Transitions

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:

[Finish up a skit about a Wacky Candy Shop Owner]

"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.

Running in the Dark

It's been a while but I am back at it again. A lot has happened since I last posted but more on that later. For now, it's time for another Quick Hit:

I recently started running again. As I have gotten back into a routine I am finding that there are only certain times during my busy schedule that allows me to run. If I am lucky, I can run during the day, sometimes after work. If I am unlucky, it will be at a much more inconvenient time. The other day, I had the unfortunate luck to have a day where I had an unfortunate time to run... at 9 o'clock at night. Pitch black, the overcast clouds most of the time I had no clue running. Even though I was running the same path that I had run just the previous day, things felt different. Spookier. I was more unsure of my surroundings, cautiously taking each step. Almost afraid of an area that I thought I knew quite well. I would see a light that I thought was nearby, run to it only to find it was miles in the distance. The dark is not a friendly place for a runner.

When you are an environmental educator, a lot of the time you may find yourself "running in the dark". The unknown can be intimidating and at times it is easy to be unsure of yourself. How do we get back to "running in the light"? The answer is simple: STOP! Slow down, think, observe, and then plan. Take time to get feeling for your surroundings and understand the moving world around you. Know where you are and what is happening around you so that each step you take forward can be taken with confidence.

Coming back to the run, I have a question for you: Which run did you think I had a better time on, the one during the day or the run at night? If you guessed during the day you were correct. I was half a minute slower running at night then I had the day before. It goes to show, the going is easier when you have a sense of place.

It's good to back.

Introducing The State of EE

So I've been hinting at a big project that I've been working on and I am pleased to announce that it is finally ready to be released for your listening pleasure! I've been busy working on a new podcast series, The State of EE, which will feature some of the cool environmental education that is happening across the nation. There is so many great environmental education things going on and this is a chance for me to highlight some of the cool things that I've found. Each episode will consist of a few segments highlighting things such as a nature center, residential nature center, a state park, and much much more. There is a lot to explore so the best way is to dive right in!

Still working on a bit more original cover...

The first episode features Delaware and is already posted for your listening pleasure. I will be making a post about this specific episode soon which will include timestamps, sources and some extra cool bonuses that I may have stumbled upon. These state posts will also be sporadically updated with other opportunities and information that I find regarding that particular state. It's going to be a blast and hopefully turn into a great future resource as well!

The eventual goal is to get the series up on iTunes though it will take me some time to figure out RSS. Any tips on that would be really appreciated! For now the series will continue to be posted on Soundcloud until a solution appears. Also, bear with me as I figure out how podcasting works. I am still figuring out the best setup and format so I expect that there will be a bit of variance in the first few episodes as I sort that out. The good news is that I am planning on getting a better microphone soon which I am really excited about!

If you or your nature center would like to be highlighted in an upcoming episode, let me know. So far Twitter and comments below are the best ways to let me know. I'm always looking for ideas or help so contact me and we can work something out.

Episode 1-Delaware: https://soundcloud.com/eenatureguy/the-state-of-ee-delaware

The hero you've been looking for...

"I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior but every day I hear people crying for one." -Superman

I deserve a medal. I have undertaking a treacherous journey for you readers so you will not have to suffer the same hardships I have had to. In that spirit, I have volunteered myself as tribute to wade through the murky land of: 

Yep, Pinterest...

Actually, I haven't had too much trouble with Pinterest so far, especially when compared to trying to find crafts from other sources. That being said, there are a lot of crafts that are out of that just don't work at a nature center. Whether the craft is too expensive to make on a large-scale or too complicated to do with young learners, it can be really difficult to find good ideas to use in programs. Therefore, I have decided to create a Pinterest page for the greater good to help create a resource to help find affordable, doable crafts for naturalists such as myself. It is a tough, possibly thankless job, but I will take it upon myself to carry the yoke for young naturalists everywhere.

As an added bonus, if you have a request for a craft, I will find it for you. I will take requests for the boards I should pin to such as age-based or specific animals. It's really up to you guys what direction this board takes. I will do my best to update my page as often as I can, as well as add new categories. So friend me up on Pinterest and hopefully I can be some help!

My Pinterest Page: Here

QH: New Year's Resolution

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other." -Abraham Lincoln 

As we start off 2015 I want to challenge each and every one of you to make a New Year's Resolution that will help you become a better naturalist. Whether it is a goal to improve an aspect of your teaching, become an expert in a topic, or just get outside more during the winter time I believe that it's important to set the bar early. Too often it can be easy to fall into a rut that is created by following the same routine day in and day out. By making a New Year's Resolution, you can use it to serve as motivation to push past the norm. Make the goal achievable and set smaller goals that will help you reach your goal. Stick with it and you be surprised by the results when the end of the year comes around.

One of the best ways to follow through with a goal is to tell someone what your resolution is so they can be supportive and help keep you accountable. Let me know what your New Year's Resolution is going to either in the comment section below or on Twitter. I will do my best to help keep you on track!

2014: My Year In Review

 "Celebrate what you want to see more of." -Tom Peters

2014 has come to a close and it is the perfect time to reflect on how the past year went. Personally, I had a year that challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone to become a better naturalist. Here are some of the things I did in 2014 in regards to EE:

 -Completed an unpaid internship at an area nature center
 -Graduated from college to earn my B.S.
 -Got First Aid and CPR certified
 -Spent the summer working as a naturalist at the nature center I interned at
 -Worked as a naturalist at a residential ELC

 -Took classes towards my Graduate Certificate in Environmental Education

 -Attended a state naturalist conference
 -Started this blog

I would like to think that I had a pretty successful year. At the very least, it certainly kept me busy! From what I've learned during my adventures of 2014 is that gaining practical experience is key. Make it a priority going into the New Year to try new things and to put yourself in situations that are going to allow you to grow both personally and professionally. Don't be afraid to network and make those important personal connections with fellow naturalists. Who knows, those connections could come in handy and help you land the position you are looking for down the road!

In all, 2014 was one heck of a year. I am really proud of all that I have accomplished so far and I am even more excited what's left to come (including some awesome ideas for this blog!). I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and I look forward to the adventures that are to be had in 2015!

The Best,
eeNatureGuy

Purposefully-Framed Play: A New Spin on an Old Idea

 "Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives."-Thomas Berry

Part of being an environmental educator is understanding how people learn in order to develop meaningful lessons that resonate with your learners. One theory, experiential learning, was popularized by David Kolb and explains learning as a process of students learning by doing. This theory has since been expanded on and a new theory play-based learning has been developed. This theory expands on Kolb's original ideas and, though geared towards younger learners, is applicable to learners of all ages.

Play-based learning is a theory which explains how children are able to learn through playing, which is both a pedagogical and experiential activity. Cutter-Mackenzie and Edwards (2013) investigated three types of play to try to determine which type of play is the best suited for learning environmental concepts. While there study was geared towards younger children, I believe that it can be applicable to any age groups.

What the authors found “purposefully framed” play was the most effective type of play at getting concepts across. Purposefully framed play provides an opportunity for learners to first explore and try to make connections on their own followed by the teacher modeling and discussing the play. Afterwards this teacher/student interaction the student gets another chance to use the materials again. After participating in purposefully framed play children were able to describe the goals, outcomes, and some conceptual ideas more so than other types of play (Cutter-Mackenzie &Edwards, 2013). The interactions between the teacher/student is really what helps make this type of play meaningful.  

Purposefully-framed play combines open-ended play, modeled play, and teacher/student interactions to enhance the play experience. This method of play best supports environmental education, especially at a young age, by giving a purpose to the play (Cutter-Mackenzie & Edwards, 2013). Engaging in purposefully framed play can also support “deep learning” in that it allows the teachers to engage the students in environmental content by allowing the students to gravitate towards environmental activities of interest (Cutter-Mackenzie & Edwards, 2013). This means that with intentional planning, students can be directed to learning objectives as long as the educator is properly prepared.

This pertains to environmental education not only at a young age but also when working for older learners. This is well illustrated by using the example of using play-based learning to teach a skills such as using a bow drill to start a fire. At the start the students would have a variety of options of skills they could practice. This gives the students a chance to explore and find a skill they are interested in. By first setting out the components of the bow drill students are invited to try to figure out how it works (open-play). After the students experiment with the parts, a demonstration (modeled play) and a discussion afterwards (teacher/student interaction) would give the students an opportunity to not only use the parts of a bow drill in unison as well as explain how the bow drill fire starting method works. This gives them a chance to experiment and form connections on their own. Using this method also gives the educator a chance to do some modeling for the students to help directed their experiences in a way that would help them understand the concepts being covered.

Understanding how play can be used to teach environmental concepts is an important aspect of being an environmental educator. The theory behind purposefully-framed play bridges the pedagogical gap between knowledge and experiential learning by having the experience be guided with knowledge from the teacher (Cutter-Mackenzie & Edwards, 2013). This allows for the students to understand that there is a reason for the play, giving them a chance to connect the outcomes with concepts. Environmental educators should strive to follow a purposefully framed organization for our teaching styles to help link activities to concepts. If not, we run the risk of having the students miss out on concepts altogether.  

Works Cited

Cutter-Mackenzie, A., & Edwards, S. (2013). Toward a model for early childhood environmental education: Foregrounding, developing, and connecting knowledge through play-based learning. The Journal of Environmental Education, 44(3), 195-213.