My journey as an environmental educator has included extensive work in the summer camp realm. Having spent ten summers working at various camps, I have grown to love pretty much every aspect of the summer. However, one in particular stands out as my favorite: campfires. I have hosted my fair share of campfires and without fail, I find that segues are the key to a successful program. Often some quick thinking from the emcee is needed to keep things going smoothly. Sometimes it goes brilliantly and sometimes things can be a bit corny, like this:
"That skit was CRAAAZY! If only there was someone that could have REELed that guy in..."
[Cue Fishing Song] (groan...)
You get the idea.
What does this have to do with environmental education? Transitions can allow an educator successfully utilize their flexibility to deliver a meaningful lesson. By not including transitions in your lessons, you are essentially a putting yourself into a figurative traffic jam: one continual stop and go. Educators should strive to interweave each activity of a lesson together to create a cohesive entity. Smooth transitions between each activity can allow the lesson to feel seamless to your students. This, in turn, will help immerse the students in learning. The better you get at this, the better you will find that the students engage and enjoy their experience in nature.
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