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No Room for the Summertime
Schoolyard Habitat Blues

Parent Volunteers in Outdoor Education

Jun 04, 2011 06:58 am
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Herb Broda

Recently a parent pointed out to me that schoolyard and other outdoor volunteering provides unique options for the not so typical parent volunteer. She is perfectly happy to spend a few hours weeding flower beds, but is not interested in attending traditional parent/teacher association meetings. There are certainly many parents who are eager to be involved beyond just providing cupcakes or attending monthly evening meetings. And to be very blunt, it is simply impossible to implement and'¦

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Summer Care of the Schoolyard Habitat

Jun 02, 2011 02:34 pm
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Carol A. Heiser

One of the most important aspects of ensuring that a schoolyard habitat will be successful is to build-in a plan for ongoing maintenance. During the school year, if the habitat was designed with curriculum connections in mind and with the intention of conducting outdoor lessons on a regular basis, then maintenance will have been incorporated directly into the lesson plans. For example, weeding and watering are two of the most basic maintenance needs. In order to determine whether or not a'¦

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Stop the Bulldozers! Saving Schoolyard Habitat During the Summer and Throughout the Year

Jun 02, 2011 02:05 pm
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Tamra Willis

You may have heard some of the horror stories told by educators who come back from summer break only to find the schoolyard habitat changed or gone'¦vanished during the summer. One teacher told me she was dismayed to find the wonderful boxwood hedge, the one she used every fall to teach population dynamics (of insects), annihilated when she returned. Others have told how the temporary mobile classroom units (i.e. trailers) were placed over the garden areas, since these were now the flat spots on'¦

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From the Ground Up

Learning Gardens Two

May 03, 2010 09:30 am
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Rhonda Ursulak

I am in phase II of a learning garden project I have started last year. Is there anyone else that has done, completed, or in the midst of doing a similar project for a public school. I have run into many drawbacks and would love to discuss this with all of you.
'¦

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Research and Resources

Lindblad Expeditions Announces 2-for-1 Offer for Teachers to Explore Galapagos

Jun 06, 2011 12:27 pm
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Children & Nature Network

Teachers, have you made your summer/fall plans yet? If not, you may want to consider this offer. Our friends at Lindblad-National Geographic are inviting C&NN Natural Teachers to join them on a world class expedition to the Galapagos. And they have announced a 2-for-1 offer for teachers to travel on a 10-day Galapagos trip in summer or fall, 2011. Here are all the details of the '¦

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Moving the Classroom Outdoors: Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning in Action

Jun 06, 2011 12:09 pm
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Children & Nature Network

Since Herb Broda published Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning, his groundbreaking first book on outdoor learning, many schools across North America have embraced the benefits of greening their learning programs. Herb has visited dozens of these schools and nature centers, and he showcases the very best examples of schoolyard-enhanced learning in action in his new book Moving the Classroom Outdoors, complete with photos of a wide variety of outdoor learning'¦

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Inner City Outings Leader Provides Lessons Beyond the Classroom
by Sierra Club
Jun 06, 2011 12:18 pm

C&NN Natural Teacher Award winner and long-time Sierra Club Inner City Outings volunteer Larry Volpe helps students get "access to wild places".
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WI School Children Learn about Nature from UW-Oshkosh Students
by Doug Zellmer
Jun 05, 2011 11:23 am

Attendees at Oakwood Environmental Education Charter School learn about nature from UW-Oshkosh students, using materials from the WI Dept. of Natural Resources.

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How to Build a Better Playground
by Shanti Menon/ Onearth
Jun 03, 2011 09:50 am

Sharon Danks, author of "Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation", explores the ways in which landscape design, architecture, child development, and nutrition converge in the schoolyard.
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Rockfall Foundation Awards Environmental Grants

by Middletown Press
Jun 02, 2011 10:28 am

$20,000 in grants will support environmental education and conservation initiatives involving Middlesex County, CT, children in grades K-12.
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Portland, OR Preschool in the Woods
by Julia Silverman
Jun 02, 2011 03:12 am

Pioneering Forest Kindergarten is one of the first of its kind in the U.S. There are others in WA, CO, NY and NC.
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President Obama Proclaims June Great Outdoors Month
by White House Press Secretary
Jun 01, 2011 09:57 am

Pres. Obama Proclaims Great Outdoors Month to protect natural sites, increase recreational access to public lands and waterways, and develop the next generation of urban parks and community green spaces.
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Doctors Write Park Prescriptions to Get Patients Moving
by Andrea Gordon
Jun 01, 2011 07:27 am

Nature prescriptions are on the rise, Canadian physicians say. Urban green space, playgrounds and backyards noted for aiding mind and body.
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Outdoor Nation Youth Movement to Gather in Denver July 23
by Bob Berwyn
May 30, 2011 08:10 am

Youth leaders will also gather in NYC, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and SF from June 23 through July 31, as part of 2011 Outdoor Nation Summer Summit Series.
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C&NN's Juan Martinez Named National Geographic Emerging Explorer
by National Geographic
May 30, 2011 07:21 am

C&NN's national Natural Leader Coordinator Juan Martinez named National Geographic Explorer.

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Reconnecting with Nature: Richard Louv and Friends Live Web Event
by Orion Magazine
May 25, 2011 01:42 pm

Orion Magazine hosts Richard Louv and David Sobel, authors and national experts on reconnecting with nature, for a discussion with filmmaker Camilla Rockwell (Mother Nature's Child) June 16th at 7 p.m. (EDT).
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Interview with David W. Orr

by Michael Graham Richard
May 25, 2011 11:00 am

Professor and author David Orr discusses green building, biophilia, the sense of wonder one experiences in nature, and evidence of sustainability all around us.
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Doctor's Orders: Get Outside
by Janice D'Arcy
May 25, 2011 08:18 am

D.C. doctor seeks to expand National Park Service "Prescribing Parks" initiative to encourage more families to spend time outdoors for their health.
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The Outdoors: Can it Improve Your Health?
by Julie Deardorff
May 24, 2011 12:40 pm

Immersion in nature makes people happier and healthier, according to The Nature Principle author, Richard Louv.
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