Posts Tagged ‘leave no child inside’

Outdoor Education Teachable Moments

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Here we are, April 29th, and it is still snowing! I think they say it everywhere, but the saying “wait 5 minutes and the weather will change” is especially true in Florissant, Colorado.

We have 3 school groups here this week, all for five days. They are all out on all-day discovery groups today – Prospectors, Explorers, Homesteaders, and Cowboys – and the weather will make for some interesting stories. Thursday dinner is one of my favorite times to hear the students recount the things they did and saw. With cabin groups split up, each table at dinner has lots of perspectives and details to share!

I was talking to a teacher from Nederland yesterday about her Homesteader half-day. She and the students thoroughly enjoyed their time out at our 1890′s homestead. She and the counselors stayed in character of east coasters making their way west to claim their 160 acres during the Homestead Act rush. Well, they stayed in character until they saw some really neat birds on the hike back to the central High Trails area. She said the group was walking back when several vultures flew close to the groups’ heads. While most people probably would have been grossed out by the thought of birds that eat dead things flying so close, this teacher used it as a great teachable moment. Instead of acting like homesteaders, the rest of the hike was spent looking for “cool things.”

I thought this was great! We worry sometimes that teachers who are so used to being in a classroom and following a curriculum won’t be able to enjoy the outdoor classroom at High Trails. We definitely didn’t need to worry about this great teacher. Rather than worrying about getting the material across, she let the students use their Sense of Wonder and learn outside the box. My guess is, the students learned more by looking for cool things than they would have only learning about the homesteaders. They are going to return home appreciating and looking at what is around them (while also thinking what it would have been like trying to make a life for themselves as a homesteader!).

I can’t wait to hear about what teachable moments the snow provided today!

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Posted in Nature Stories, Outdoor Education | 2 Comments »

National Environmental Education Week

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

As the national Environmental Education Week comes to a close, we hope you have been able to enjoy the outdoors! Just because the week is over, does not mean

According to EE Week, this is an event that “promotes understanding and protection of the natural world by actively engaging students and educators in an inspired week of environmental learning before Earth Day. Studies show that environmental education (EE) increases student achievement in many ways. By engaging students in real-world problem solving, EE builds critical thinking skills. Many educators have found that incorporating environmental themes into the curriculum results in improved performance on standardized tests and other assessments. EE has also been shown to reduce student apathy and increase motivation.”

Check out this great video about being outside: Sesame Street: Outdoors with Jason Mraz

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Posted in Children and Nature, Education, Outdoor Education, Parenting | No Comments »

Spring Forward

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Thinking about moving the clocks forward this morning started me thinking about spring. While there are still snow storms to come here in the Rocky Mountains, the weather has ben warming up the last few days. It is hard not to get excited to spend more time outside when the weather is warm and the skies are clear. The extended daylight makes it even more tempting to go outside.

I spent yesterday at a very busy park in Denver. There were all kinds of people walking, running, playing, and strolling. The people that stood out most to me were the parents with children. A mom was running while her son happily rode his bike. A girl was helping push her own stroller. Then there was a boy stomping his feet in protest behind his mom telling him to “hurry up.” I have been around enough small children to know there are times you want them to move just a little faster. In the park though?

There is an article in the new April issue of Real Simple. The author writes about taking his toddler for a walk and just letting him explore. He admits to being a busy person, and probably would like to move quicker from place to place most of the time. However, he realized the benefits of slowing down and taking time to explore and letting his children enjoy their time outside. He mentioned Nature Deficit Disorder and how to combat it. I’m not doing the article justice here – it is on page 216 so you can read more.

I read this article last week and it jumped back to my mind while I was watching the families at the park. While I’m sure the mom with the unhappy toddler had the best intentions by taking time to go to the park, I wondered if the time was beneficial to either mom or son. The children that appeared to be having the most fun were those who were meandering, exploring the sidewalk for cracks, looking in the grass for bugs, and mostly leading their parents. I’m sure some of these parents would have liked to move a little quicker and say “hurry up,” but they didn’t.

While I don’t have children to take wandering in the park, seeing these families made me slow down. Rather than running as quickly as I could to finish my loop and move on with my day, I slowed down. I finished running my loop, then took the time to walk a second loop. It was amazing the things I missed the first time. I noticed the mountains in the distance, big trees, Geese in the ponds, the spots with brown versus green grass. I know I didn’t get the same physical exercise with my second, slower loop, but the mental awareness was worth it.

As we spring forward this weekend, I think it is a good time to remember to take time to take in our surroundings, slow down, meander, explore…

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Posted in Outdoor Education, Parenting | 4 Comments »

Why We Need Summer Camp

Friday, February 5th, 2010

A list of statistics – mostly scary, a few encouraging
• 80 % of us population live in urban areas where parks, playgrounds, and playing fields are limited.

• Video games, iPods, cell phones, social networking sites, Computers/internet, TV, and Malls consume us. Getting lost in a “sea of technology.”

• A 2002 study showed that 8-year-olds could identify 25 percent more Pokemon characters than wildlife species.

• Between 1997 and 2003, the proportion of children ages 9 to 12 who spent time hiking, walking, fishing, playing on the beach or gardening declined 50 percent, according to a university of Maryland study.

• 30 percent of teenagers did not participate in any outdoor nature activity at all this past summer. Another 17 percent engaged only once in an outdoor activity like camping, hiking, or backpacking.

• Between 1995-2005, overnight stays in national parks declined by 20% and backpacking stays dropped 24%.

• Missing out on a huge enrichment of their lives: attention spans, physical health and mental health, to stress levels, creativity, cognitive skills, low-self esteem, obesity.

• Experts predict modern kids will be the first since the second World War to have poorer health than parents-and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it.

• Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder were much improved by time in nature.

• Being outside will cement the love, respect and need for the landscape.

• The stress of the computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite of passage.

• REI CEO says, “ the company’s major competition doesn’t come from other outdoor stores, it’s with the video screen.”

• The average child spends 35 hours a week watching T.V. or computer.

• A child is six times more likely to play a video game on a typical day than to ride a bike.

• One in three American youth between 10-17 is overweight or obese.

• Obesity among 12-19 more than doubled, and it tripled for children ages 6-11 in a 2003 study.

We find children are very happy to be outside, learn about nature, and disconnect from technology without computers, televisions, and cell phones at camp. Hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, rock climbing, mountain climbing, swimming, and camping are just a few of the ways we reconnect children with nature.

What do you do outside?

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Posted in Benefits of Summer Camp, Children and Nature, Fun Activities, Parenting | 9 Comments »

A Fun Day Outside

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
I was reading the Outdoor Bloggers Summit a couple of weeks ago and saw an OBS challenge was starting February 1. The challenge sounded easy enough: The Challenge will be called “How to Get Everyone to Play Outdoors”. To participate in the challenge, all you have to do is write a post about how to get people to play outdoors. And it was very much inline with what we try to accomplish with the Sanborn blog.
Here we are now at the week of February 1. Where to start with this topic? We have posted 9 times about nature activities, 4 about camp activities, 5 children activities, 15 children and nature, 8 outdoor education, 3 outdoor play movement, and the list goes on. Reading our archives is a good place to start, but it is much more fun
We are devoting this week to the OBS challenge. Check back each day for personal stories about being outdoors, activities to do with your children outside, and the benefits of being outside.
Just a quick story to kick off the week:
I went riding with a friend this weekend on a mission – check for fence to repair and look for a couple of hiding horses. I wasn’t looking forward to fixing fence on a Saturday; however, it was a beautiful day and I always love to ride. It turned out to be one of my best weekend days in a few weeks.
I can’t even count the number of times I have taken that trail, but it was different this time. The snow was still new enough that we saw quite a few tracks – rabbit, jackrabbit, coyote, bird, mouse, and a porcupine. It is quite entertaining making up stories about where the tracks are coming from and going. I found animals in the few scattered clouds. The sun was bright and just made us happy. While we both typically have a lot to say, we were very happy riding in the peace of the outdoors, enjoying the beauty that is Colorado.
The work was easy, the company great, and most importantly it helped me appreciate the wonderful place we live.
What have you done outside recently?

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Posted in Nature Activity, Nature Stories, Outdoor Education | 4 Comments »