First day of spring!
I wanted to post this a few days ago, but my laptop died over the weekend (please, a respectful moment of silence for the death of my dear friend "Boss"...) so, here it is now.
Last week was so exciting for me -- for my future as a nature educator. I was very busy, but for good reason. I was busy leading a bunch of different nature programs for various groups, and LOVING it.
On Monday I led the monthly toddler program, Dragonfly Walks. This program, which started last October, was Sarah's idea but I took it on as my baby project from the beginning. I've led every session since the first one (which we did together) and have been totally in charge of every detail -- the program themes, the lesson plans, the dates, the webpage, the promotion, even the price. Each session has been a blast for me to plan and lead, and the kids (ages 0-5) are a delight. Last Monday was no exception: the theme was "Spring Buds" and it went really really well. One mom even wrote a great article about one of the sessions for her blog.
On Wednesday I co-led a "Bird Basics" field trip for a group of elementary-aged Montessori students. We took them on a long walk to point out some fascinating things -- we even found some pileated woodpecker cavities! The whole field trip was done without the use of captive animals, which was the best part of it. I am really loving the idea of not using animals in programs; the programs are so much richer in content without the distraction of captive animals.
On Thursday I did my regular, weekly session with the autistic students at Jordan Lake. We talked about the concepts of habitats, communities, and ecosystems, and then went on an exploratory adventure. They had a blast trying to follow all the butterflies that were darting around.
On Wednesday and Thursday afternoons Sarah and I led an after school session for a nearby elementary school. These two days were free to all the after school students, as a preview of the paid program we will begin with them next week. The after school program will be an 8-week session, starting next week, and guess who will be the sole staff member leading it: yes, me :). I'm so excited to have the opportunity to lead another ongoing school program, even if it's only for 8 weeks (hopefully we can offer a longer session in the fall). These ongoing programs are where I really get my kicks.
On Friday I participated in another elementary school's "Science Go Round." I was one of six presenters, and we each set up our program in our own classroom, then presented our program to groups of 20-25 students for six 45-minute sessions. My program, which I designed all by meselfsome (with somewhat last-minute notice from the school) was kind of like nature bingo. I made "bingo" boards, which were really 4x4 grids of pictures of nature mysteries (snake skin, owl pellet, hornet hive, turtle shell, etc.), and the kids got to spin a wheel to select a "clue," which I read outloud. The answer to the clue was one of the pictures on their "bingo" boards, which they could cross off until one team got 4 in a row. Then they got to see real examples of all the nature mysteries on their bingo boards. Their favorite items were the fox fur, the owl wing, and the plaster mold of a coyote track. So even though that day was very long (9am to 3.30pm), I was having so much fun I hardly noticed.
That week represented a turning point for me, which will (hopefully) put me even closer to my destination of a career in nature education (rather than part-time hours doing infrequent programs). I can't wait to see what comes next.
Last week was so exciting for me -- for my future as a nature educator. I was very busy, but for good reason. I was busy leading a bunch of different nature programs for various groups, and LOVING it.
On Monday I led the monthly toddler program, Dragonfly Walks. This program, which started last October, was Sarah's idea but I took it on as my baby project from the beginning. I've led every session since the first one (which we did together) and have been totally in charge of every detail -- the program themes, the lesson plans, the dates, the webpage, the promotion, even the price. Each session has been a blast for me to plan and lead, and the kids (ages 0-5) are a delight. Last Monday was no exception: the theme was "Spring Buds" and it went really really well. One mom even wrote a great article about one of the sessions for her blog.
On Wednesday I co-led a "Bird Basics" field trip for a group of elementary-aged Montessori students. We took them on a long walk to point out some fascinating things -- we even found some pileated woodpecker cavities! The whole field trip was done without the use of captive animals, which was the best part of it. I am really loving the idea of not using animals in programs; the programs are so much richer in content without the distraction of captive animals.
On Thursday I did my regular, weekly session with the autistic students at Jordan Lake. We talked about the concepts of habitats, communities, and ecosystems, and then went on an exploratory adventure. They had a blast trying to follow all the butterflies that were darting around.
On Wednesday and Thursday afternoons Sarah and I led an after school session for a nearby elementary school. These two days were free to all the after school students, as a preview of the paid program we will begin with them next week. The after school program will be an 8-week session, starting next week, and guess who will be the sole staff member leading it: yes, me :). I'm so excited to have the opportunity to lead another ongoing school program, even if it's only for 8 weeks (hopefully we can offer a longer session in the fall). These ongoing programs are where I really get my kicks.
On Friday I participated in another elementary school's "Science Go Round." I was one of six presenters, and we each set up our program in our own classroom, then presented our program to groups of 20-25 students for six 45-minute sessions. My program, which I designed all by meselfsome (with somewhat last-minute notice from the school) was kind of like nature bingo. I made "bingo" boards, which were really 4x4 grids of pictures of nature mysteries (snake skin, owl pellet, hornet hive, turtle shell, etc.), and the kids got to spin a wheel to select a "clue," which I read outloud. The answer to the clue was one of the pictures on their "bingo" boards, which they could cross off until one team got 4 in a row. Then they got to see real examples of all the nature mysteries on their bingo boards. Their favorite items were the fox fur, the owl wing, and the plaster mold of a coyote track. So even though that day was very long (9am to 3.30pm), I was having so much fun I hardly noticed.
That week represented a turning point for me, which will (hopefully) put me even closer to my destination of a career in nature education (rather than part-time hours doing infrequent programs). I can't wait to see what comes next.