All Blog Posts Tagged 'outdoor' (17)

     Spring has kicked into full bloom and our foraging opportunities have increased greatly. After the weeklong spring break this month, the kids immediately noticed two distinct changes in the plants: that there were pink flowers on the salmonberry and that the very red young tender new growth of the evergreen huckleberry leaves had shown up. We are enjoying the flavors of the leaf buds on the huckleberry, salmonberry, salal, and hazelnut. We have also found many fallen branch tips of the…

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SPRING April/May/June

How to Actively Engage Children with Nature through Art.

The first six years of a child’s life are really important in their development. Being in nature ia a really dynamic place in which to learn.

Contact…

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The Forest Kindergarten model based on the German waldkindergartens is committed to flow learning and emergent curriculum. At Cedarsong Nature School, I make detailed notes in our nature journal about where the children's interest leads us each day and in the course of one month the curriculum emerges as follows:

Cedarsong Forest Kindergarten Newsletter - May 2012

 The sweet aroma of cottonwood infusing the forest air last month has been replaced by the delicate scent of the…

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The weather may be crazy this winter, but if it's nice, take advantage and get the kids outside to identify the early signs of spring with this Scavenger Hunt Guide.

Mission:Explore is a project that we in The Geography Collective started in 2008. Since then we've published three children's activity books and are currently working on our fourth. Each of these books are full of ideas to encourage more outdoor play and learning. A big part of what we do uses a much…

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Last month, whilst back home in Scotland, I heard about a primary teacher from Peebles who was running forest school classes. I was intrigued how she was able to incorporate such classes into the school curriculum and wanted to learn more. Here is my short interview I had with the wonderful and inspiring Annie Edgar. (Later in the week, I was fortunate to visit the forest where Annie holds the classes. I took my niece and nephews with me. We had the most magical time and…

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Excerpts from

WILD PLAY: Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors, by David Sobel

(published by Sierra Club Books, April 2011):

 

from Introduction:

 

      Just as native plants are endangered and traditional cultures become globalized, a childhood of outdoor play is fading away. Outdoor play is like the forest that gets cut down lot by lot for the new housing development. Each…

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Chat overheard near the Veterans Park Croquet area, Delray Beach, FL:

A wee girl flatly stated to her new student, "Be careful, sometimes I forget my sippy-cup on the grass."

The eldster student, securing his cup's lid, replied, "I've done that before."

The embolden girl whispered conspiratorially, "Also, I get sooo excited playing, I forget to go to the…

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We move to our new house this week and while clearing out his room, Samuel found a blank canvas. "Oh mum, can I do a splat painting for my new bedroom?"

"Of course you can Samuel" I said and gladly handed him my basket of paints.

He headed out to the back garden and lay his blank canvas on the snow.

Samuel was in his element.

He was completely and utterly free, wild and spirited…

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A couple of months ago, Jenny over at Let the Children Play wrote a super post about spies. As a child, even in my teens, I loved codes, mysteries and the whole concept of spying.



Now completely unconnected to this, I gave my parents an environmental art calendar last Christmas. One of the photos was of a leaf, with a… Continue

Let’s give children back their childhood.

Children are spending less time outdoors than ever before. “Let’s Talk” is a new online talk show asking QUESTIONS, getting ANSWERS so that YOU can take ACTION!

We ALL have a part to play in this revolution. Watch the videos:…

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The nation’s favourite choir boy, Gareth Malone, returned to our screens to complete a new mission - decreasing the literacy gap between the sexes. To do so he has used the outdoors and a range of

unconventional teaching methods. Malone believes that school is not dynamic enough for boys and that by making lessons fun,…

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This post and the following 2 posts are dedicated to my beautiful friend Don who allowed me to hold this magical event in his grounds, a nature haven for wildlife.

The Butterfly Girls of Summer Charity Event 2010 (Biggest Fairy House – Kelowna 2010)

These days, a typical child spends only 4 to 7 minutes outside each day. Compare that to the 7½ hours daily the average kid uses electronic

media, according to the…

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In the woods of North East Scotland you may find a wee surprise. Several days a week, Mandy Tulloch, founder of Mud Pies organises family woodland sessions for 2-5yr olds and their parents and carers. These woods echo with the… Continue

A focus on trolls can be a lot of fun. Trolls are part of Scandinavian folklore and any child who has read the films or read the Harry Potter books knows a little about trolls. This posting is the latest on I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!…

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Last Friday my son’s school finally opened its doors to welcome the pupils back for a seasonal start amidst the snow. It was - 13° Centigrade. Being in S2, appearances are important. One unspoken teen social rule is to wear the minimal amount of clothing that your parents will let you get away with. I reckon it’s a self-inflicted rite of passage. So MJ eschewed the fleece pullover, thermal underwear, spare socks and a pair of gloves that I strongly advised him to wear. He wore a winter coat and… Continue