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
Picture Books
4 Turkey Day Activities and Books for Energetic Elementary Students [Ep. 25]Turkey day activities and books The week leading up to Thanksgiving comes with a lot of energy from your students. They are excited about the idea of having extra time off, eating all the pie, and sleeping in. If you’re feeling overwhelmed finding fun ways to keep your students engaged, make sure to listen to […]
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
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
Outdoor Classroom Routines and Procedures: 5 Easy Activities for Your First Week Outside [Ep. 14]Classroom Routines and Procedures Practicing classroom routines and procedures is essential in the first few weeks of school. When done consistently, you can set you and your students up for success for the rest of the school year. The same can be said for your outdoor classroom routines and procedures. In this episode, I describe […]
If you’ve considered adding a learning garden to your school’s outdoor space, but you’re not sure the logistics to make it happen or where to find garden grants to help you fund the project, this is the article for you! I had the opportunity to interview Jeanne Henderson, former president of the Wild Ones Mid-Mitten […]
Podcast
Teaching with Phenology: How to Plan Your Science Standards Around the Seasons [Ep. 11]Teaching with Phenology Organizing science standards with phenology in mind can truly benefit your students’ overall learning. Not only does it encourage the use of all the senses, lends itself well to a variety of different science activities, and provides a scaffolded approach to understanding of content, it most importantly gives your students authentic phenomenon […]