Tell the DOED: Get Kids Outside and Learning!

I received this information in an email from the Sierra Club regarding the No Child Left Inside Act, which is currently being looked at by the Department of Education (DOE) for reauthorization.  The No Child Left Inside website states that the DOE is requesting comments on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, the official name of the act), as they draft new language in the bill.  The following is a sample e-mail provided by the Sierra Club that you may wish to personalize and send to the DOE at ESEA.comments@ed.gov.


The following is taken from the Sierra Club Website:

America's K-12 students need your support to make sure they have opportunities to learn about the natural world, get outdoors and develop a foundation for success in the green economy.  The Department of Education is currently considering the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (a.k.a. No Child Left Behind) and we need your help to make sure that environmental education does not get left behind.

Subject:  Please Include Environmental Education in the Elementary and and Secondary Education Act

Dear Secretary Duncan,

As you consider strategies to strengthen the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, I urge you to include the provisions outlined in the No Child Left Inside Act (S.866 and H.R. 2054), which would expand opportunities for environmental and outdoor education in public schools across the nation.

Environmental education has been shown to improve student achievement across core subject areas and increase engagement in learning.  A recent major study of experiential environmental education concluded that science test scores of at-risk youth could be improved upwards of 27 percent by outdoor environmental education.

Learning in the outdoors is also known to improve critical thinking, motivation to learn, self-esteem, conflict-resolution skills, problem solving, and classroom behavior.  Time spent outdoors during the school day would also help to promote active lifestyles that can help fight the obesity epidemic that threatens our children.  Furthermore, environmental education will give our students the knowledge and skills to tackle complex problems and succeed in the green economy.

Leaving environmental education out of the administration's priorities for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization would be a missed opportunity to improve student achievement and to address President Obama's priorities of energy independence, a strengthened economy, and a healthier nation.


If you are sending an e-mail, address it to ESEA.comments@ed.gov

For additional information regarding this bill, check out the No Child Left Inside website, the North American Association for Environmental Education site, and  the Open Congress site.

Blogs Sanborn Likes

Yesterday's post mentioned two blogs that we like to read. Today, we've updated the list of blogs we are following. Please check them out - there is some great information and ideas for activities to do with your kids!

We look for blogs that work with the mission of our own blog:
The objective/mission of the Sanborn Western Camps blog is to provide a forum for thoughtful discussion around topics of interest to both our immediate camp community, and to wider communities including parents and those who support the camp experience. By focusing on current trends, we will generate posts that emphasize the value of camp, cutting edge youth development strategies and techniques, and ideas that can have a positive impact on the world at large.

We also take your comments to heart. So if you have suggestions for us or ideas that are aligned with our mission, please let us know!

More Nature Activities

I was browsing the web today and realized there are some great nature blogs with outdoor activities for kids that I haven't checked out recently.

These are some great blogs and posts that I think you should check out:

Grass Stain Guru I love the Mystery Critters posts - if only I was better at guessing. Bethe provides great activities and insights for parents to take their kids outside. Importantly, she agrees that children should play outdoors using their imaginations!

Childhood101 is another fun site that posts include all sorts of ideas and activities to try with your children. The activities from this post are especially fun to for the outdoors.

Over the past year, we also have tried to post various nature activities to try with your children! What are some of your favorites?

I think it is great when parents share ideas of outdoor activities they have tried with their kids. Playing outdoors requires little to no work from parents. Children's imaginations are huge and they love to use them!

What other outdoor activities do you have?

Once in a Blue Moon

A blue moon occurs when a calendar month has two full moons with in it. This will happen about once every two-and-a half years.

I had the opportunity this New Years Eve to ski under the light of the blue moon with friends. As it cast shadows onto the snow, making it glisten and glitter you couldn't help but slow down look around in awe trying to capture the scenic landscape with a mental snapshot. It was a rather cold night, like the ones many of us are experiencing this winter, and the light danced through the ice crystals that were hanging in the air. The trees were heavy with snow and it truly looked like a winter wonderland.

Prior to driving up the pass and strapping on our skis we almost talked ourselves out of it because of the cold, but no one wanted to be the person to make that call so we went ahead and headed up. It was an amazing way to remind myself to take advantage of the season and to enjoy the stark beauty of winter.

Camp is s amazingly beautiful this time of year. No matter where you are don't be afraid to bundle up and get outside.

Take a Deep Breath and Enjoy the Season

During these final hectic days and hours, when last minute shopping, cooking, and preparations for visiting guests are made—it is easy to get sucked into the future, into “what do I need to do next?”

We sometimes see that with our trip leaders in the summer, too. They are so focused on route-finding, safety, and mitigating the what-ifs of weather, blisters, slow hikers, the upcoming mountain climb, and monitoring the preparation of campers and staff—they forget to stop and breathe.

This is why we encourage a few moments each day of a trip—and even before and after every activity at camp—where the individuals as a group stop and share their goals for the trip/activity, their possible fears, their triumphs, their failures, their high points, their low points, and how they have grown (or think they may grow). Stretching together before a hike begins we can share our goals for the hike: “I want to set the pace today” “I don’t want to be at the back today” “I want to put up the rain fly myself” “I want to help cook dinner” “I want to enjoy the scenery and stop being so nervous about the climb” “I want to stop someplace beautiful and take a nap in the sun”—this helps remind the campers and the trip leader that they are ALL part of the experience, that—in fact—the hopes, fears, and goals they each bring to the trip make the experience that much richer for everyone.

Then, after a long day on the trail, in the saddle or on foot, they can share the insights the day provided them. “I saw a cloud that looked like a pig eating a chicken” “I really appreciated Jordan’s help when we were crossing the stream” “I didn’t think I was going to make it over the ridge, but I did—and that felt great” “This was the BEST dinner I have ever eaten—I usually HATE spaghetti!” “I liked how we stopped and just listened to the stream after lunch—it calmed me down” “Playing those hiking games was my favorite part of the day, I never even felt tired” By giving campers the space and time to reflect on their day, a trip leader sees how his/her planning, effort, coordination, and dedication pays off in real growth experiences for kids.

So this holiday season, make sure you take time to ask those sitting around your table what their favorite part of the day might have been, or have a story night when each member of the family shares a short story from their childhood (kids included!), or take time to light some special candles and share why you are grateful this holiday season, or just take an evening stroll around the block as a family to look at the holiday lights, stars, or just see the beginning of the crescent moon sparkling on the snow.

Happy Holidays!

Outdoor Leadership

I am currently working on my Capstone project to finish a Masters in organizational leadership. You will probably read a few posts from me about this over the next few months.

I was doing some research last week. Do you know how many articles and books there are available on leadership?! Hundreds. Topics range from leadership, to recognizing it, being a better leader, leading change, leaders during problems, leading in crisis, leading teams, leadership development, etc. While there are various topics and themes to the research, there is an underlying message in each – leadership is important.

While businesses want to hire young employees who show potential as strong leaders and colleges are looking for students who will be leaders in the community, I could not find a lot about leadership opportunities for high school students, especially in Colorado.

Why is this? There are national programs and conferences that students can go to, many times to represent their school. These programs typically last for a week with the goal to give students the resources to be leaders when they get home. There is something lacking with these programs though. They are indoors in classroom settings. I disagree with this teaching method.

Leadership is experiential. Yes, there is a need to understand certain principals and methods that can be taught in the classroom, but this is not enough. To best learn to be a leader, young adults need to interact with others and practice being leaders.

I think it is the best way to learn. I have worked with high school students from various backgrounds and experiences and have watched them all demonstrate stronger leadership traits than they thought possible while leading outside.

Can you think of ways to teach young adults to be future leaders in the outdoors?

'Tis the Season

Now that winter has arrived you might find you and your family spending more time inside playing the Wii or backing cookies. Scholastic has put together a fun and exciting list of winter activities that you and your children can do even when snowflakes are flying. Lets learn from and enjoy this wonderful season.

•Create a sundial. Find a long stick and set it in the snow. Try to tell the time throughout the day by where the stick's shadow is cast. (At high noon there will be no shadow.)

•Start a nature sketchbook. Buy an inexpensive artist's sketch pad or book and begin a winter nature diary. Each time you take a walk, observe something up close in nature. Draw the item, then write down descriptive details and date the entry. Continue you observations and entries throughout the year as seasons and locations change. This is especially fun if you visit the same area year after year — you can compare your observations over time.

•Identify trees during a walk in the winter woods. Observe the shape and bundling of evergreen needles and patterns on bark. Borrow a naturalist's guide from the library to help make your identifications.

•Go on a berry hunt. Pick berries with leaves attached and try to identify them (but don't eat them!). Use a naturalist's guide or check the Web before or after your search to find clues.

•Observe the night sky. Before your trip, research the constellations and planets that may be visible on a cold clear night at the latitude and longitude where you are staying. Practice picking them out in the heavens by first tracing the constellations on paper. Then, when you are away, it will be easier to find them. Your Sky is just one site where you can map your sky.

•Search for animal tracks. The best time is early morning when snow is pristine — you'll find the tracks of nocturnal animals. Draw and label what you see. Visit www.bear-tracker.com before you leave for your trip, and download pictures of tracks for black bear, porcupine, beaver, red fox, gray squirrel, moose, skunk, brush rabbit, deer mouse and black-tailed deer. You can also learn about their winter habitats at the site.

•Keep an eye open for skat, too. Droppings are another way to look for signs of animal life.

•Collect pine cones from different types of evergreens. Take them home as mementos of your trip.

•Take bird-watching breaks. Record your findings in your sketchbook. When you get home, do some research (using the Internet or an Audubon guide) to find out what types of food these birds forage for in winter.

•Listen and look for owls just before dark. In the daytime, keep your eyes open for "owl pellets" during your walks. Owls spit up these small, oval-shaped balls that may contain bits of undigested bone and fur.

•Hunt for icicles. See who can find the biggest.

•Explore lichen. To identify and learn more about various kinds, check out http://www.angelfire.com/ma/pondart/lichenpage4.html.

•Search for deer fields on foot, while showshoeing, or when you are in your car. Deers like to collect in meadows that are sheltered by trees.

•Blow bubbles outdoors in the cold. Do they freeze? Visit Bubblesphere for a host of information.

•Play snow "basket"-ball. Scoop out a large bowl-shaped area in the snow and make a ton of snowballs, then see who can land the most into the basket.

•Try snowball catch for variation.

• Team up for snow hockey or golf. Use a broom for hockey, or bring along a toy club for golf.

•Have fun with outdoor tic-tac-toe. Use a long stick to draw the grid and the Xs and Os. Or color snowballs (use a spray bottle filled with watered-down food coloring) and throw them into the grid to play - red against blue, for example, instead of X vs. O.

•Go snow bowling. Line up inverted pails of snow, then try to knock them down with snowballs.

•Build a snowman, of course. Use stones, branches and berries to decorate (and a carrot for his nose!).