle path (for the gym classes) and an outdoor “classroom.” We have a horticulture and botany course but I don’t teach those #scitlap
You guys are firing me up! I got a whole untapped potential in my area having huge agricultural ties plu a HS greenhouse to walk my 6th G through.#scitlap
A1: "Nature deficit syndrome" definitely plays a role in the classroom. Nowadays, students spend so much of their time indoors. That's why it is so pivotal, now more than ever, to get students enjoying the outdoors. #scitlap
A2-3 Our 6th graders go to Yosemite for 3 days. Our campus has lots of yard but not close to anything to do geology observation or stream studies. We get outside mostly to get out and enjoy the weather. #scitlap
A5 My eighth graders go outside (if it isn't too cold) to measure their running speed and acceleration. I mark off a track and they collect data. #scitlap
A5 Bioblitz, American chesnut ecology. living vs. nonliving hike, running type games (Project Wild/Project Wet), ponding, signs of erosion, journaling, senses, observation. #scitlap
A2: I think that students do still enjoy being outdoors, just some more than others. I once substituted and took a 2nd grade class out for recess; I was so disappointed when a few students came up to me short after recess had began asking to go back inside. #scitlap
A4 we have a gardening elective but the San Joaquin Valley is like living in a monstrous garden. We grow it all. We have lots of outdoor gathering areas. Our middle schoolers still play, walk & wonder #scitlap
Just an example to make a point. Consider an exam with a story or science questions without pictures. Some students would be lost. They just don't have that background knowledge. #scitlap
A5:
Forensics we draw chalk skeletons
IPC we do laws of motion using footballs, baseballs, soccer, etc.
Biology we'll do some nature observations on the spring
I also would love to get outside just to read or journal
#scitlap
A5: I have a hard time finding/ justifying ways to take my ss outside to do chemistry. Would love some more ideas aside from my chalk lab. Also tough when we are always in a time constraint to get through curriculum #scitlap
A4: Yes, my high school had a garden and even a garden club that students could join. For my biology class we also went through the nature trail at my school where we observed different plants. #scitlap
A5 @ProjectWILD Oh Deer, Scott already mentioned Joseph Cornell Listening to Nature, playing sports with an eye patch (depth perception), measuring large areas after averaging paces, giving directions to a blind on path #scitlap
I used to teach chem...
...can draw atomic structure or bonding with chalk outdoors
... can do bonding speed dating outdoors
...can do fizzy rockets for combustion reactions
Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head! Lol! #scitlap
That's cool that there was an outdoor classroom. I have always wished I was able to go to a high school nearby my house, that's by the ocean. The high school would sometimes have their Oceanography class on the beach. #scitlap
A6 I would love to go off base and observe wildlife in large open meadow or even go to the river to do our samples instead of me being water in, visit a dam, go to local farms to learn about irrigation systems #scitlap
A7 Letting the office know you are outside, take a walkie talkie, go over expectations/rules ahead of time, use REMIND for appropriate shoes/dress, respect time for other teachers/classes. #scitlap
A7 I check allergies beforehand. I also have to make sure I have a walkie radio on me. If I'm directly outside I just need to let the front office know where I am. #scitlap
I have had only a few problems with Ss outside like wandering off. Thankfully most are respectful and appreciate the opportunity to do something different. #scitlap
CTA: I'm glad that I was reminded tonight of all of the possibilities. My CTA is just to make sure and go outside as much as possible, especially b/c I can get caught up in technology very easily. #scitlap
