Virtual Brainstorm Early Childhood Educators Part 3

—> View ZOOM Recording HERE <—-

Resources Shared:

Keeping Health Records - Google Forms and Brightwheel

Locking bag for medicine.

Heated Portable Handwash Sink

Portable Sanitizing System

Outdoor Seating:

yoga or camping mats cut up, one for each child. Write children’s names on them.

hola hoops

stumps


cut up a vinyl table cloth or tarp

Managing children’s gear outdoors:

laundry basket

garden cart

milk crate

5 gallon bucket with lid

Individual containers with lids for gear and sensory materials. Each container can have the child’s name, photo and classroom name on it.

Zip Lock Bags for supplies, journals, dirty clothes, etc.

Virtual Brainstorm Middle & High School Teachers

—> View Zoom Recording HERE <—

Resources Shared:

GIS Tools for Back to School

iNaturalist

iTree (from Project Learning Tree)

SciStarter

Arc GIS

www.educatingchildrenoutdoors.com

www.usahomeschoolfieldtrips.com

Night Sky

Digital Learning Resources for Parents & Educators

Courageous Conversations - Glenn Singelton

Walking Curriculum

Discussion Courses

John Muir Laws - weekly educator meetings, every Wednesday (nature journaling resource)

Webcam / Live Camera - ethogram (making observations… how often does this bird…)

Notes:

Simple outdoor set-ups… trying to think of the simple way to set up places for students to sit and learn, sanitation, safety, etc. Set up for one class and then show as an example to other teachers so they can feel more comfortable outdoors. Once an outdoor classroom is set up in one spot it can be set up in a few other spots.

→ cut up yoga mats (local studio donated)

→ 5 gallon buckets (with first aid kit, cell phone numbers, walkie-talkies, 

→ stumps

→ crazy creek chairs

→ shade

How to access remote curriculum outdoors...

→ research on computers can happen on off days at home

→ any conversation, part of any child’s education plan may include homeschooling… should be thought of to provide parents/guardians with resources! 

→ iNaturalist (set up a class/project) many ways to set it up (for school grounds or outside your window

→ choose your own adventure teacher lessons (based on comfortability, experience, grade)

→ interactive map

What other opportunities for in-person, outdoors learning…

• Good discussion questions, justice, restorative practices

• Low-tech options

• Indigenous research methods

• Farm-to-School / Shelburne Farms

Virtual Brainstorm with Early Childhood Educators Part 2

—> View Zoom Recording HERE  <—

Present:  

Andrée Zaleska - (K) The Garland School (Waldorf inspired school) Brattleboro, VT

Jack Wright - Forest Friends Program, Wright-Locke Farm Winchester, MA

Laura Knight - (K/1) Plainfield Elementary School Meriden, NH

Jacey Norton - Framingham Centre Nursery School Framingham, MA

Janey Fryer - Riverbend School Natick, MA (Montessori school up to 8th grade)

Kathy Balman - Educating Children Outdoors Tempe, AZ

Maeghan Booska - Annette’s Preschool Hinesburg, VT

Stacie Schaefer -  Boulder, CO

Resources Shared:

Social Story for Going Back to School:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NX9hui-UaEO-EZPEKK4C3BoixX_6u2LM/view

Virtual Video Tour of Green Meadow Waldorf School’s outdoor spaces (start at 2:30 to see their incredible lean to structure to at least inspire you):  https://youtu.be/2A_3dXAdAfk

Questions and Answers:

How can we spend more time outside during the school year?

At least outdoors some of every day.

Backpacks for each child with discovery tools and hygiene supplies. This will be part of the parent/family supply list.

Backpacks with personal belongings and hooks in trees so packs aren’t sitting on the ground. 

Supplies for children:

clay and other art supplies! Eye droppers, shovels, twine, pots and pans, small picnic table, clay, magnifying glasses, burlap, paint and brushes, chalk, mortar and pestle


Other possible supplies that can help extend learning: baskets, pulleys, hammers, shovels., scales, rulers, tape measures, geo boards,

Tools are good for teachers to have: hammer, nails, saw, knives, hand saw

How to build a structure/shelter for outdoor time?

tents or lean-to of some sort, EZups, PopUps,

Cut up yoga mats to use as sit-upons

Don’t use structures, bought a few tents from the local tent business and children have been taking leadership over their structure building.

How do we address academics outdoors?

State early learning standards…

How do we deal with bathrooming issues outdoors?

rent porta potties and porta sinks, which get serviced for us

Where do we get Rain/Snow clothing for each child?

Laundry line and each backpack has a carabiner so children can hang their pack up in between trees. 

Are we going to actually expand our outdoor education program - is it outdoor education or is it learning outdoors?

For those of you who have worked all day with a mask what mask do you find the best for you and any recommends?

• Disposable masks

• Clear face shield

• In VT you can take the mask off

• Bandanas for older children to wear

Curriculum Ideas:

Project Bud Burst 

Earth Echo 


Cornell Lab Ornithology

creek critters thru Audubon naturalist Society


(Hinesburg, VT) - we can't take field trips, and must stay under the group size guidelines. also not a public school.

Now that we are open during the summer we are using Google Classroom as a way to provide visual documentation for families. 

In MA - screenings for each child every morning… but it can happen on-line, wondering if this will make it easier (or less serious) if parents/guardians answer the questions on-line before drop-off?

Health screening stations have normalized pretty quickly! It seemed like it would be super daunting, but so far no problems and seem to be getting the hang of it. Same with the additional cleaning and sanitizing.

We provided families with a social story that proved to be helpful. We made name tag/picture badges bigger and sturdier so children can see actual faces. Teachers have the option of face shields or face masks. Having screening stations set up outside and having the parent there (for both people’s symptoms - child and parent/guardian), if you can see that someone has a lot of snot, etc. you can address it in private. Parent might not be fine, so these conversations can happen privately and there’s an “out” for anyone to leave if there is a concern. Being super careful of everyone’s privacy and unique situation.

Having staggered drop-offs and creating strategic drop-offs so children who really struggle with drop-offs have a little more time, etc.

Virtual Brainstorm with Directors of Nature-Based Child Care Centers

—> View Zoom recording HERE <—

Jada - Orchard Valley Waldorf Director of Sweet Clover Nursery (birth to 3)... open for essential personnel, but asking parents not to go in the building. (8:00-4:00)

Su White - Director of Quarry Hill School Middlebury, VT

Kathy Balman - Runs ECO a desert school (aka forest school) for homeschoolers K-12th in the Phoenix AZ area. Also lead private programs, a youth bird club and family programs.

Adrienne Hofmann - Juniper Hill School for Place-Based Education, Alna, Maine. (Lead Pre-K teacher, Early Childhood Department Chair - soon to be co-Director for 2020-21 school year).

Jacey Norton - Director of Framingham Centre Nursery School - a licensed nature preschool program in MA that is between Boston and Worcester.

Nicole - Director and Lead Teacher of Gale River Cooperative Preschool, Sugar Hill, NH

Anne Stires - Director and Founder of Juniper Hill School for Place-Based Education, Alna, Maine

-----------------

NOTES:

Shared agreement vs. policy vs. protocol - took protocols and broke them into sections (both parents/guardians signed). What if someone is unwilling to follow shared agreements?

Shared Agreement example

Essential classrooms will take a break to clean up the space and re-enliven the spaces. Making time to recreate and re-energize the team. First two weeks were ½ days instead of full days, which was helpful to make the adjustment. Also met each morning during these initial weeks to check in… 

What if a family travels for work (or teachers) how are you handling this?

This is a state-by-state issue.

VT has said no parents or other volunteers (grandparents) in the building. Hoping to create a loophole where we can sign up parents so we can include them in our roster for a specific day of the week. If bringing them on as staff in some capacity works…

Is anyone mandating COVID tests for staff and/or volunteers?

(Jacey) Right now we are not thinking about mandating COVID testing for staff. We won't have any volunteers for the Fall. I don't think that Mass has a system set up for this kind of testing at this point.

(Jada) We are not requiring COVID testing.

Adrienne - partnering with families/parents/staff to build off our community. Putting out a survey to find out what worked, what didn’t work, using this as an opportunity that works for them what people feel comfortable with. What are people worried about? What are their have-tos? Trying to create a cohesive environment. We’ve just had our first meeting… we’re in a gray area - did this work? But know that families want what’s best for the kids, as do we.

How do you create a survey that isn’t anxiety producing, but rather has positive language?

Offering an open house in August for all enrolled families.

Jacey - held a family town hall - took time to digest the information from the CDC, included a power point, but included fun cartoons and nature photos to help keep it light. Recorded the 

76 families in the program, only 30 showed up, turned it into a Youtube Video, sent it out with a survey. Need to know who is returning. (One classroom will be used as a quarantine room.)

Parents/guardians will not be able to come into the building, which can be difficult. Letting families know that they need to find a different program. Staying calm and presenting 

We have a summer educator institute in person August 5-8. We are tailoring the Teaching with Nature course to our current times. Join us if you can/need that training! Details are on our website under "teacher training" http://www.juniperhillschool.org/workshopregistration

Su White - helpful advice from a Burlington program - KEEP IT SIMPLE. Bulleted list for what will be different and why. Simple bulleted list of what will be the same and why. Maintain a safe, comfortable climate for families. Health check with one person (maybe in the parking lot) then off with teacher to have fun. Health check person can then connect with parent/guardian.

It’s been very adult-centric for the past few months - maybe they are really aching for the peers. It’s on us to communicate with families and get parents/guardians on board.

Signage that has clear language and graphics the make it easy to understand.

The social story includes the parent/drop-off person so they are clear what their job is and what the expectations are.

Summer pool days and hikes - working to make micro connections and introduce new children. Small playtime pods throughout the summer with a few children and parents and a teacher… opportunity to practice health checks.

Opening the playground in an intentional, safe way.

Ecological Relationships: A Story of the Land

Guest Presenters: Caylin Gans, Forest Schooled & Landere Naisbitt, Blue Hill Heritage Trust

Caylin is offering online workshops that can be found HERE as well as leading a professional learning community called GROW awareness & action - facing colonization in our work with the Land, which is free!

Site(s) Ecological Relationships & Impact Assessment

Slideshow from Presentation

Resources: Land, Race, and Equity

The New Wild by Fred Pearce

https://www.forestschooled.com/post/considering-ecological-relationships-impact-and-reciprocity-in-our-outdoor-programs

In Bloom Webinar

Nature Preschool in the Urban Wild: Lessons from the Pacific Northwest

Keynote Speaker - Kit Harrington

If you were having trouble accessing the survey at the end of the webinar please try this link:

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07eh57ejx5kbcfan5w/start

Virtual Brainstorm with Early Childhood Educators

—> View Zoom Recording Here <—

Resources:

Resources for hand washing stations instead of or in addition to hand sanitizer: https://youtu.be/miF5B8oOIrw

Igloo Coolers

Resources for outdoor toileting:

Luggable Loo Portable Toilet

Resources for courses, research and other NbE info.:

Antioch’s Nature-Based Certificate Program

Natural Start Alliance

Children & Nature Network

Virtual Brainstorm with Elementary Teachers

Today’s brainstorm is being held for Elementary Teachers.

Resources: 

“Put on Your Owl Eyes”

Educateoutside.com

“The First Six Weeks”

https://totebagfactory.com/products/organic-cotton-canvas-drawstring-bags?variant=19035504607301

Naturalist Kit for each individual child so you don’t have to deal with sanitizing after each use.

Student Materials for Outdoor Learning:

(The cost of these 4 items is about $100 for 20 students)

1. Small Backpack

2. Foam Pad

3. Clipboard

4. Pencil Case 

(More really helpful materials that we use)

5. Plastic Folder (with 6 - 10 pockets)

6. Small Individual White Board & Marker

7. Student Journals (We have one for writing, reading & science) - you can attach a pen or pencil with duct tape and a string

8. Sketchbook for math

9. Book (or two) that the student is reading for class

10. Bug headnet

Building a wheelchair accessible shelter:

Shelter Design

Julie Bisson provided the following three videos she made for her 4th grade students:

Materials for Outdoor Learning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2joMq45pus&t=24s  

Overview of Outdoor Learning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81C3gxHHa5c&t=3s  

Strategies for Teaching Math Outdoors:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvS6U0L-Kc8&t=5s  

Break-Out Group Notes:

→ teachers are more interested in being supported in person vs. resources on the internet

→ what do teachers need from us to help them get outside?

→ approaching admin for various ways this can happen

→ menus of options (site evaluations, once you’re outside how do you help kids with physical spacing ideas, curriculum ideas - math/language arts/nature journaling), offering teachers ways to help support students outdoors

→ lean-to Adirondack style, sit coupons, wipe boards, aprons for materials/tools

—> On-line resources we use as teachers:  Google classroom, Zoom, and power points

If we continue the remote learning process how will we do that? Build a shelter. Provide place-based education. Create projects that can happen at home.

Funding for extra needs now?

Transportation - how will schools deal with busing?

(I teach 4th grade). Our routine is to go out everyday with these materials (Sept - Thanksgiving and about March - June) unless there is a downpour. In weather that is too cold or wet to write (Dec - Early March), I teach the mini lessons indoors, go out for 10 - 30 minute partner sharing or pre-writing hikes or trail runs, tracking, etc., and then work primarily indoors. Students do not have any materials in desks, instead they just bring their bag with them and hang it on the back of their chair. This strategy could be useful with Covid.

Moving Nature-Based Education Up Through the Grades

Guest Presenters: Janis Boulbol, Megan Dubuque & Laura White

→ View Zoom Recording Here ← 

Present: Megan Dubuque-2nd grade, Bradford Elementary; Laura White-5th grade, Chesterfield School; Janis Boulbol-6th grade, Sharon Elementary; Jenifer MacDonald-K, Loudon Elementary School; Joan Carey-Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center; Rachel Kenndey-pre/K, Heather Damon-1st, Brett Limura, Jan Baudendistel-6th grade, Katharine Payne and Natalie Adams-Hartsbrook School; Janet Altobello and Jaime Hutchinson-Harris Center for Conservation Education; Amy Butler-(education director) North Branch Nature Center, Mindy Beltramo-(director) Dewey School; Anne Stires-(director) Juniper Hill School; Ellen Doris-Antioch University New England; Seal Rossignol-(director)Boxberry School; Christina Wild-2nd grade, Dothan Brook School and doctoral candidate at Antioch in Leadership & Change; Nicole MacKay-preschool, Gale River Cooperative Preschool;  Becky Proulx-(K-4)Outdoor Educator, Newton School; Chelsea-(7-11yrs)Belfast Adventure Education; Allie Flynn; Jay DeGregorio-(preK-6th, senior environmental educator)The Nature Museum; Erika, Wright-Locke Farm; Liza Lowe-Antioch University New England

Meeting Notes:

Each presenter (Megan Dubuque, Laura White and Janis Boulbol) has been engaging students with nature-based education in various ways, modeling and inspiring this work for their colleagues over time. Let’s hear their stories!

INTRODUCTIONS:

Megan: Have been doing nature-based education all along, but this is the 3rd year, once a week for 4 hrs. after attending the Wellborn Conference (taking a mini workshop with Eliza Minnucci and Meg Teachout). We started slow… one hour… lots of boys that year… and eventually took lunch outdoors and now stay out for 4 hours. Came up with a handbook with Eliza and Meg’s help.

2nd year we started slow with one hour at the beginning of the school year and then two hours. Lunch is delivered in the woods to us. We have a ceremony at the beginning looking at the risk and hazards...

Laura: Taught Environmental Science to begin with. Read a book by David Orr, wrote to him and was advised to study at Antioch. Has done different things at different schools/grades and eventually learned to adapt to the public school setting. Brattleboro - big school gardens and the gardening was used in the curriculum, eventually - Woods Recess! Effective for a lot of learning and social connection and play. Stoddard - Place-Based Social Studies (water mills). At Chesterfield the school - GPS mapping unit with 6th grade then science with 5th grade / once a week outdoor science session (1 hr. 45 min.) The science we’re studying that week gets incorporated (food web, physical change, chemical change, native shrubs, Journey North..)

Janis:  It all began at Antioch (early on a semester with Outward Bound, which cemented a lot of what has come to be in my teaching)... Antioch was the marriage of how I want to be as a teacher. First year in Wardsboro… we now snorkel in the river (kids get done up in wet-suits), tracking in the winter, in spring we study the macro-invertebrates to determine the health of the river. Anything we can do as a community to improve the health of the river over time. A few years ago, Eliza Minnucci and Meg Teachout came to us and we had a PLC with them - came up with a plan (K-6) for each grade level for how to teach outdoors. There have been challenges with noise and invasive PI. Younger grades stay on campus….

3rd year where the principal was great about saying that we’ll get you there (down the road to Sharon Academy - outdoor sites) 3rd/5th go one day and 4th/6th one day. Have to plan time accordingly because there aren’t restrooms or an indoor space.

Meg and Eliza have helped us map out the curriculum to touch on when we’re outdoors… concentric circles… individual → whole child → community → global (developmental curriculum). Shelburne Farm and EFS… Whole staff is on board (new hires…. Where are you with this? Willing? Able?)

QUESTION: I am looking for information about if and how you have created a schoolwide plan/ scope and sequence for all the grades. 

Janis:  First we looked at what is important to us as educators and as a community. What components did we want to see carried through the grades. The nitty-gritty of aligning to the standards and making it beautiful was all Meg and Eliza (grant funded - the principal got this grant). The document was to help us focus our time outside, but also to show the intention… it’s not “just” free-play and exploration… but we also know that we’re held to the standards.

Laura:  We’re working to have more and more teachers who feel comfortable to get out there. Two outdoor classrooms, but with 17 classrooms it’s a challenge - a cohesive curriculum planning is in the works (a big block of time is a huge obstacle… we just don’t have the time to make this happen)... having the grant to hire someone to do this work would be great!

Janis:  every Friday 1:00-3:00 we have staff meeting and PD and once a month it’s specific to outdoor classroom … that’s where all of this work happened… 

Megan - kindergarten and 2nd grade stays on site and 5th grade gets on a bus to go to a different ste (in the woods, with a pump track)... once that happens hopefully 4th and 6th will get on boar. Different philosophy

QUESTION:  How big are each of your schools?  In terms of land/student number ratio? How many classes of each grade?  

Janis:  150 kids, one class per grade… campus is small, not much to it, nice garden space and pizza oven! Not much woods or structure for outdoor use. We also use the White River, which is across the street.

Laura:  Chesterfield is K-8.  Approximately 2 classes per grade.  14-27 kids per class depending on numbers. Campus is school, playing fields + 23 acres of woods/fields. Town forrest is nearby, but getting there requires a lot of work so on-site is ideal.

Megan:  230 (K-6), 1 acre one campus with a giant stream that runs through it. 30 acres in the woods in town with a pond, the rest is deciduous forest. 

QUESTION: How much interdisciplinary learning is happening utilizing outdoor time/space/nature focus?

Janis:  Northern Woodlands Calendar - sharing with students… spring wildflowers… birdsongs…

Laura:  map of outdoor territory and conversation with parent/adult about where they are aloud to go… each child added their sit spot to their map. Weekly nature journals, even to have 5 kids who are doing this outdoor work can drive the conversation / science discussion. Studying phenology - bud sketches… Jenna Harris Center (lilac in Keene to Chesterfield)... Pandemic Sprite Quest… 

QUESTION: Of your time outside what percentage is academic work/study? What percentage is exploration play?

Megan:  with 4 hours, science and math, specials outdoors as well

Laura:  set routine, which is helpful, 45 min. Science lesson and 15-20 min. Free explore

Janis:  3 1/2 hours, morning circle, yoga in the woods, snakc and free play, reading, ask students to focus on something as we’re walking in, game that’s tied to concept we’re focusing on (ecological concept), use something from Coyote Guide...

Resources:

https://chesterfield5w.weebly.com/whats-happening-in-science

Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature

Northern Woodlands Calendar

Slow Birding with Bird Diva

Guest Presenter: Bridget Butler

Bridget Butler, owner of Bird Diva Consulting, lead us in a conversation about using birds in the schoolyard as ambassadors to wonder and how a slow birding practice can connect kids to the land and themselves.   
—> View Zoom Recording Here <—
Bridget Butler, AKA The Bird Diva, has been working in conservation and environmental education for more than 20 years throughout New England. Her business Bird Diva Consulting has her traveling across Vermont delivering presentations, leading bird walks, and surveying birds for landowners. Bridget has worked for the Audubon Society in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts and helped  create Audubon Vermont’s Forest Bird Initiative. You may have seen her on local television talking about birds and conservation or heard her on Vermont Public Radio’s annual bird shows on Vermont Edition. As the Bird Diva, she feels it important that birders use their passion for birds to make a difference by helping to protect habitat for birds and other wildlife.