Getting Outdoors and Learning
In the spring, I attended a weekend experience called Becoming an Outdoor Woman. I signed up to attend four classes. The classes included dutch oven cooking, outdoor photography, introduction to fishing, and introduction to kayaking. It was an amazing experience to be learning so many new things around so many affirming women. One of the things that struck me was the amount of learning I did that weekend. Consequently, I thought of the number of opportunities for learning that are available just by getting outside.
Activities
Trevor Muir, a teacher and author, recommends the following outdoor learning activities: nature scavenger hunt, outdoor reading time, sketch nature, storytelling circle, math relay races, plant a garden, weather observation, bird watching, outdoor science experiments, erosion observations, leaf and bark rubbings, environmental clean up, shadow tracing, and nature journaling.
Resources
Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses- Students can use this website to research native Kansas wildflowers and grasses. Students can use their research to create their own botanical garden.
4-H Clover Classroom- The Kansas Clover Classroom provides information about the following: Get to Know your Camera, Pollinators, Take a Hike!, Quick Bread vs Yeast Bread, Communications, Junk Drawer Robotics, Tracking Wildlife, Dynamic Displays, Thrifty Threads, Macrame, Horse Safety, Geology Collecting, Reading, Ruminants, and Sports Fishing.
A tip from someone who has been there.
My experience during my Becoming an Outdoor Woman weekend was so great, because I was able to try some new activities without having to commit long term to these activities. I was also able to learn from women who were passionate about the different activities. The women who taught these classes were kind, encouraging, and knowledge. My take away as a teacher is that students and adults for that matter need opportunities to try new things. It turns out that I really enjoy kayaking. Since the Becoming an Outdoor Woman weekend, I have gone out on kayaking trips several times with Dirty Girl Adventures. Encourage your children and students to get outside and try new things!
