Posts Tagged ‘Benefits of nature’
Monday, February 27th, 2012
Last week 10 of us ventured to Atlanta for the ACA National Conference. The overall theme of the conference
Jane Sanborn and her entourage!
was Convergence: Vision, Learning, Innovation. This was an exciting opportunity for our staff to continue our professional development as youth and outdoor educators and camp professionals. And it was a great week! Our very own Jane Sanborn was the conference program chair. She and the conference team lined up wonderful session and keynote speakers, fun night programs, and a variety of exhibitors for the exhibit hall. We were all able to go to a variety of educational sessions presented by child development and camp professionals – sessions that emphasized the importance of what we do best: provide exceptional outdoor experiences for children. We were able to network with other camp professionals. We left energized and motivated for the summer! It is fun for us to come back and share all that we have learned with each other and start incorporating new ideas into our summer and school weeks programs.
We had great keynote speakers including, Dr. Christine Carter (author of Raising Happiness), Richard Louv, Sanborn alum, Rod Lucero, and Niambi Jaha-Echols. Each speech was relevant to and encouraging of what we do at camp.
Dr. Carter started the week sharing the importance of teaching and cultivating life skills such as gratitude, kindness, and growth campers – all things that we know about and do at camp! Dr. Carter is a strong believer of Growth Mindset – the belief that someone is successful due to hard work and effort, as well as innate ability. At camp, it is important to us that campers are challenged to try new things and encouraged through the process. We believe that campers and staff can grow and learn from our trips and activities. Being able to try new things is one of the great things about camp and campers having the ability to choose their own trips and activities.
Richard Louv emphasized the role camps play in continuing to get children outside. In his speech he told us how he was jealous of his friend who left Kansas every summer to go to camp…specifically, his friend left Kansas and spent his summers at Sanborn. He spoke of the growing importance of camp and getting outside, as our world becomes more technology-driven.
Rod Lucero helped us better understand the importance of camps continuing the education from schools. Relevance, Rigor, and Relationships are the foundation of education, and according to Lucero, without them, reading, writing, and arithmetic don’t matter. At camp, we help make education relevant. The foundation of Sanborn is education. We continue to learn and pass our knowledge on to all Colorado Outdoor Education Center participants.
Niambi Jaha-Echols provided us with an inspiring and humorous closing session. According to Jaha-Echols, camp provides us the opportunities to transform into new beings – from caterpillars to butterflies. It is important to us that we provide campers with the space and support to understand and grow into the people they are supposed to be. We are lucky to have 6,000 acres, amazing counselors, and a great variety of trips and activities to help all campers grow as individuals into butterflies.
We look forward to continuing to share our learnings with you and incorporate them into our 2012 summer.
Tags: ACA, Benefits of nature, Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature Network, Children in Nature, Christine Carter, colorado summer camp, Community building, Experiential Education, Friendship, impact of summer camp, life lessons, life skills, nature awareness, Niambi Jaha-Echols, Outdoor Education, richard louv, Rod Lucero, Sanborn Western Camps, Youth Development
Posted in American Camp Association, Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature, Colorado Front Range Summer Camps, Colorado Outdoor Education Center, Education, Kids and Technology, Nature Activity, Outdoor Education, Professional Development, Sanborn Western Camps, Youth Development | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
Saturday, June 11, is National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day). The ACA is promoting the fourth annual GO Day in order to “encourage healthy, active outdoor fun” across the country. While there are a number of events taking place at different locations, we encourage you to create your own GO Day. The overall goal for the day is to reconnect youth with the outdoors.
A typical Sanborn GO Day
Our campers don’t arrive until Sunday, but we will spend the rest of the summer having GO Days. We have numerous traditional and non-traditional outdoor activities. We think that is part of what makes participating in GO Day so fun – you can do whatever you want, as long as it is outdoors!
The Big Spring staff returned from their overnights yesterday, and the High Trails staff returned today. They spent two days out of the trail learning different parts of the ranch, mastering how to cook excellent overnight food, and partaking in a variety of nature activities. Most importantly, all the staff are very excited to share their new knowledge with the campers in just a few days!
We would love to hear what activities you are doing for GO Day!
Tags: Benefits of nature, Benefits of Summer Camp, Children in Nature, colorado summer camp, Experiential Education, nature awareness, Outdoor Activities, Sanborn Western Camps, Take action, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, Fun Activities, Nature Activity, Outdoor Education, Parenting, Sanborn Western Camps | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
Our school program ended last Wednesday after a very successful season. We had 4th-8th graders from about 20 schools came for 3-5 day programming over the last month and a half. At the beginning of every season we have the chance to reflect on why we want to be a part of HTOEC school weeks and share our thoughts with each other. I tell the staff, and remind myself, that the season will go by way too quickly, that we will have the opportunity to make a difference in the life of at least one child (hopefully more), we will be challenged, we will learn something new from the students we work with, and this place will become home. Even though I have been part of a number of seasons, I’m always surprised that I forget these predictions that come true every year.
Students on a cabin porch
Several weeks ago I worked with a group of 5th graders from Palmer Lake Elementary School in Monument. I worked in a cabin with about 12 girls who varied in their interest and experience in the outdoors. We played games and hiked to several points around the ranch. I was at the cabin early in the morning and brought snacks after evening programming. This is typical for all the schools we work with. They were only here for three days before they headed back to school and a new school arrived at High Trails. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with them and as always, I wished them well as they left and reminded them they could come back as high school counselors.
About a week or so later I received a large stack of envelopes in my mailbox. I was mostly excited because it is rare that I have mail. I opened the first envelope and saw it came from one of the Lewis Palmer students that was recently in my cabin. I read about one of the girl’s experiences at High Trails as she talked about how much fun she had and how she was sad to go. Each letter in the stack was from one of the girls in that cabin. And each letter talked about how she challenged herself, enjoyed the hiking (when she didn’t think she would), loved the food, had fun doing different discovery groups, and several remembered my suggestion to come back in several years.
It was definitely surprising to receive this stack of mail. It was also very nice to read about the impact High Trails had on this group of girls. As staff, we see a number of students from different schools with various expectations about High Trails and experiences in the outdoors. We are never sure what students will walk away with as lasting memories. We will see a few high school counselors return after being at High Trails as younger students, we will hear teachers say the experience is great for their students, but it is rare to hear from students after they leave High Trails.
Checking out an Aspen tree
As the season ended and I reflected back on my comments at the beginning of the season, it was fun to remember my comments and recognize that they once again came true. These girls challenged me to go new places and I challenged them to push themselves a little farther out of their normal comfort zone. I learned more about High Trails as they asked me questions about birds and flowers I didn’t know and they learned more about nature. While they did not explicitly say High Trails had changed their lives, reading their excitement about being here showed the lasting impact High Trails will have on them.
We are now gearing up for the summer season. As I move forward and work with new and returning campers, I will again remind myself that everyday is a learning opportunity and the chance to making a lasting impact on another child.
Tags: Benefits of nature, Children in Nature, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Impact of Nature, life lessons, Memories, Outdoor Education, Sanborn Western Camps, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education | No Comments »
Friday, March 4th, 2011
We found a great article on the Children and Nature Network web site this morning: Why Kids Need Nature. At Sanborn we more than understand the value of kids spending time in nature, and we love being able to share more research about the importance of it with others.
I wonder what that tastes like?
Scholastic Parent and Child Magazine interviewed Richard Louv to gain more insight into why it is important for children’s well-being to spend time outdoors and how parents are able to expose their children to nature. Louv explains that time in nature can help fight obesity, depression, and ADD as well as help kids activate their brains (in a different way than school provides) and utilize all their senses. Including their sense of wonder which we emphasize in our summer camps and school weeks programs. It can be hard for parents and children to find the time and space to explore nature. Sports, clubs, meetings, homework all take time during already busy family schedules. Not many neighborhoods have the space for kids to run and play freely.
Louv explains that it is understandable that parents are hesitant to send their kids out to explore unsupervised, but that he finds more and more parents spending time outdoors with their children. We believe that not only kids benefit from nature, but adults as well! Louv states, ”Nature is good for everyone’s mental health.” It is fun for parents to get out with their children and go on scavenger hunts around the yard and neighborhood and take a break from work and for a hike in the woods. The more enthusiastic parents are, the more excited their children will be about their abilities to explore.
“Nature isn’t the problem; it’s the solution.” The Children and Nature Network recognizes the challenges parents may face taking the initiative to take their children outdoors and provide parents with local resources and ideas. We at Sanborn also try to provide resources and ideas for parents and children to reconnect with nature. Here are just a few:
Beyond 101 Nature Activities
New Adventures
Ariella and the Wild Animals
A Small Sounds Tapestry
Time for a Special Place
Tags: 101 Nature Activities, Benefits of nature, Children and Nature, Children in Nature, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, impact of summer camp, life skills, nature awareness, No Child Left Inside, Outdoor Activities, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Play, Parenting, Sanborn Western Camps, Winter Activities
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, Fun Activities, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Nature Activity, Outdoor Education, Parenting, Sanborn Western Camps | No Comments »
Friday, January 14th, 2011
A group of us went to University of Colorado Colorado Springs a couple of evenings ago to see the film “Race to Nowhere“, that explores the pressures on today’s students to succeed in school and the negative health benefits these pressures have caused. A mother was inspired to make the film after seeing the unhappiness, illnesses, and stress her own children were enduring due to the pressure to be a good student. An online article in the New York Times today further explores the pressures on students and the definition of success. Does strict control determine greater success? Is success having good grades or being a good and happy person?
There were a number of teachers and parents with children at the showing who expressed their frustration at the current system and how they feel trapped to teach to tests, and assign and enforce hours of homework, regardless of what their students developmentally need. A teacher mentioned the illogic of her 1st grade grandson having an 1.5 hours of homework a night.
We were all moved at the end of the film by the lack of time students have to take a breath. Are students doomed to have no time? Are they really in a race to nowhere? one of the students featured in the film explained that schooling was a race to nowhere -elementary school is all about getting to middle school, middle school is about getting ready for high school, high school is about getting into the right college, and college is about getting into grad school. Quoting a comment in the article, “Balance, it’s all in finding the correct balance.”
There is hope! We were inspired by what we do as outdoor educators. We provide the opportunities for children and adults to learn, we teach in an outdoor setting, we empower and inspire our participants to experience the world and education in new and imaginative ways. There are places that allow students the freedom to learn in a different environment. While not all children have experiential learning trips with school or have the opportunity to go to camp, there is hope for all students. It is finding the “correct balance.” It is necessary for students to spend a few minutes outdoors in the backyard or local park, to take a break from the pressure of school, to learn about life beyond the basic subjects in school.
Campers and staff learning about animals
All the employees at the Colorado Outdoor Education Center, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Sanborn Western Camps, and The Nature Place hope you are able to find, and help the students in your life, the balance and beat the race to nowhere.
Tags: Benefits of nature, Benefits of Summer Camp, Children in Nature, Colorado Outdoor Education Center, Education, Experiential Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, life lessons, life skills, No Child Left Inside, Outdoor Education, Sanborn Western Camps, Take action, the nature place, Youth Development
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education, Parenting, Sanborn Western Camps | No Comments »
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
Camps have known about the importance and power of play for a long time. As outdoor educators and youth development professionals we do all that we can to promote children’s use of imagination, creative play, developing relationships, understanding of self and others, self-esteem, and appreciation for the outdoors (to name a few).
Research has been done and published promoting these lessons and the chance for children to play and explore. The New York Times published an article today about efforts made to promote play. This article supports our parents’ efforts to encourage their children to use their imaginations, disengage from video games, computers, and TV. We have long recognized and try to share the importance of free play and getting kids outdoors as a way to take advantage of imaginative play. Children need recess, camp, time in the backyard to develop and refine the life and relationship skills that are hard to learn in the classroom or on the soccer team.
Central Park hosted the Ultimate Block Party in October to promote the importance of play in children’s lives. While the party’s over, the Web site provides additional resources and research for parents. Just looking at the number of sponsors and endorsements the group received was inspiring for me to see the number of people and organizations that support the movement to get children playing.
Throughout the past year we have shared ideas and benefits of creative and imaginative play with our readers. As I searched our archives and reread what we’ve written, I realized that I couldn’t share every post that we’ve written, so I tried to limit the links (as hard as it was). These are just a few links to check out some of our ideas for helping children and parents helping their children get back to unstructured (while supervised) play: Snowy Day Activities, Bring on the Sunscreen,Parent Lessons from Camp, Go Play Outdoors, Hooray for the Wild Child, More Play, Time for a Special Place, Adventures with the 5 Senses, and Reconnect With Your Sense of Wonder. Sometimes children just need props to get their creative juices flowing and other times we try to provide limited guidance to help children feel comfortable with the idea of free play.
With greater recognition, support, and effort we can all help children reconnect with their childhood and enjoy playing again.
Tags: Benefits of nature, Benefits of Summer Camp, Children in Nature, Community building, Friendship, Imaginary Play, impact of summer camp, life lessons, life skills, nature awareness, Outdoor Activities, Outdoor Fun, Outdoor Play, Parenting, Sanborn Western Camps, Winter Activities, Youth Development
Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature, Education, Fun Activities, Nature Activity, Nature Stories, Parenting, Sanborn Western Camps, Summer Camp for Kids, summer camp in Colorado | No Comments »
Friday, November 12th, 2010
We had a lot of fun with the 6th graders from Challenger Middle School! This morning the staff went to the cabins to help the students pack and clean before breakfast. They did a great job cleaning! We enjoyed a hot breakfast before heading out for the morning.
The students are on our big rocks right now for a closing session. On Tuesday, the students wrote quotes about what they were thinking and feeling in their special spots. This morning, the High Trails staff is reading about 20 of those quotes on the rocks. It is chilly again this morning, but the sun is shining and we have a great view of Pikes Peak!
After the closing session the students will head out on their last discovery group, Putting It All Together. Similar to Setting the Mood, everyone does the same discovery group, but in the smaller groups. The staff has activities planned to wrap up the week and the students have time to return to their special spots to reflect on what they have learned and goals they want to set for when they return home. Everyone seems excited to share their stories and adventures from the week with their friends and family who weren’t here this week.
The group from Challenger has been a lot of fun to have around. We hope they have a great fall and are able to remember their highlights from their time at High Trails. The 6th graders we have spent time with this fall truly embraced their time in nature and took advantage of their outdoor education experience. They came together as teams from the middle school and seemed to return to school as a stronger community. We have had a great season with District 20 6th graders and look forward to seeing some of the same teachers and high school students next fall!
Tags: Benefits of nature, Challenger Middle School, Children in Nature, Community building, Friendship, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, nature awareness, Outdoor Education, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center | No Comments »
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
We have had a great first two days with the sixth graders from Challenger Middle School.
The students arrived on Tuesday to cool weather, but no snow. The students participated in their first discovery group – Setting the Mood. Everyone did the same discovery group, but in different smaller groups going to various points around the High Trails property. The students started with a nature awareness scavenger hunt, where they looked for things and used their 6 senses (smell, taste, hearing, sight, touch, and WONDER). They additionally did a blindfold find your tree activity where they had to learn about a tree while blindfolded, then without their blindfolds had to go find their trees. They also were able to find a special spot where they could reflect on the week ahead of them and set goals for the week.
After dinner on Tuesday, half the students went to the Hoedown and half the students went to the Interbarn. The High Trails led 5 silly, choreographed dances at the Hoedown. The students had a great time skipping around and laughing. The Interbarn is our hands-on science center, where students can choose three stations to go to in order to learn more about nature, animals, and the earth.
On Wednesday morning, the High Trails staff led early morning cabin hikes before breakfast to take the students to several of the high points around High Trails. Again, it was a little chilly, but a sunny day. The students went on their first themed discovery group after breakfast where they spent 2.5 hours role playing and learning about Colorado history. All the groups had a lot of fun and enjoyed their times learning. The students were able to participate in a second themed discover group after lunch. For evening programming, the students switched if they went to the Interbarn or the Hoedown.
Tags: Benefits of nature, Challenger Middle School, Children in Nature, Community building, Friendship, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Nature Activity, Outdoor Education | No Comments »
Friday, November 5th, 2010
It is another beautiful day here at High Trails. The High Trails staff helped the students pack and clean the cabins this morning before breakfast. The cabins look great!
The students are down on the big rocks for a closing session. While in their special spots on Tuesday the students wrote quotes about their goals and what they were feeling about being here. The staff are reading about 20 of those quotes right now on the rocks. The students will then go back to their special spots during their last discovery group, Putting It All Together. Similar to Setting the Mood, the students all do the same discovery group, but in their smaller groups.
We have had a great time with this group of 6th graders from Discovery Canyon Campus! It is rewarding for us to see students excited about nature and ready to learn in this wonderful outdoor classroom. It is even better when they want to take their learnings home to share with their friends and family who were not here with them this week. We hope the students have a great fall and it would be fun to see them back as high school counselors!
Tags: Benefits of nature, Children in Nature, Community building, Discovery Canyon Campus, Friendship, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, life lessons, nature awareness, Outdoor Education, Youth Development
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Nature Activity, Outdoor Education | No Comments »
Friday, November 5th, 2010
We had a great day at High Trails! Everyone had good early morning hikes. It was a beautiful sunrise this morning and we could still see the smallest sliver of the moon. We enjoyed another delicious breakfast – french toast, sausage, cereal, milk, and apple juice.
Everyone had fun on their all-days today. The all-days are always a good opportunity for the students to spend an extended amount of time with their themed discovery groups. They get to know the groups very well, do extra activities, and eat lunch out on the trail. The students came back this afternoon excited about what they had learned and ready to share their highlights from the week with their families at home.
After a little downtime, the students were able to choose their recreation activity. Students were again able to spend time with classmates who are in different cabins and discovery groups. Recreation options included 4-Square, nuke-em, marshmallow baseball, 4-story treehouse, and A-Bluff. Students enjoyed running around and playing games with their High Trails staff, high school counselors, and teachers.
Everyone went to the Hoedown for evening program. The High Trails staff and counselors dress in crazy costumes and lead silly, choreographed dances. The students all had a good time skipping and dancing around. Before bed, the High Trails staff went back to the cabins to talk about the highlights from the day and prepare the students for tomorrow. In the morning the staff will go to the cabins to help the students pack and clean before breakfast and their last discovery group.
Tags: Benefits of nature, Children in Nature, Community building, Discovery Canyon Campus, Friendship, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, nature awareness, Outdoor Activities, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Fun
Posted in Children and Nature, Education, High Trails Outdoor Education Center, Outdoor Education | No Comments »
