Presentations for Faculty 

      These introduce the outdoor learning philosophy, planning, and methodology. Indicate which ones you are interested in on our contact page.

Growing an Outdoor Laboratory- - Introduction (video presentation included)

The How To’s – Setting Up an Outdoor Area

Integrated Curriculum and Multiple Intelligence Theory Application in the Out-of Doors

The Geologic Time Line Walk – Introduction (video presentation included)

How to use videos and magazine articles for effective learning

Planning for Outdoor Activities for the Year

Grant-Writing

Writing Across the Curriculum Activities

Presentations for Students:

Outdoor-Related Activities

     The following activities are for students to do in the classroom. However, we will work with the teachers first, giving many helpful hints and ideas so they will be prepared to work with their students. You will receive a booklet with these activity student guides so you can use them for your classes.  Joan can also teach any of these activities in your classes. Indicate which ones you are interested in on our contact page.

Apples: An Exercise in Observation

     Students will use their five senses to carefully observe an apple and then brainstorm how to learn across disciplines.

Book-Making

       Students make a “real” book to publish their own writings.

Categorizing/Classifying

     Students will create and use categories to organize sets of items.

Daylight Savings Time in the World Almanac

     Students will determine when Daylight Savings will start or stop in the current year and discover where the time zones are by reading the World Almanac.

Examining flower parts

     Students will observe and compare many different flowers, including wild flowers.

Favorite Spaces

    Students reflect, write, and share about favorite childhood play places.

Foods/Apples in the Almanac

     Students research nutritional facts from the World Almanac.

Fungi activities: bread mold or mushrooms

      Students read about and observe fungi, including “dissecting” a mushroom.

How To Plant Seeds

     Students read seed packages and discover US planting zones.

Make a Sundial Wristwatch

     Students make individual sundials, dependent upon the latitude.

Making a Geologic Time Line Walk

     By making and decorating concrete blocks, students prepare an in-group visual of the geologic time line.

Making a pop-up card

     Students prepare a pop-up greeting card with a flower with the parts labeled.

Making an Outside Sundial (sunny day required)

     Students observe and record the movement of the sun throughout the day.

Making Concrete Blocks

     Students prepare the concrete blocks and decorate them for the garden.

Measuring Shadows  (sunny day required)

     Students compare their shadow lengths with the time of day.

Planting/Forcing Bulbs (in fall)

     Students plant bulbs and make growth charts indoors in January.

Rain Forest experiments

     Students study various rain forest phenomena.

Reading the Weather Page in the Daily Newspaper

     Students apply weather studies to plant growth and garden work.

How Cold/Hot Do You Feel?  The Wind Chill and Heat Index

     Students apply math skills to weather topics that affect working in the garden.

Scaling Down the World

     Students prepare scaled diagrams of various places, including outside areas.

Sunrise and Sunset Graphing

     Students graph the change of daylength in a specified time. 

The Seasons Hunt

     Students look for samples of outdoor items that indicate the different seasons.

The Wetlands Model

     Students observe the value of a wetlands or bog to the environment by performing lab experiments.

Topographical Mapping

     Students make a relief map model of a volcano before and after an eruption

The following activities work best with a garden or outdoor area.

Scavenger Hunt

     Students search for specific and/or seasonal outdoor items.

Natural Color Wheel

     Students find plant materials of all the colors.

Natural Opposites

     By searching for outdoor materials that are opposite in characteristics to each other, students will compare and contrast items.

Making Tussie-Mussies

     Students will make bouquets which have special meanings.

Measuring Heights of Outdoor Objects

     Using a home-made sextants, students will measure tall outdoor items.

Monoculture vs Multiculture

     Students will compare a wild area and a domesticated or mown area.

Garden Cameras

     Students will carefully observe and share about their environment.

Meet a Tree

     Students will observe and record a specific tree in the schoolyard.

Edible flowers/ Plants we eat

     Students will distinguish plants and flowers that are edible.