Prepping for the Great Backyard Bird Count I am so excited to be able to offer you a guest interview all about setting up a bird feeding station for the Great Backyard Bird Count! Martha Holzheuer is the owner of Nature Niche and has had an amazing career with a focus on native plants as […]
Outdoor Education
Podcast
Celebrating the Winter Solstice with an Outdoor Party for Your Elementary Students [Ep. 26]Celebrating the Winter Solstice Winter break is coming and so is your classroom party! Instead of taking elements from Christmas or Hanukkah for your winter party this year, consider celebrating the winter solstice instead. The winter solstice is a natural phenomenon that everyone on Earth experiences at some point in the year making it an […]
Outdoor Education
Podcast
Science
Planning a Field Trip Made Easier with Education Director James Dake [Ep. 23]Planning a field trip I am so excited to be able to offer you a guest interview all about field trips, their importance for students, and tips for planning a field trip in a less stressful way! James Dake is the Education Director at Grass River Natural Area and has over a decade of experience […]
Outdoor Education
Podcast
Different Kinds of Children’s Outdoor Activities and Games for Teaching Science [Ep. 22]Children’s outdoor activities and games Lesson planning for outdoor activities is challenging if you haven’t seen it in action before. Trying to imagine how to implement children’s outdoor activities and games without some sort of modeling or prior support seems incredibly daunting. However, I’m here to help you with descriptions and examples for different kinds […]
Podcast
10 Nocturnal Animal Books: Introducing Animal Adaptations That Help Animals Survive the Night [Ep. 21]Nocturnal Animal Books Nocturnal animals are inherently interesting creatures and could be a great way to hook your students into your science studies this October. Bats, flying squirrels, raccoons, owls, moths, and more could grab your students’ attention, but many of them have never seen these creatures. Introduce them and their unique adaptations through picture […]
Podcast
6 Animal Migration Activities for the Elementary Classroom [Ep. 20]Animal migration activities Fall animal migration is in full swing and is a natural phenomenon that your students will love to study! And guess what?! It’s a very dynamic concept that can actually apply to physics, life science, Earth science, and space science! In this episode, I introduce a Next Generation Science Standard for each […]
Podcast
Classroom Halloween Activities for An Outdoor Celebration [Ep. 19]Classroom Halloween activities Halloween is coming and so is your classroom party! You’re either planning your classroom Halloween activities, or you’re waiting just a wee bit longer to get your to-do list started. Whichever method you use, you should consider taking your Halloween party outside this year. By taking your party outside, you could end […]
Outdoor Education
Podcast
Nature Based Preschools and Elementary Classrooms: Talking Teacher Roles with Dr. Rachel Larimore [Ep. 18]Teacher roles in nature based preschools and elementary classrooms I am so excited to be able to offer you a guest interview all about teacher roles in nature based preschools and elementary classrooms! Dr. Rachel Larimore is a consultant, educator, and former nature preschool director and has recently co-written a book about the human element […]
Podcast
6 Fun Fall Activities Aligned with K-5 Next Generation Science Standards [Ep. 17]Fun fall activities Learning through play is a powerful way to teach your students. Gamifying your curriculum will help your students experience your content and will help them understand the phenomena in a deeper way and fall is a great time to begin this process. In this episode, we’ll talk about 6 fun fall activities […]
Podcast
10 Fall Picture Books to Introduce Seasonal Signs, Falling Leaves, and Animals in Autumn [Ep. 16]Fall Picture Books Fall is on its way and with it comes a change in weather and fewer hours of daylight. Fall picture books could be just what you need to help introduce your students to the seasonal signs they may see and how plants and animals react to the change in weather and shorter […]