Welcome to Teaching in the Dirt:
STEAM Outdoors!
Please Introduce Yourself
I am thrilled that you are here and want to welcome everyone to Outdoor-Classrooms.com and our virtual classroom. This course, Teaching in the Dirt: STEAM Outdoors, is amazing and I can’t wait to share it with you. Before we dive into the content, I would like to invite you to virtually introduce yourself to the group. I am a firm believer that we can be each other’s best resource. Therefore, I would like to take the time to begin with introductions. Please post a little something about yourself and your hopes for this class below. Please note, if you would like to earn a certificate of participation, you will need to make comments on all the posts and answer all the questions in the Garden Notes.
Welcome aboard!
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On My Nightstand
Hello! I’m Cecilia, a preschool teacher in Newton, MA. I’ve been in the same school for the past three years and I feel that the whole staff struggles with outside activities. We have a great play yard and I know we could do more than what we do currently. A couple of months ago Victoria came to our school for a 2 hour long workshop and it got me curious to learn more.
Hello Cecilia!Wonderful to see you here!
I teach preschool on the north shore in Mass. I just finished a year of teaching in my outdoor classroom. It was designed to support learning all areas of our frameworks curriculum but I feel we could offer more. I hope to add a space for art and to bring out more math activities. I hope to add more intentionaal gardening as well. I am looking forward to hearing new ideas.
Anne
Hello Anne! Can’t wait to dig a little deeper and watch your Outdoor Classroom evolve and grow! Welcome!
Hello, My name is Heather Jolly and I live and work in Pasadena, California! I have been a classroom teacher in early childhood ages for 16 years, and currently teach Kinder. I am looking to spread my wings, grow in a specific discipline and am passionate about STEAM and the outdoor classroom environment. I teach at a K-12 school and we just started a school garden last year, and the kids LOVED it. I see lots of potential for the garden and program for our K-2 students, and I’m hoping to learn from this course about ways to integrate the garden into our curriculum and provide STEAM rich play-based, discovery-based options for our current K-1 playground environment. Super excited to be in this group!
Hello Heather! Can’t wait to learn more about how your Outdoor Classrooms evolves. Welcome!
Hello! My name is James and I’m an Early Years teacher in the UK. Currently I work with children aged 2 years to 4 years. We do grow our own vegetables etc, but I’m looking for a way to integrate the garden as a central part of all we do and hope to gain a great deal from this course.
I’m very much looking forward to getting started!
Welcome James! I look forward to learning more about your outdoor learning space and watching it grow and evolve. Feel free to ask any questions as we go.
Victoria
Hi. I’m a toddler toddler and we have a fantastic playground outside and I’d like to use it to garden with the kids. Right now we have a few raised beds but I’d love to add much more to it. Our kids love gardening and seeing what we grew so I hope to expand on that.
Welcome Aboard! Looking forward to watching your garden grow!
I am Asst. Director of a children’s center in MA. I brought back inspiration and passion for natural playscapes to my school after attending a NAEYC conference years ago, and we have been evolving ever since! Always looking for new ideas and inspirations! I am simply happiest outdoors 🙂
Welcome! I am thrilled you are with us! Can’t wait to learn more about your Outdoor Classroom!
Hi everyone. I am an after school (kindergarten-2nd) teacher with a small garden area at the school. I would love to work with my kids to expand the garden area and teach them about the different plants and maintenance of them.
Hello! I am a preschool teacher at Groton Community School in Groton, Ma. I work with ages 2-4.5 and started in the last several years using a curriculum that is mostly nature-based. I feel strongly about children being connected with nature and learning about our world hands-on. My ultimate goal is to inspire children to love our natural world. We are in the process of building a greenhouse at our school- a dream that I have had for several years. I want to expand my knowledge and inspire other teachers to be comfortable using the greenhouse.
Welcome! So excited for you and your new greenhouse! Keep us posted!
I live in St. Louis MO. and recently have started a new job at an early childhood center that is implementing an outdoor learning area. The grounds already have a garden , a grotto, and we planted a native wildflower garden this weekend.I teach children from 2.5-5 years old and am avidly interested in creating a learning environment and lessons that can include them all
Hi I live in the Pacific Northwest, and have an in-home daycare. We have always had a small garden,and now I am looking forward to expanding our learning environment. With toddlers,preschoolers, and a long wishlist, this class is a great opportunity!
Welcome!! Thrilled to have you here. I can’t wait to learn more about your garden and growing wish list!
Welcome! Thrilled to know you just planted a Native Wildflower Garden! I would love to see pictures and interview you to learn more about your process and experience!