Browsing by Subject "Natural world"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Early Childhood Nature Curriculum for the Formal Preschool Classroom
    (2010) Bierbrauer, Andrea Joy
    Children who are close to nature tend to relate to it as a source of wonder, joy, and awe; their spirits are nurtured by nature and they discover through it "sources of human sensibility.” These outdoor interactions enhance learning and the quality of life over the span of ones lifetime (Wilson,1992). Research indicates that children must develop a sense of respect and care for the natural world during early grades or be at risk of never developing such attitudes (Davis, 1998, Louv, 2008; & Wilson, 1992). This early childhood nature curriculum project provides twelve monthly lessons and newsletters to the preschool teachers at Happy Time Day Care Center of Duluth, Minnesota. Each lesson focuses on nature awareness and appreciation with both indoor and outdoor natural experiences that meet Minnesota's Early Learning Standards, NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards, and the National Education Science Standards.
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    Fostering "Connectedness to Nature" through Digital Photo Journaling: A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Education Curriculum for Upper Elementary Students
    (2012) Zwickey, Kara C
    In Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv (2005) described a shift in our relationship to the natural world. On average, today’s youth spend 6.5 hours a day with electronic media (Driessnack, 2009; Roberts & Foehr, 2008). While this technology has expanded access to the virtual world, it has also attributed to an ever-widening divide between today’s youth and the natural world (Louv, 2005). The Department of the Interior (DOI) initiative Youth in the Great Outdoors and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) priority Let’s Go Outside: Ensuring the Future of Conservation emphasize a need to foster environmental connectedness in America's youth (Department of the Interior, 2010; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2010a). The purpose of this study was to explore the use of digital photo journaling as an environmental education method for fostering connectedness to nature among upper elementary youth. A digital photo journaling curriculum was developed, piloted, and evaluated in the Prairie Science Class (PSC) at Prairie Wetlands Learning Center (PWLC) in Fergus Falls, MN.
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    How are Outdoor Educators in Minnesota Using Technological Devices to Deliver Curriculum?
    (2011) French, Bryan
    There is a philosophical tension between outdoor education and technology (Neill, 2010). Outdoor educators often encourage students to leave their technological devices behind and experience the natural world without cell phones, iPods or any other electronics. However, these same 'devices of distraction' can also be used as electronic field guides, portable data collection devices for use in the field, and in various other ways to help deliver outdoor education curriculum. At a time when 93% of Americans under the age of 29 use mobile phones and are online every day (Lenhart, Purchell, Smith, & Zickuhr, 2010), outdoor educators will be more effective helping a plugged-in generation connect with nature if they understand what technological devices are being used by learners, and what devices are being used by other outdoor educators. This study describes how outdoor educators working at Minnesota nature centers, aquaria, zoos and parks are using technology while teaching outdoors. 105 outdoor educators in Minnesota responded to an online survey which asked questions about how they use technological devices to deliver curriculum while outside. 54% of respondents (n=57) work in either a nature center or in a K-12 school. 64% (n=67) of respondents were between the ages of 22 and 44. Respondents felt that they do not use as much technology as their colleagues, although in reporting the variety of devices they did use, this does not actually appear to be the case. The outdoor educator who is aware of what technological devices exist and how they can be used to deliver educational content will be in a better position to decide how to most effectively deliver curriculum in their outdoor classroom.