How do you teach an appreciation for nature? For most, an appreciation for nature comes from having experiences with animals and plants in the wild or at zoos. This can be difficult to "teach". In addition, it can be tough to find the time to inspire students with the amazement of nature when you have curriculum to cover and tests to prepare for?When I taught Kindergarten, we spent a half hour outside in the morning and a half hour in the afternoon on our playground. Though the playground was covered in fake grass, there was a border of dirt and mulch with a few small trees outlining the area. I wanted to design an activity that was interactive with nature and learning. So, one day when we were lining up at the end of recess, we walked around the outlining area and I asked my students to observe natural things around them. Several students were interested in the large amount of pinecones that accumulated, so we decided to take some with us and try to identify the tree they belonged to. We all really enjoyed the activity and my students learned how to stop and observe and about local flora. What I didn’t expect was how they would continue this activity throughout the year! As winter faded,
my students constantly pointed out natural life that they observed when we went out to recess. They found ants marching one behind the other. They watched digger bees fly in and out of their ground nests, and follow their travels to different flowers. This activity showed me that I didn’t need to design some elaborate lesson plan to share the wonder of nature with my young students, and I am hoping that they carry this experience with them!
What activities have you done with your students to inspire an awe of nature?
One of the best ways I've found to help include nature into my already set curriculum has been to bring an easel stand outside with paper on it and use it as a whiteboard outside. This allows my students to be around nature even if the topic isn't about nature. I also bring in various reptiles and amphibians to teach genetics to my students and also just because they're interested. Lastly, another teacher and I are working to create a dichotomous key using local plants around the school. The NYS Regents requires that students know how to use a dichotomous key, so we're trying to incorporate local nature into that process.
ReplyDeleteGetting the students outside is a big part of it. In a class I used to teach, we spent a day at a local park. Many students hadn't been there or had only been to the picnic areas. We took our time on a short trail to stop practice observation skills, explore, etc. The more they discovered on their own the more they questioned and talked about. Many went back on their own after this field trip.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that getting kids outside is the first step. I teach kindergarten, and thankfully, my students already have a natural curosity. We try activities that spark their interest. My boys love bugs, so we go outside to observe differnt animals/bugs. Or if we see a spider web, we talk about the benefits of spiders and create our own webs. One thing I planned for my kiddos is to grow our own gardens. This will help us understand the process of growing and ways to protect nature by enjoying it. Find out what interest kids, and get them outside. Some kids just have no idea what is osut there!
ReplyDeleteChris you have some great ideas. The dichotomous key project sounds like a wonderful idea for students to see the variety of local plants and gain an interest in them Way to go!
ReplyDeleteKatoa, what an adventure! Sounds like the heart of inquiry in your class. And you inspired action in your students. Nice!
I recently created a small nature space on a playground where young children from a campus childcare center play. What a hit! Two of the most popular areas is a digging area where there are tons of worms and the pile of tree limb blocks. The kids pile, haul, and use them so creatively.
ReplyDeleteI think that nature activities brings out skills in math, of course, science, but also creative play.
It's been fun to watch!