March Workshops
March 3rd: Now You See Me, Now You Don't (Observation Skills)
Presenter: Teresa Root and Pam Welisevich, Naturalists
Target Grade/Age of Students: Elementary & Middle School
Details: From a monarch’s bright orange wings to a fawn’s spotted coat, animals use color to survive. In this session you’ll learn how to incorporate activities that develop students’ observation skills as they learn how animals use color to disguise themselves, to warn others, and for attracting mates.
Additional Resources:
32 Examples of Camouflage in Nature (PLT) plt.org/educator-tips/camouflage-nature-examples
(This article on the PLT website talks about different kinds of camouflage and shows pictures to illustrate them.)
This is a link to the Project Wild game "Thicket." (It's another way to get kids actively hiding and seeking by using observation skills.)
Pam Welisevich
Teresa Root
March 10th: Immersive Virtual Learning: Creating an Interactive "Outdoor Classroom" Environment Online
Presenter: Jessie Barnett, Megan Schimek, Kristin Osiecki
Target Grade/Age of Students: Grades 5-12, and Higher Ed
Details: In this presentation, educators from The University of Minnesota Rochester and Pine Island High School (who partner annually to deliver health science mentorship courses with outdoor field experiences and curriculum) will share: 1) Resources, tips, and inspiration for creating an interactive virtual "outdoor classroom" learning hub using Bitmoji and 2) Practical examples of bringing nature-based learning into a shared online space.
March 17th: Sit Spots
Presenter: Caige Jambor, Schoolcraft Learning Community (Bemidji, MN)
Target Grade/Age of Students: Grades K-8
Details: Join me in this presentation where we take a look at research and traditions, both modern and ancient, on the benefits and joys of being in nature. Follow along as I show you how we here at Schoolcraft Learning Community close out each day in the forest with our Sit Spots. We practice using our senses to investigate and observe our own wonders and notices in the natural world around us, without ever leaving out Sit Spot, and of course, the joy of sharing our findings with the group in our closing circle, whether you are a scientist or a storyteller.
Caige Jambor
March 24th: YES! Outdoor Project Overview
Presenter: Deb Groebner, Regional Coordinator for Youth Eco Solutions (YES!)
Target Grade/Age of Students: YES! is for Students in grades 7-12 and their coaches (teachers)
Details: Learn about Youth Eco Solutions (YES!), which empowers youth to create solutions to today’s ecological challenges through hands-on projects with real-world impacts on environmental issues and opportunities important to their community. It is a statewide program operated from Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center in Spicer in partnership with Ney Nature Center in Henderson. During this workshop, educators will be introduced to YES! and learn about a few successful outdoor projects completed by students on YES! teams.
March 31st: Maple Syruping
Presenter: Travis Zimmerman, Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post
Target Grade/Age of Students: Elementary & Middle School
Resources:
Travis Zimmerman: travis.zimmerman@mnhs.org
Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Website
Books Suggestions from Attendees: The Gift of Sugar; Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back, Ininatig's Gift of Sugar : Traditional Native Sugarmaking by Laura Waterman Wittstock, Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children by Joseph Bruchac and Michael J. Caduto