Using Technology to Connect Students & the Environment

Natural Spaces at Home, Parks, Schools and Nature Camps

Jillian Davis at the 2011 Summit

Brenda Mettcalf and Carolyn Watkins at the 2011 Summit

The White House Summit on Environmental Education was on April 16.

Richard Louv and Rep. John Sarbanes (MD), who sponsored the original NCLI Act in 2009, were speakers along with a panel of National Park Service & EPA members, discussing collaborative efforts to get kids and families outside.

John O’Meara

Kristen Santel

Mark Young is the legislative liaison for the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association.

Schoolyard violence in the 1980’²s led to the re-imagining of the playgrounds in Berlin. Allowing risk and interaction with nature has improved playground behavior.

Watch Barb Seckler’s presentation on how active living means physical activity, walking and biking where you need to go, and healthy food.

Amy Dutt and Jamy Zambito speak about the installation by Amy Dutt’s Urban Wild Limited at Mary Evans Child Development Center, where Jamy is the director.

Bexley Mom asked what happened to recess?

Middle school science teacher Josh Flory speaks about the minor challenges and major rewards in taking middle school students outside to learn science lessons and life lessons.

Preschoolers win Earth Hour Award

If you attended our summit, you were treated to an amazing original ballet composition by 10-year-old dancer Joseph Finklea. Here is the link to a professional video of the performance for you to share with your friends and colleagues.

Please take a listen to Jenny Morgan’s passionate presentation that kicked off our 2011 summit:

I hope you are still feeling the energy from Friday and looking to add the Leave No Child Inside message to your daily work! We had a great time and hope you did, too. Thanks for attending!

Here are some quick resources you can dig into this week:

Watch the video that we couldn’t play Friday:
Children’s Hospital pediatrician Wendy Anderson Willis explains what doctors in Columbus are doing to encourage outdoor play as a treatment for many ills. It’s on YouTube, so you can add the link to your organization’s website, or embed the whole video on your web page. (About 1 minute)

The Children and Nature Network: This is the national site for the movement started by Richard Louv. It is packed with resources, research, articles and inspiration! (www.childrenandnature.org)

The Leave No Child Inside Central Ohio Collaborative: That’s US! Check to see if you are a member, apply to be a member, check out the latest news, and look at the Resources page. (www.KidsAndNature.org)

Ohio LNCI: This is the statewide version of our website. It contains resources and links to the local movements around the state of Ohio. It also contains our statewide work, such as the Report and the Ohio Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights. To receive access to the Member Collaboration area, where you can download flyers, videos, documents, etc., please reply to this email and request access. (www.OhioLNCI.org)

BeOutThere: National Wildlife’s site for kids and parents. Activities, tips, inspiration and information. It is also a prime site for educators and medical folks too, not just parents and kids. (BeOutThere.org)

Need a little happiness in your day? Listen to this special (brief) poetry reading about autumn by a first grader from Westerville.

This reading was commissioned for our Leave No Child Inside Summit Sept. 30.

For years Coyote Trails has offered week long programs in Oregon.
For the first time and for one week only, we are bringing that
program to Ohio this summer.

Come join us June 19-25, 2011 as we offer a Fox Trail experience
for family, teens and adults in the beautiful southern Ohio Hocking
Hills area. We will spend a week together sleeping in cabins,
eating healthy organic food, learning primitive skills, and
discovering our individual purpose and connection with each other
and the Earth. I volunteer for this program because it was the
best experience my family has ever had and it changed my life. If
you are looking for something more than a vacation escape, an
experience that will clarify your journey and allow you the time to
define it yourself, this is it. And its an amazing amount of fun!

Registration is limited as we are determined to create a life
changing quality experience for all. I will soon be sending out
fliers throughout central Ohio and advertising in newspapers as
well. I wanted to get this out to those I’ve known personally
first as I promised many of you that I would someday bring this
program here. This is your chance. Please do not wait to
register. I expect it to fill quickly. Check out the attached
flier and visit our website. Feel free to forward this to others.
Email me directly if you have any questions.

Sandy

This video reflects the Fox Trail week.
Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v74pPkswM-8

Advanced Classes continue this summer in Oregon.
Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZLtISztg9Y&feature=related

‘”
Sandy Willmore
Coyote Trails Ohio

YouTube ‘“ Jack Hanna and the Leave No Child Inside movement in Ohio
Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, Jack Hanna, speaks out on the importance of outdoor play in nature for children. Jack supports The Ohio Leave No ‘¦

Public Service Announcement from the U.S. Forest Service