outdoors

,

What did that owl mean?

,
What did that owl mean?

A spectacular Barred Owl flew low and slow across a town road I was driving on, giving me that best look ever at that lovely bird. Wow!

Since this odd weather has me spending too much time inside, I've been pondering the meaning of that encounter.

The first reflection is that regardless of weather, I need to spend more time outside. I don't see the owl from my basement bunker. Even with the lousy mix of snow, rain, and very cold nights, spring is here with birds leading the way.

Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

,

Celebrate public lands with a visit

,
Celebrate public lands with a visit

This month and today are cause for celebration. September is Public Lands Month and today is Public Lands Day (please see this link for the WDNR's announcement of the day). You'd think one or the other would do but public lands do deserve a lot of attention.

Madison Audubon photo

,

Teaching Outside: Outdoor Routines

,
Teaching Outside: Outdoor Routines

In our last blog post, we discussed some tips for getting ready to take your students and lessons outside this coming school year. Now it’s time to think about the importance of creating routines for your students in your outdoor classroom, and we will leave you with some of our favorite ideas for routine-building activities.

Establishing outdoor routines with your students can help them engage in the natural world and provide structure for outdoor lessons. Providing consistent structure helps ease the transition out of and back into your indoor environment. Students will know what to expect from their time outside, and they will learn how to guide themselves from one activity to the next.

We will also include some ideas for transferring these routines to an online learning format as many schools are starting the school year virtually. Nature is a great way to connect with kids even when you cannot all be outside together, and you can set up outdoor learning routines for your students to do as they are able off-screen and at their own homes.

Madison Audubon photo

,

Getting Ready to Teach Outdoors

,
Getting Ready to Teach Outdoors

There are a wide-range of benefits to teaching outside, and we are here to help you prepare your students and yourself for the learning that awaits in your natural environment.

The biological realities of living with COVID-19 is pushing our society to rethink and redesign the spaces we inhabit. Practicing outdoor learning can be one resource to draw upon as we change our education system to rely on safe social practices.

Here are some ideas for everyone, in all areas of the education system, to think about before you venture outside with your students.

,

Kids and the Curiosity Seed

,

Harry and his family moved on to another air base and many years passed. Thirty or so years later, I asked Mom whatever happened to Harry Greene. Funny you should ask, she said, I'll send you the latest copy of the Smithsonian magazine and you'll see for yourself. That issue announced a series of lectures by Professor Harry Greene coinciding with the publication of his evolutionary study of snakes (like all the snakes in the world). Harry has become one of the world's most prominent herpetologists and is now an advocate for re-wilding parts of the West. He is now a Professor Emeritus at Cornell. His massive and beautifully illustrated evolutionary study of snakes is entitled Snakes (simple enough).

Photo by Dave Thomas FCC