Have you seen this Public Service Announcement from the U.S. Forest Service?
October 27, 2009News from the national network (Children and Nature Network)
October 29, 2009Neurocognitive Teaching Program Incorporates Physical Learning.
The Andrews (NC) Journal (10/29, Richter) reports that various “unusual classroom behaviors are all part of the brain-based learning program being taught to teachers by neurocognitive doctor Fritz Mengert.” His teaching methods incorporate physical activity such as “walking a balance beam, skipping, and eating snacks.” Mengert’s “program is based on the study of how people learn, with an emphasis on reading and literature.” He encourages teachers “to identify children who have trouble learning and find alternative ways for them to learn.” Teachers at Andrews Elementary School “have developed” their own “unique approaches” based on Mengert’s program. One “often-used technique…is working in stations. Each group works at a specific station, then rotates to the next.” Several “other unusual techniques are being used in the classroom, including lowering the lights, listening to music, and spinning in circles.”
Students Harvest Fresh Produce For Needy Families.
The Oregonian (10/29, Tobias) reports that a class of “second-graders from Sam Case Elementary School in Newport” has “harvested 105 pounds of earth-fresh produce — all donated to the local Food Share.” The harvesting “is a tradition that has continued between the elementary school, the state parks, local master gardeners and Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses for more than a decade.” Every spring, “Debbie Gwynn’s second grade class…comes to the lighthouse to plant the seedlings, then return again in the fall, to harvest the vegetables.” From their work, “families in need get fresh, healthy food, and the students get” lessons on the growth cycle of vegetables, health and nutrition, and giving.
Fiscal Woes Prompting Schools Across Nation To Cancel Field Trips.
The Wall Street Journal (10/29, Nassauer) reports that amid deep budget cuts at schools across the U.S., numerous field trips have been canceled. The Journal notes that an American Association of School Administrators survey finds that nearly 17 percent of schools plan to eliminate field trips this year, up from 9 percent last year. The survey also finds that by 2010, 25 percent of schools will need to cancel field trips.
