She is the vital communication link that binds the scattered teachers together. These networked teachers are true naturalists. I am not. I just sneak around in their shadows and soak in their encouragement. He confirmed something we already knew.
Some kids just seem connected to the outdoors.
We were already in the process of hooking students into integrated lessons based on an emotional connection and authentic learning. We immediately wanted to jump up and share what we were seeing in our classrooms. Observation is a skill I have yet to develop. Even though I'm not very experienced at knowing the natural environment I'm trying desperately to provide my sixth grade class with opportunities to learn and be outside. By providing my kids with trips for field studies I personally have experienced a high learning curve.