Join Take Learning Outside Educator Training series for Session 2!
Every school campus has nature waiting to be discovered, even campuses that seem to be mostly lawn or pavement. Join us for an engaging panel session on using field observation techniques to help students explore the living things and natural features right outside their classroom doors.
Our guest panelists will share three practical approaches for building students’ observation skills, documenting what they find, and connecting outdoor discoveries to curriculum. Leave with ideas for helping students get up close to nature and begin creating a field guide unique to your school campus.
Rachel Robbins, Bay View Elementary School will share nature journaling techniques that invite students to ask: What do I notice? What do I wonder? What does it remind me of? Using words, numbers, colors, and shapes, students create meaningful records of what they observe and connect those observations to the place where they live and learn.
Rainy Rau, Vancouver’s Water Resources Education Center leads the Student Watershed Monitoring Network, supporting students as they investigate creeks, streams, and bioretention areas. Learn how these investigations can help students understand what is living in and around local water systems and how those systems affect watershed health and water quality.
Suzanne Hebert, Vancouver’s Water Resources Education Center helps students and community members explore the role healthy ecosystems play in our watersheds. She will share ways to use apps and other tools to identify the plants, birds, animals, and insects that call school campuses home, creating a growing database that students can compare with other places in their community.
To earn STEM Clock hours, required pre-session prep:
Using a satellite map, print a color map of your school campus. Spend about 30 minutes walking the campus (on your own or with students) and notice the natural areas you find. Jot down a few observations:
What natural features, plants, or animals do you notice?
What seems established, and what might be newer?
Where do you see opportunities for students to observe nature?
Even a campus with mowed grass has nature to investigate: birds, insects, mammals, weather, soil, and seasonal changes are all part of its story. Bring your map and notes to help guide your learning during the session.