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Welcome Center 3
A Welcome Message For You
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0-1: Welcome! Please Introduce Yourself 30 minLecture1.1
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0-2: A Note from Victoria 30 minLecture1.2
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0-3: Share a goal or intention for this class 30 minLecture1.3
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Module One: Strengthen Your Professional Identity as a Natural Teacher 4
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1-1: Create Goals and Intentions 30 minLecture2.1
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1-2: Five Steps to Prepare your Foundation for the Best Year Yet 30 minLecture2.2
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1-3: Get Curious with Montessori, Waldorf & Reggio 30 minLecture2.3
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1-4: Use Nature as a Guide: Wonder Based Teaching 30 minLecture2.4
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Module Two: Create Your Map of Intention 5
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2-1: Five Stages to Intentional Teaching Outdoors 30 minLecture3.1
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2-2: Five Tracks for Your Road Trip to Become a Natural Teacher 30 minLecture3.2
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2-3: Learn from our National Parks: America’s Largest Outdoor Classroom 30 minLecture3.3
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2-4: Harvest Your Manifesto & Create a Vision Board 30 minLecture3.4
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2-5: LIVE Workshop #1: RecordingLecture3.5
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Module Three: Nurture A Garden Practice: The Transformation 4
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3-1: Growth through Gardening with Bobbie Mabe 30 minLecture4.1
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3-2: Ten Life Lessons for Outdoor Classrooms 30 minLecture4.2
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3-3: Become an Advocate of Nature-Based Teaching 30 minLecture4.3
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3-4: I Wonder Why: Claire Warden Keynote at Wow Conference 30 minLecture4.4
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Module 4: Behind the Scenes 5
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4-1: Live Workshop #2: Closing Circle 30 minLecture5.1
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4-2: Behind the Scenes with Jessica Kagle from Kestrel Educational Adventures 30 minLecture5.2
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4-3: Behind the Scenes with Lara Lepionka from Backyard Growers 30 minLecture5.3
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4-4: Put it all Together: What next? 30 minLecture5.4
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4-5: LIVE Workshop #2: RecordingLecture5.5
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67 Comments
One of my goals is to instill a desire in children to be passionate about the plants in their care.
Also to help them to understand the positive impact of helpful insects on outdoor gardens.
Keeping journals showing documentation of growth (hopefully) and if not what we could do differently to have success.
For toddlers, guide them through planting and watering, and observing,observational drawing could be encouraged,
(expecting the abstract) creating documentation panels for both age groups.
Wonderful!!
My intentions and goals are to:
FEEL: Educated on proper methodology and competent and confident to begin the process of integrating more of an outdoor classroom curriculum.
AM ABLE TO: Use the space I have in a way that enriches sensory play, fully immerse children in outdoor play and exploration and adopt a Montessori inspired classroom setting.
AM EXPERIENCING: the opportunity to work within MA EEC licensing standards and QRIS to find a balance in quality programming.
HAVE THE SKILL TO: replace plastic bins with wicker baskets, incorporate more natural materials and loose parts in the classroom.
My concerns and struggles:
I am the director but not the owners so some of the cost to replace materials will need to be discussed. Also, due to the coronavirus pandemic unfortunately MA EEC seems to be focusing on a physical health standard of social distancing, limiting movement, physical touch and sensory play. Children of trauma and stress will need all of those things more than ever for mental health so I am curious how this will all factor in and play a role in the new normal of childcare.
Fantastic reflections!! I think you will find what you are looking for in this class.
My goal is to incorporate nature/gardening/science activities into the classroom on a weekly basis to help the children build a connection to and love of the natural world. I want to develop learning experiences that can be done in the classroom throughout the year. The experiences will be hands-on and engage the senses.
One pratical way I could incorporate it would be to have a space dedicated in the classroom to these activities, in addition to the other classroom areas like the sand table, block area, cozy area and gross motor area. I would also like to make our outdoor space have more natural materials and plants to explore, like a digging bed and herbs in planters.
My goal would be to add more nature outdoors activities. The daycare I work at doesn’t have the outdoor space so we have to walk to parks/gardens which is fine. But when it’s too cold or too hot we can’t go outside. I think if we had a space close to us then we could take advantage of more outdoor time. I did realize last year that even on our walk there’s so much nature and the children love it. We could walk outside just for a short walk and see bees, butterflies, flowers and plants. I want the children to have more nature time especially in the winter because there’s still nature then. It just looks different. I hope that I take away some new lessons/ideas!
Awesome!! There is still so much you can do close to “home”.
Unfortunately I don’t have the authority to create my own year-round total immersion program at my center, but I would like to add nature-based activities to the current curriculum. My goal is to plant the seed for an emergent curriculum outdoors for the 1/2 hour -1hour time that we have in our schedule (weather permitting). Open ended ideas will include gardening (edibles, flowers, etc) insects, weather, and more. We are generally limited by the city environment. The good news is that we can take the children to a camp in the morning during the summer (July and August) and my HOPE is that we can open in time this summer to do that under the circumstances. In that case I can use this time to make a fresh start and plan daily activities for the children. My goal is to create many possibilities for exploration.
Wonderful goals. I look forward to watching them evolve.
My goal is to have my class have as much hands on experiences as possible. As a toddler teacher, it can be challenging to implement age appropriate teachers in certain areas and I would love to learn about more hands on nature experiences. We have two 45 minute outdoor times each day. Ideally, I would be able to have a specific outdoor block that was separate from recess/free play. Another goal is to learn more for winter based outdoor activities. As I work at a early education center, I am unable to spend much more tome outside than our schedules times. A goal is to find ways to bring nature IN the classroom
I like how you are getting more and more specific about your needs and creating more specific goals.
* My goal is to rethink how to use my outdoor space so when we come back together we can safely
use the space while social distancing. Much of my space, the rock pit/mud kitchen, dirt mound/sand box, size of my picnic tables and discovery areas might need to be restructured because of covid.
* I have a yearly outdoor curriculum but the truth is I’ve always thought my wintertime (Feb – March) explorations needs some rethinking and inspiration.
* I want to learn from others how they use nature to learn and explore.
* I want to learn more about urban gardening.
Great…how the social distancing impacts early childhood programs is going to be interesting. They are already talking about outdoor preschools being the wave of the future.
My goals for this class:
FEEL: accomplished and feeling like I learned something new, gained new perspectives
AM ABLE TO: incorporate nature into my curriculum on daily basis
AM EXPERIENCING: joy – mine and the children’s – at being outside and interacting with nature
HAVE THE SKILL TO: plan and execute lesson plans that are based on/incorporate nature and the outdoors. Add nature based activities to our learning every day.
(OTHER): I would like to figure out how to get my coworkers more excited about teaching outside and enjoying it (my assistant teachers do not enjoy taking learning outside, unless the weather is perfect).
This is awesome!
Goal add nature based activities to existing outdoor program.
* engage kids daily if possible
* If kids enjoy it I would like to make it it’s on set time. Otherwise I’d like it as a sensory garden for when there ready to be curious.
* I’d be nice to have things that work year round
* contemplating how I can add more outdoor education to our schedule
Fantastic goals.
My goal is to make learning fun for children wether it would be science, gardening, math, fine motor play and the list goes on. I want to be able to have activities ready for my students no matter what the weather brings us. I want to learn more ways to engage my students in gardening and see them get excited and look forward to the next step. I feel like the more hands on students are, the more the enjoy and learn. It is my goal to create lesson plans that incorporate gardening and science experiments that allow my students to learn through their hands by being involved in creating and experimenting.
Love this!!!
My goal is to implement a year-long curriculum in which children are able to explore nature:
-Find a place around our school in which we can go for nature walks everyother week (even during winters)
-Learn about planting and having an indoor garden (we have very big windows that could help this when indoors)
-Mapping my curriculum so that children can move that garden outdoors.
-connect their own growth to that of nature
-Make this process their learning story and not MINE, this would be achieved by listening to their thoughts and teaching through inquiry questions.
After all the children being indoors for so long, I would like to do a lot of outdoor play. Therefore, I would like to use this plan to create an outdoor space that will keep children engage and learning outdoors.
These are great goals. The more specific the better. It will be great to look back on these and see how you did.
I would choose to add nature-based activities to my existing program/ outdoor classroom/ family activities… I am at a current program where we are allowed to be outside for a half hour in the mo and an hour in the afternoon, so I would have to incorporate our outdoor learning in the morning time instead of having free play recess in the morning. I would start off with a few days a week and get an idea of how the kids are liking it, if they seems to really enjoy it then we will attempt to have it become a daily thing! I am not sure how I would do it in the winter due to it being hard to get outside with the weather restrictions. Hopefully we learn about some fun ideas!!
Wonderful! Very exciting.
My goal would be to have fun with it. have them play with dirt in the sensory table (with smocks of course). Talk with them. Say things like ‘We use dirt to grow things!’
I would also show them (while playing), once they are done with the dirt, that it goes in the pot and show them how to plant seeds. I know they would not completely get it, bat at least they would be introduced to it. Again, I work with babies, so it would mainly be introduction.
YES!!!
My goal is to implement science and teach how fun could be explore Nature and have that personal connection with mother’s earth.
Wonderful!!
As many know, the news came out today that Family and Group Child Care Centers will be closed until June 29th in the state due to the current crisis. It is my greatest hope that we will be open in time for our Summer Program at our school.
That being said, I want to focus these next weeks on drawing up a clear plan for our outdoor space. Right now, it is very minimal. But, that is exciting because it’s a blank canvas waiting to be designed! This would entail drawing up sketches and devising a wish list of materials and resources for the space.
In addition, I’d like to work with my staff these next weeks on inspiring and working with them to develop clear but “open ended” plans for outdoor explorations with the children when we return.
What a wonderful response to the devastating news! You have embraced the silver lining. Great job! I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
I want to feel confident and knowledgeable about teaching outdoors. I want to be able to have an idea or activity for any wether opportunity . Experience an increase in the amount time that is being spent outdoors mindfully and have the skill to implement outdoor play/teaching/activities in all weather conditions. I hope to overall expand my knowledge and experience with nature.
I would like to create a year round nature immersion for my family and add nature based activities to my existing program with the children I work with.
This is music to my ears!!! Year-round nature immersion for your family and to your program!!! Awesome! Looking forward to watching this happen for you.
This is exactly how I feel as well. I want to be able to have an activity ready no matter what the weather looks like. I always want to be able to take advantage of the outside time because it is when the children are free to explore and learn more about themselves.
Hoping it all works out for you 🙂
Oh boy, I could write paragraphs here. Lol I work with a group of toddlers ages 15 months-2 years, 9 months old. My group/classroom is nine children at at time but combined on the playground, we can have up to 27 toddlers. I would like to FEEL intentional in my outdoor curriculum but to also make the environment non-structured and low maintenance. I would like to have a strong grasp on what my intentions are and how I am going to accomplish them. I would like to EXPERIENCE fulfillment in my outdoor/nature curriculum and in seeing the children being successful using the environment that I have set up for them to use and learn from. I want to HAVE THE SKILLS to be intentional, purposeful, and creative in nature and outdoor instruction/curriculum. I Also want to plan on bringing nature into the classroom more often, not just plan for outside Time. My children attend school mon-fri, with a core day from 9:45 am-3:15 pm. We spend anywhere from 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours outside each day, pretty much rain or shine, even in the cold. I would like to prepare open ended activities that are available for the children as choices during our outside time, but NOT what we call ‘Have Too’s.’
I would need to plan on activities for the three seasons that the children in my classroom attend school (in New England weather conditions); for Fall, Winter, and Spring. I envision outdoor learning stations that change with the seasons. Maybe also planing occasional small group activities that are more structured one or two days a week.
This is fantastic. Intentional outdoor teaching and learning is thrilling. Looking forward to watching your growth.
I know I will have achieved my goals when I feel confident that i can lead a small class outside and I am able to plan and execute ideas with the kids in an outdoor setting
Brilliant and specific! Great job!
My goals is to use the time that we are outdoors at the center to let the kids explore and learn by playing games or having activities for them to learn about texture, what is around us and how everything change during the different stations of the year
Great goal!! Looking forward.
My goal is to make science fun for young children. I want children to touch and feel the earth and to appreciate the nature more. I love watching kids being curious.
This is just fantastic! Well said.
My goal is how to achieve learning math and science outdoors with limited time and space. In the center, I work for each classroom has only a half-hour in the morning to have any learning time to teach and have fun at the same time outside. I would love to learn more techniques to be able to teach my children but also have fun.
I love this goal because it really shows your challenge of only being outdoors for 1/2 hour…creating outdoor learning stations will be a good idea fo you. Children have freedom to play and learn at the same time.
my goal is to learn how to make the best of my time outside with my students,. I want to learn how I can incorporate more math, or literacy with nature aspects. Teaching them skills too that they may not learn from being inside.
These are wonderful goals!
My goal is to make a Bio-Garden. I love the idea to planting flowers but I would like that children have the experience to participate since germination process until harvest. My plan is The Bio-garden I will be my resource center where all the development domains (Lenguage-literacy, Science-Technology-Engineer, Math, Motor Gross and Fine, Social-Emotional and Apporaches to Learning) must be involved in this project.
I am thinking start with radishes (I did it in college and it wasn’t too bad) and later lettuce and tomatoes. With my class we go for a walk every day around the center. In the same way, we will visit the bio-garden daily . Start with an outdoor reading on the topic of the day: The Seed. As an example count different seeds, observe the color, the shape. Discuss which fruits have seeds, make a list of them and draw them. Pretend that we are seeds (What would be the shape of a seed using our body?) … Until we reach to the activity of planting the seed in the bio-garden. we will counting the distance from one to the other seed. (What will happened if they are all together?).
My plan is daily and the goal is take notes on the daily bio-garden process. I would like that parents participate maybe one time a week with the whole classroom or just visit the playground and pouring water with their children.
This is fantastic. The detail is great and will be your “map” to success. Bravo! You are on your way!
I would love to incorporate nature year round. I have limited outdoor time as well in my center. If I can improve my outdoor skill , I can feel more confident teaching those skills.
Robin Hernandez
Feeling more confident teaching outdoors is a great goal to aim for.
Some goals I have in mind are starting a garden at my center with my students help. Finding new enagaing activites to bring outdoors, or creating our own!
Terrific! See if you can get even more specific. What type of garden? What would you grow? Food? Plants that attract butterflies? Birds? Garden for Art and Beauty? The options are endless. What type of space do you have?
My goal is to do more natural activities outside using materials from nature and add more outdoor time with my infants and toddlers
Great! How much outdoor time do you want to add for your infants and toddlers? This is a great goal!
Cooking outside? Honestly this never occurred to me. Anyway, my goals for my center would be for all the educators to be more comfortable being outside even in the rain and to know it’s up to us to have the parents send their children to school with the necessary outerwear in order for us to be outside. I’d like to learn more about intentional learning in an outside environment as I believe my brain has always been more focused on learning centers inside the classroom. I have one preschool teacher who is really open to new ideas. I have older toddler teachers who don’t love the playground because they say there isn’t anything to do but don’t have the time to fix it. I’d like to be able to bring some ideas to the table for everyone. I’d like for classrooms to spend at least an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon outside each day as long as it isn’t too cold.
This is a great goal and a great example. It’s specific with the amount of time you would like your teachers to outdoors with kids. How to get there is the next step. It’s not going to happen overnight, but you are in the right place to get ideas and support to make your goals a reality…and then some! Welcome!
My biggest goal is to get children out of sitting at tables and chairs and have hands on learning in math, literacy, science and social emotional areas.
I am limited to the amount of hours to spend outdoors. That being said, make every minute spent outdoors purposeful. Set a clear lesson plan to incorporate all the areas I listed. Strategic Planning is going to be so important to be successful achieving this goal.
Jen Farrell
Wonderful goals! See how specific can get…as the more specific the goal the more likely you will be able to measure it and achieve it. Exciting!!
I will know that I have achieved my goals when I feel confident in implementing these ideas in the classroom as well as being able to convey the ideas across to the other teachers that I work with. Sharing what I learn here with other teachers in the classroom will create opportunities for even more children to benefit from the information I obtain through the course. It will also create consistency as the children are aging up throughout the program. I would like for my students to spend as much time outdoors as possible. This would also be a great help in approaching some challenging behaviors. As far as my curriculum I want to make our daily outdoor times purposeful and intentional, and I would like to encourage our parents to do the same.
Fantastic goals and intentions! Excellent job! Very clear and inspiring!
I think I have “goal phobia.” I am equally afraid of what might happen if I *don’t* accomplish something I set out to as I am of if I do! I find it less intimidating sometimes to go through the goal/intentions setting process in layers–from small to large, inward to outward. Starting off “small” and “inward,” my goals are to walk my talk of “get outside no matter what” and continue to get my kids (and myself) outdoors regularly. As I venture bigger and broader, I want to look at expanding and enhancing my work in the community as a nature based playgroup leader. I created my group just over a year ago and we have had our first event of this season. I had some visions back then that I met, some I exceeded and some that I kind of withdrew from. I am reflecting on and revisiting some of those visions now as I look toward my future with it and what I’d like to attempt.
Ahhhh….I love how you approached this. Inward and outward. Short term and long term goals…revisiting goals and intentions and exploring, tweaking and learning. Have fun with it! The most important thing is not to loose site of play!
My goal is to move my program to more closely resemble a year-round nature immersion program that is responsive to the needs of all children enrolled. This means some days we will be out most of the day and some days, if babies and toddlers are feeling overwhelmed, we would move in for part of the day. Brainstorming with my husband is (almost) always productive. I have ideas and David can usually make them happen. One major goal for the next four weeks is to work on clearing a path in my back woods to the quad trails. I can then take the prek children for a short walk to the river.
This is music to my ears as it is more than just adding nature based activities…you are truly going for nature immersion! Brilliant and fantastic job! Can’t wait to witness your journey.
I was hesitant about cooking outdoors but I’ve participated in a few classes and saw how they did it and got more confident. If I were trying this as one of my own classes, I might try to do a “dry run” with a friend or older child to see how things go.
I also wanted to share my goals:
I want to feel more confident and less fearful about approaching community groups and schools with nature based programming ideas.
I want to be able to have preliminary conversations followed up with substantive proposals to folks about doing programs.
I want to be experiencing a sense of openness and ease rather than a defeatist (is that a word?) mentality even before I get started.
I want to have the skill to propose and schedule my first after school program and then make it happen.
Brilliant goals!! Well thought out. Do you have a number of community groups you would like to reach out to? Or how many proposals do you want to send out? What type of programs are you looking at? Age? After School? Would you be a specialist that comes in? Or would you start your own program? Love it!!! You are on your way.
My goals are to bring more literacy and math outdoors. I would also like to incorporate more cooking opportunities outside, drawing from my time of camping.
Wonderful. Great to see you tonight. Love that you are adding cooking outdoors. “)
I was hesitant about cooking outdoors but I’ve participated in a few classes and saw how they did it and got more confident. If I were trying this as one of my own classes, I might try to do a “dry run” with a friend or older child to see how things go.