Teachers activate their senses to make observations during a sit spot activity
It was a picture perfect autumn day when educators gathered at Luke Jensen Sports Park’s community room for the first session of ESD112’s Taking Learning Outside professional learning series. Educators from across Southwest WA joined a panel of experts to learn together about tips, tools and techniques for building meaningful outdoor learning experiences. The session, Authentic Engagement In Outdoor Learning, started with Emily Newman from Pacific Education Institute leading teachers in a Sit Spot activity. Teachers chose a spot outdoors to sit, listen, and observe for fifteen minutes. When asked to reflect on the activity, one teacher remarked, “It felt amazing. I thought about how lucky we were to start our day this way. And it made me think about how powerful it would be to have our students start their day this way.”
Even a session focused on outdoor learning includes some classroom time
The rest of the day included a wide range of topics including using the FieldSTEM Integrated Learning Model to develop meaningful outdoor learning experiences, setting expectations with students on the differences between recess and outside learning, and building connections to learning standards and classroom learning. Ian Thompson from Lower Columbia School Gardens shared a set of agreements with teachers to foster positive outdoor learning experiences including slowing down to observe (“walk in the garden”), learning about which plants are ready to engage with (“wait to be invited”), being open to learning new things (“listen with respect”) and pausing to calm and be ready to learn (“take a deep breath”). Teachers explored outdoor learning stations where they opened scarlet runner bean pods, tasted seeds from the Love-in-a-Mist plant (tastes surprisingly like grape!), and crafted their own herb bundle. The afternoon included time to share ideas, connect with other educators, and build community amongst the group. The sunshine sure helped everyone enjoy the day, but teachers learned about simple 5 minute activities they could do to connect with nature, regardless of what PNW weather may come our way.
Teachers crafted herb bundles and tasted Love-in-a-Mist seeds
At the end of the day, one teacher reflected: “I have been thinking about how blessed we are to live where we do. Having our students do [activities like the ones we did today] shows our students how they are stewards of the earth and they can feel a sense of connection and responsibility. We are lucky to live in a beautiful area, but when you see it every day, sometime you don’t really see it. It is important to take the time to slow down, observe, and connect.”
Other educators in the room nodded their heads in agreement. One of the most exciting parts of the day was community building. Teachers are not alone in their wanting to get kids outside, and together we can strengthen our network of educators and partners to get more kids equitable access to nature!
