Posts filed under ‘No child left inside’
Two Cool Things: Nature Hike made Easy
Looking for an easy Nature Hike?
Just ask the kids to find two cool things.
I did this with a small group of Kindergarten and First Graders and
was amazed by the results.
Joe immediately found a crack on the ground.
“Maybe there’s magma down there,” he said enthusiastically.
He then started to dig in the crack with a stick. He got excited when he
dug up a rock. Another child joined him. I watched as they poked around
in the dirt, digging up rocks and talking about them.
“This one’s sandstone,” John said.
They dug away at a large rock for about 20 minutes, trying to get it out of the
ground. They dug around it and they kicked it. They eventually got it out (with a little help).
Joe took it back to the classroom and showed his friends. He was proud of his efforts.
Nearby, Lily was collecting leaves… her cool things. She spent her time playing in the sand. I watched as she used a stick to make patterns in the sand. She also covered the leaves with sand and then let the sand roll off.
This kind of exploratory play is so important for kids. It teaches them to play with the simplest of things… cool things… and to entertain themselves. All they need is a stick, some dirt, some leaves, and a little imagination.
Try this out sometime and let me know how it goes.
Diane Schwartz is an Outdoor Education Teacher at Goodman Community Center in Madison, Wisconsin. She is also the Site Coordinator at Schumacher Farm County Park in Waunakee. Register for this blog now and receive your free 11-page Bubble Activity Guide. Thank you!
Damp Day Delight: Stone tools and why I hate to cancel trips
I hate to cancel hikes just because it’s raining.
So, on Saturday, November 12, we left for our hike to Blue Mound State Park despite a wet forecast.
As predicted, it poured on our way there. But by the time we got there, the rain stopped. Perfect.
Temps were in the 50s and it was foggy.
The trees looked like ghosts and mist hung in the air. Little Donny thought it looked spooky.
“Maybe there are ghosts here,” he said.
Maybe indeed.
We walked to the west tower and climbed to the top. Even though we couldn’t see anything, it was still beautiful and surreal. I told the kids that we were in a cloud. I don’t think that got it, but they thought about it. After that, we hiked the Indian Marker Tree trail.
The trail was wet, so we hiked slowly, but that was okay. There was plenty to see.
Blue Mound is capped with chert, commonly called flint rock. Huge chert boulders lined this trail. The wet, glistening rocks were covered with blue lichen, green most and acorn shells left by hungry squirrels. The kids asked a lot of questions.
What’s that blue stuff?
What kind of rock is that?
I could see their minds turning when they learned that Native People used chert to make spear points and tools. The kids held the rock and noticed how it split into sharp pieces.
“This was a tool?” John said.
It’s exciting to see kids connect with the past in a real way. Text book photos of stone tools will now be real for them because they held the real thing. It got real quiet for a few second while they pondered these rocks.
We walked a bit more, but it didn’t take long for the kids to start asking about when the hike would be done. They were hungry and starting to get cold. It wasn’t raining, but it was damp.
After eating, the rain started up again, so we packed up and left.
I’m glad I didn’t cancel this trip. My policy remains, I don’t cancel trips unless there’s a safety concern. Usually, trips turn out for the best and kids learn that foggy, wet days are fun.
Tell me about a trip that was less than ideal that turned out great…or not so great. I’d love to hear from you.
Diane Schwartz take kids on hikes at the Goodman Community Center in Madison, WI. Get you free Bubble Activity Guide now by registering for this blog. Thank you!
Haunted Hayride: The Joy of Fright
Kids love a good scare, especially a fun scare.
We all got our screams out on Saturday night when 30 kids – yes 30 kids — and lots of adults from Goodman Community Center went to the Haunted Hayride at MacKenzie Environmental Center in Poynette.
The kids were very excited and the night was perfect-mild and dry. After breaking up the kids into small groups, we were ready to get on the wagon. In the distance, we could hear screams. That helped put the kids in the spirit.
“Good luck,” said the witch who helped us board the wagon. “Hope to see you soon,” she cackled.
We got our first scare when a chain saw wielding man jumped out. SCREAMS! Then, a group of zombies surprised us. SCREAMSSSSS! Every 50 feet or so, a monster or a group of monsters lunged toward the wagon. This went on for about 20 minutes. Nobody touched us, but it was creepy when a cannibal banged a leg on the side of the wagon and kept running after us. MORE SCREAMSSSSS!!!
“This is freaky,” said John, totally unfazed by the scares.
When we got done, I felt great. Screaming was fun. The kids loved it and I loved it too.
Five-year-old Fedora shouted,
“This was the best day of my life!”
That’s some high praise.
After the ride, we all enjoyed s’mores and hot chocolate around a fire. The kids then ran around and played monster games until it was time to leave.
Next time, I would change very little. Mostly, I would streamline the registration process for the trip. With 30 kids and 10 parents going, registration is time-consuming. Ideally, I would require all permissions slips to be in before the event. I would also let my co-leader know more about the registration process sooner so that he could help with last-minute details. Since we have another large trip coming up in January to Eagle Watching Days in Sauk City, we can test these changes then.
What are your tips for large group planning?
What did you do with kids on Halloween?
You can find Diane Schwartz planning trips for kids at Goodman Community Center in Madison, Wisconsin and at Schumacher Farm County Park in Waunakee. For more information on MacKenzie Environmental Education Center go to www.mackenziecenter.com. To receive a free 11-page Bubble Activity Guide, just subscribe to my blog on the home page. Thank you for visiting and be sure to share this blog with others.
Bubble bubble toil and trouble: Dealing with fear
To see this spring in action go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ySNSemVYs8. Visit www.pheasantbranch.org to learn more about this amazing place.
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s important to remember that nature can be scary for kids.
The heart of the Pheasant Branch Creek Nature Preserve in Middleton is a huge spring. Water boils up from the ground and looks like a cauldron of boiling water and sand. The spring intrigued the K-5th grade kids we took there on September 25th and even scared some.
“It looks like quick sand.”
“What would happen if I fell in?”
“How is it doing that?”
To Sue, it was all too much.
“I’m scared,” she quietly said to me.
This was her first trip with us. I explained that we were safe on the overlook platform and that the water wasn’t going to hurt us. In fact, the water helps us by feeding the creek and providing water to animals and plants. Still, she wasn’t so sure. We stayed on the platform for a bit longer, ate some snack, and then moved on.
This scene reminded of a trip two years ago where two different girls covered their heads when I pointed out a red-tailed hawk.
“It’s going to eat me,” they cried.
I realized then that kids need teachers to help them understand both the beauty and power of nature. Nature can be scary, but it’s also amazing and awe-inspiring. Yes, hawk talons can kill, but not people. And yes, a person could drown in the spring, but not if you stay on the platform. Teaching kids to respect nature while at the same time enjoying nature is simply part of life. There are risks with everything and too often kids are sheltered from life’s real risks.
That’s why these trips are so important for kids. They may get scared, but then they learn. Fear can be transf0rmed into awe.
Kids who experience fear and overcome it are better equipped to handle what life has to throw at them. And that’s a good thing. Everybody gets scared, but that doesn’t keep us from doing the things we want to do.
What are you doing today to help kids overcome their fears?
Diane Schwartz is the Outdoor Education Specialist at the Goodman Community Center in Madison, Wisconsin. You can contact her at getkidsoutside@gmail.com. To get a free 11 page bubble activity guide, just register for this blog on the home page. The guide is full of indoor and outdoor activities that you can do with kids.
One minute of silence: Listening to the birds at the Arboretum
Q: How do you teach kids the art of listening?
A: One minute at a time.
While hiking today at the Arboretum with 10 kids, I tried something new.
I held up my watch and said, “For one minute, let’s see how many birds we can hear.”
Red-bellied Woodpecker
It wasn’t perfect silence, but that’s okay. The birds were raucous and many different sounds could be heard. Afterward, John said he heard a goose. Janet, an avid birder and one of our Sierra Club volunteers, said she heard the shrill call of a red-bellied woodpecker. The kids listened again.
They heard it. Their eyes grew larger, full of wonder.
Where is the bird hiding? What does he look like?
Somehow, the rest of the hike seemed quieter. I don’t know if this is true, but that’s how it felt to me. We stopped by the spring and enjoyed some watercress. Some kids liked it and others thought it was too hot. It tasted a little peppery.
After the hike, we stopped at the Longenecker Gardens to enjoy a snack and to run around among the lilacs.
We saw swallows, a cat bird, a Baltimore oriole, chipping sparrows, robins, turkeys and yellow finches.
What a glorious day Spring day.
I think it’s important to teach kids the art of listening.
Who knows, that one minute of silence could lead to many more.
To listen to the red-bellied woodpecker, go to www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-bellied_Woodpecker/sounds.
Diane Schwartz is a K-5 teacher at the Goodman Community Center in Madison, WI. She leads hiking, skiing and biking adventures. For a free 11-page Bubble Activity Guide, just go to the home page and subscribe to this blog.
Zero Voice: Making it quiet on the trail
Kids are loud.
I don’t always want to hush them up, especially when outside. On the other had, if they miss the sounds of the outdoors altogether then I don’t think I’m doing my job as a teacher.
Yes, kids are loud, but teaching kids the value of being quiet is a gift.
On Saturday, April 24th, I took 6 Kindergarten and first graders and two third graders on a hike to Pheasant Branch Nature Preserve in Middleton. For the first part of the trip, I didn’t set any volume boundaries. We simply walked the trail. The kids saw red-winged black-birds and heard their cry. The sounds of other birds filled the air. It was a cool, wet and beautiful morning. We walked to an overlook where a huge spring was gurgling below us.
“Hey Miss Diane we found quick sand,” shouted John.
John and his good pal Paul were my shouters today. Shouting is normal for these kids, especially when excited. In small doses this is fine. It makes no sense to stop their exuberance. Or does it?
We continued our hike, which included geocaching. We hiked up a hill following our GPS devices through a freshly burned oak savannah to another overlook. We could see the spring and Pheasant Branch Creek in front of us plus a sliver of Lake Mendota. On a clear day, the state capitol would be visible.
“I don’t want to leave,” said Joe.
“Yes, it’s pretty nice, we’ll have to come back,” I responded.
The platform made a perfect spot for a snack and a break from our treasure hunt. But after we found the treasure and were walking back to the van several kids insisted on walking way ahead of the group.
So, I decided to try something new.
I stopped the kids and reinforced the expectation that everyone had to walk behind me. I added that we’d be walking back using “zero voice” so that we could hear the Sandhill Cranes. I enforced this by using hand signals only. I held up my hand and made a “zero” with my index finger and thumb. I kept this up for the rest of the hike. As we walked, John and Paul thought this was all very funny and reacted by laughing excessively. Zero voice was not happening. I turned around and silently directed them to each hold another adult’s hand.
This seemed to jog them back into the present. The rest of the hike was quiet enough to hear the birds.
I can’t say that Zero voice was an entire success, but I do think it’s important to have a”quiet” policy on future hikes. I want boisterous kids on these outings, but I also don’t want them to miss the wonder of listening. Most of the kids heard the sandhill cranes bugling, but I’m not sure that John and Paul did. This saddens me. Perhaps it’s enough today to get them outside, but I do want more for them.
On the way home in the van, all the kids were pooped. Quiet came easy. For future trips, I will have a plan to better teach silence in the outdoors. I’ll keep you posted.
For maps and more information go to www.pheasantbranch.org. Also, subscribe to my blog and receive a free Bubble Activity Guide. Just type in your email on the home pate.
Going on a Treasure Hunt: Geo-Caching at Picnic Point
Do technology and nature belong together? After all, isn’t hiking supposed to get us away from machines and technology?
That’s what I always thought. However, after our first geo-cache outing, I believe there is a place for geo-caching in the nature curriculum for kids. It’s just a different kind of nature experience.
Here are the benefits I see of geo-caching.
1. Kids learn how to read a GPS. Even though ours were very simple, Junior models by Apisphere, the kids still had to read the screen. They had to follow the direction arrow and watch as the distance (in feet) grew smaller as they neared the cache. In the process, I do think they learned something about space and the environment. For example, when we started, we were 800 feet from the cache. Therefore, they experienced 800 feet. They also had to read the numbers, which for the smaller kids, helped with math.
2. They have to slow down. They moved so fast that they walked right past the cache the first time through. When they were within 30 feet of the cache, they had to get off the trail and poke around to find it. This was good. They had to pay attention or miss the treasure.
3. It’s exciting. Treasure hunts are just plain fun. When we found our cache, the kids were thrilled. We dumped the cache on a cloth and let them each take something. Then they added something for the next person. They really enjoyed this and took home stuff like a key, a ball, rocks, and a necklace. I think they’ll remember this outing for a long time.
Here are the drawbacks that I see:
1. Geo-caching is expensive. The junior models are $70. That isn’t too bad, but to work with kids, you need more than one . We had one unit for every two kids in our group of 11. I’ve heard of groups using one for every 6 kids, but they were older. We are fortunate that Inner City Outings purchased the units and lets us use them. You also need a computer to find the caches. You have to go to geocaching.com, to locate the caches and get information on them.
2. Planning. With smaller kids (K-5), I think it’s important to scout the trip in advance. Disappointment does nothing to motivate them. As a busy teacher, this is tough to do. Again, I am fortunate to have a volunteer do this.
3. Yes, looking at the GPS does detract from the surroundings. However, there is still plenty of time to see nature while outside or plan other outings that don’t involve technology.
The bottom line is that geo-caching is an exciting way to get kids outside. It’s fun and gives kids a purpose for hiking. If we want to get kids outside, we need to embrace ideas that excite them. Hopefully, they’ll love being outside so much that they’ll keep it up. Finding the money and time is the key.
Check out geocaching.com to learn more about this sport and the many treasures just waiting to be found.
Get an email subscription (go to home page) and receive my Bubble Activity Guide. It’s full of inexpensive activities to do with kids.
Eagle Watching Success Story
Small successes with kids need to be celebrated.
Yesterday, while picking up kids at Emerson Elementary School (home of the Emerson Eagles no less) for our after school program, the principal, Karen Kepler, pointed out the eagle button she was wearing.
“Do you know who gave me this?” she asked.
“John?” I asked.
Yes, it was John. A tear welled up in my eyes.
John is an African American boy in the fourth grade who had been struggling in our after school program. This was a really big deal for him to have this success. No, it’s not academic success, which some may argue is the only measure of success in school, but a real life success that he will never lose.
He got to see and learn about birds of prey first hand. This is the stuff that Richard Louv talks about in his book No child left inside. Louv writes that when kids feel a sense of wonder about the world, their world expands exponentially. John felt that. I could see it in his face that day. I could see it on the bus the day after. And clearly, something inspired him to give that button (that John made) to his principal.
I am grateful for our partnership with Emerson School. Ms. Kepler will follow-up by putting a photo of John in the upcoming newsletter. When John learned about this, he was very excited. John got even more from this trip. He had a great day with his mom. He connected with his principal. He will get needed recognition from his peers at school and after school. He had a positive experience with other kids. He learned a lot about birds and he saw a new place. Our relationship became stronger.
I may never know the full impact of this trip on John, but that’s part of teaching.
Teachers live for these little successes.
Winter Tracks on a Cold Day
It’s important to get outside even on cold days. Teaching kids how to dress for cold weather is a great skill to have. Too many people stay inside all winter. Meanwhile, there’s a world of ice and snow ready to explore. Today, Four hearty kids and three adults went on a walk in the frozen Arboretum today. It was about 10 degrees with a stiff wind.
Turkey Tracks
Our Arboretum guide was very knowledgeable and helped us see many things that are hard, if not impossible to see, in the warmer months. We saw deer tracks, coyote tracks, turkey tracks, woodpecker holes in trees, deer rubbings, and, yes, even signs of spring. She pointed out places on trees and shrubs that indicate where they will bloom as soon as the weather warms.
Coyote Tracks
What these kids are getting is an appreciation for winter, the outdoors, and for the wonderful place called the Arboretum. They are getting exercise and fresh air, which will make them sleep better and feel better. They are also gaining confidence in their ability to be outside in cold weather. On a day when many people complained about the cold, they got to see a lot of people out skiing and hiking. This can not be underestimated. Complaining about the weather is a waste of time.
After our hike, I was inspired to go ice skating at Tenny Park. There were a lot of people out there too, despite the cold. I felt so happy to be out there and to have enjoyed the day. Skating lifted my spirits. I look forward to my next trip.
Leaf Safari
It’s fall and no matter how many times I’ve done this, it’s still exciting to take kids on a leaf safari. On a glorious October day, me and my co-teacher Zach took about 11 Kindergarten and first-graders on a leaf safari. They were REALLY excited about this, especially when they saw that they got to use their own bag with their name on it. The purpose of this adventure was to explore different colors and shapes of leaves and then make art with them.
To start, we read a book called “Fall Leaves Fall” by Zoe Hall. This book has lots of great ideas for leaf fun. We read this book and then got our bags. Outside, the kids quickly filled up their bags with leaves. We found yellow leaves, red leaves and purple leaves. I tried to sneak in some leaf classification by asking, “Does that leaf have pointy end or round ends? Does it have fingers or no fingers?” Jean picked up a maple leaf and I asked her if she knew the tree that the leaf came from, thinking that she may have talked about the state tree in school. I wish I could remember what she thought it was because it was pretty funny. This kindergartner was not impressed to learn that it was a maple leaf.
We stopped at a Purple Ash and enjoyed the bright purple leaves on the ground. Then, one child spotted an evergreen and wanted to go check for pine cones. This was unexpected and delightful as this child was clearly observing his surroundings. Quickly, they all picked up pine cones.
Another child found an apple on the ground and we stopped to ponder how that got there. The tree standing by the apple wasn’t an apple tree so we left puzzled (I found the apple tree the next day). Then, John solved everything by picking up the apple and throwing it hard. So much for that conversation.
We found some huge basswood leaves that fascinated the kids. Of course, they all wanted one. By now, each child had more than enough leaves in their bags and one child had no leaves at all. His bag contained rocks, sticks and dirt. I guess leaves didn’t fascinate him. Some kids picked small flowers like chicory and Black-Eyed Susan. During fall, I’m less concerned about kids picking plants because soon they’ll be dead, but overall, I discourage kids from picking things.
We marched back into the classroom armed with our leaves and ready to make some art. Again, the simplest thing like leaf rubbing was totally new for these kids. Most had never done it before. They took great care in their work and created colorful rubbings. Then, they made animals out of leaves and added googly eyes. Their creativity was amazing. The kids with pine cones used ink pads to make pine cone prints. I really do need to put their art work on line. The child that collected the rocks and sticks made a pumpkin mask. Apparently, he wanted to continue the pumpkin activity from the previous day. This was fine too.
The hardest part about after school teaching is that the kids get picked up at different times. Therefore, some kids didn’t get to finish their project’s today. The next day, their leaves with dried out, so they needed to pick more. This would have been fine, but it was raining. Flexibility is key. There’s always room for improvement. The next time I go on a leaf safari I might suggest that kids pick 20 leaves, rather than stuff their bags with as many as possible. Then we could have added some math into the project. As it was, we combined literacy (read aloud), science (leaf identification and classification) and just plain good outside fun on a gorgeous autumn day.
