WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.040 Today on Blooming Curious, we welcome April Zajko from April's Teaching Tree. 00:00:05.119 --> 00:00:09.140 April is a Master's qualified early childhood educator and a 00:00:09.140 --> 00:00:12.740 reading specialist with a passion for creating supportive learning 00:00:12.740 --> 00:00:14.770 environments for all children. 00:00:16.269 --> 00:00:21.040 A nature inspired approach to teaching and believes that nature inspired 00:00:21.040 --> 00:00:25.069 experiences help to reconnect families and bring balance to all our lives. 00:00:25.589 --> 00:00:28.510 April has taught in both public and private schools and has 00:00:28.510 --> 00:00:32.909 worked with a wide variety of education and child care providers. 00:00:33.269 --> 00:00:37.560 She's highly experienced in integrating nature into indoor learning environments. 00:00:38.165 --> 00:00:41.945 And it's finding powerful ways to meet early childhood standards 00:00:41.945 --> 00:00:45.955 through play based, nature inspired materials and environments. 00:00:46.845 --> 00:00:51.735 April, it's a pleasure to have you on Blooming Curious today to share your 00:00:51.735 --> 00:00:53.674 knowledge and experience with us. 00:00:55.025 --> 00:00:56.415 Well, thank you for having me. 00:00:56.945 --> 00:01:01.415 I know I read out a little bit of a bio about you, but let's begin with 00:01:01.415 --> 00:01:06.695 you telling us more about yourself and how April's Teaching tree came about 00:01:07.675 --> 00:01:08.315 Absolutely. 00:01:08.395 --> 00:01:12.215 So I'm just about into my 25th year of teaching. 00:01:12.225 --> 00:01:16.625 And right now I'm teaching part time with preschool aged children, ages 00:01:16.625 --> 00:01:20.605 three through five, in a public school setting here in Vermont, and 00:01:20.605 --> 00:01:24.644 I found out that there's a Vermont, Australia, but it's Vermont, USA. 00:01:25.284 --> 00:01:27.375 Uh, so in the Northeast part of the country. 00:01:27.655 --> 00:01:29.365 I just love getting kids outdoors. 00:01:29.365 --> 00:01:33.625 And so I work part time with children and part time with adults teaching 00:01:33.855 --> 00:01:38.385 higher ed college courses, both at undergraduate and graduate levels. 00:01:38.684 --> 00:01:42.744 And I lead a lot of professional development for teachers who 00:01:42.875 --> 00:01:47.565 specifically I love my two passions really are nature and, and art. 00:01:47.845 --> 00:01:52.625 And so really thinking about how can we bring kids outdoors? 00:01:52.635 --> 00:01:54.935 How can we get them connected to nature? 00:01:55.445 --> 00:01:59.655 Give them these opportunities for play and integrate, really 00:01:59.655 --> 00:02:01.685 process open ended art with them. 00:02:01.735 --> 00:02:03.825 Those are my real teaching passions. 00:02:05.105 --> 00:02:05.805 That's wonderful. 00:02:05.855 --> 00:02:10.105 Why do you feel so passionate about incorporating nature based learning 00:02:10.135 --> 00:02:12.775 into traditional classroom experiences? 00:02:13.955 --> 00:02:18.175 Well, over my career, I've taught in a variety of different settings and what 00:02:18.175 --> 00:02:23.465 I find is that children really thrive outdoors and oftentimes the kids who, 00:02:23.755 --> 00:02:28.885 have difficulty in the indoor environment can really just Bloom, uh, kind of goes 00:02:28.885 --> 00:02:32.245 with the podcast name, but they really do bloom in the outdoor classroom. 00:02:32.575 --> 00:02:37.445 And so I like to use the term nature inspired, uh, you know, nature based 00:02:37.445 --> 00:02:41.525 education, I think is a really large umbrella that includes a lot of things, 00:02:41.525 --> 00:02:47.145 including forest schools and exclusively outdoor programs and nature preschools 00:02:47.145 --> 00:02:51.585 and forest kindergartens and it has that you know, everybody, I think, around the 00:02:51.585 --> 00:02:53.555 globe have a different approach to it. 00:02:53.885 --> 00:02:57.775 Uh, for me, I like to use the term nature inspired because we can bring 00:02:57.775 --> 00:03:03.735 nature into our indoor environments and, help children connect with their 00:03:03.735 --> 00:03:08.595 bio region by bringing in natural elements from around, you know, from our 00:03:08.595 --> 00:03:14.405 backyards and from our nearby nature areas, and by getting kids outdoors. 00:03:14.625 --> 00:03:19.035 So a lot of the educators that I work with are not exclusively outdoors or 00:03:19.295 --> 00:03:24.005 don't consider themselves as forest educators per se, but rather they're 00:03:24.005 --> 00:03:27.775 teaching in more traditional settings, but they know that kids need this. 00:03:28.125 --> 00:03:32.995 And so I am really passionate about it because I really believe that children, 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:37.610 they have a right to be outside and they have a right to be able to play. 00:03:38.390 --> 00:03:44.290 And, we can, we feel a lot of this in the early childhood world. 00:03:44.290 --> 00:03:51.200 We see this push down of the curriculum and a very academic based focus, uh, 00:03:51.210 --> 00:03:55.780 as if we're getting kids ready for something and as in the early years, 00:03:55.810 --> 00:03:59.820 I just feel like we really need to protect play for the wellness of 00:03:59.820 --> 00:04:03.580 children, for their holistic health, their physical health, their mental 00:04:03.580 --> 00:04:08.370 health, their social, emotional, um, growth that we really need to make 00:04:08.370 --> 00:04:10.170 sure that we're getting kids outside. 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:15.675 And you're absolutely right because kids are happiest when they are 00:04:15.755 --> 00:04:22.515 outside and it's just so strange that everybody knows this and yet we still 00:04:22.525 --> 00:04:24.545 have this push down of the curriculum. 00:04:26.765 --> 00:04:27.185 Yeah. 00:04:27.225 --> 00:04:33.305 And so as a public school teacher, I do have to, show evidence that 00:04:33.385 --> 00:04:37.215 the children are meeting early learning standards and that , we are 00:04:37.215 --> 00:04:39.905 using an assessment tool and what 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:45.240 I have found is I really can do all of those things in the outdoor classroom 00:04:45.610 --> 00:04:50.500 if I have designed the outdoor space, if there's enough materials or if 00:04:50.870 --> 00:04:56.010 you know there's opportunities for those that kind of play, um, to happen 00:04:56.370 --> 00:05:01.905 and I've, I really don't see it as it has to be this way or that way. 00:05:02.175 --> 00:05:06.665 So I'm certainly not doing any kind of worksheets or, , very, uh, 00:05:06.675 --> 00:05:08.595 super teacher directed activities. 00:05:08.855 --> 00:05:14.180 But I know as I bring materials out, as I have, playful, learning 00:05:14.190 --> 00:05:18.330 invitations that kids, they're meeting those standards that we know that 00:05:19.400 --> 00:05:21.830 we need to do, in public programs. 00:05:21.860 --> 00:05:26.270 And we're doing it in a playful way and we're doing it in a way that really 00:05:26.270 --> 00:05:31.630 sparks children's, curiosities and their passions, and by observing them, we 00:05:31.630 --> 00:05:33.530 know , what they want to learn about. 00:05:33.530 --> 00:05:39.170 And so it's kind of part teacher planning, but also following, , the 00:05:39.170 --> 00:05:41.200 emerging interest of children. 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:47.060 Yes, we do have, the forest schools here in Australia, even have bush schools, 00:05:47.090 --> 00:05:53.090 we have the beach schools, but I feel that those are few and far between the 00:05:53.090 --> 00:05:57.035 majority of children, if they're not homeschooled, if they're in a traditional 00:05:57.035 --> 00:06:00.045 school setting, are, in urban areas. 00:06:00.695 --> 00:06:06.455 I think it's amazing that you are trying to help get urban teachers and show them 00:06:06.465 --> 00:06:09.215 how to include nature inspired learning. 00:06:10.085 --> 00:06:11.905 So how do you do that? 00:06:11.955 --> 00:06:16.295 I think this would be a really helpful thing to tell teachers listening, 00:06:18.075 --> 00:06:24.685 is how do you approach having that inspired by nature in an urban setting? 00:06:26.020 --> 00:06:29.690 So to me, there's really two main ways. 00:06:29.730 --> 00:06:35.130 One is through the environment and, how we prepare the environment and how, in 00:06:35.180 --> 00:06:39.670 both in the outdoor classroom and also in the indoor space, you know, what kinds 00:06:39.670 --> 00:06:41.690 of materials are accessible to them? 00:06:41.700 --> 00:06:45.620 How have we designed the space to really invite their curiosity 00:06:45.970 --> 00:06:47.510 and to spark their interest? 00:06:47.810 --> 00:06:53.995 And so environment design is one, and it really doesn't, I mean that almost 00:06:53.995 --> 00:06:57.745 sounds like something expensive, but it actually isn't, but it's more about 00:06:57.745 --> 00:07:01.835 getting authentic materials and natural loose parts and those kinds of things 00:07:01.835 --> 00:07:04.985 so that kids are really engaged in play. 00:07:04.985 --> 00:07:08.775 And so, the environment is one, and then the other is really thinking 00:07:09.065 --> 00:07:15.145 about how we design the curriculum to really, um, I like to say at the 00:07:15.145 --> 00:07:16.815 heart of the curriculum is nature. 00:07:17.165 --> 00:07:21.025 And to me, that's really all about connecting to the seasons. 00:07:21.335 --> 00:07:23.515 And so it's not a prescribed thing, 00:07:23.535 --> 00:07:28.355 like I'm not spending my summer to plan out every week with a thematic plan, but 00:07:28.355 --> 00:07:34.255 rather to say what's happening right now , in our space and letting that really 00:07:34.255 --> 00:07:39.395 guide, reading picture books, uh, doing projects and art things that are inspired 00:07:39.395 --> 00:07:45.475 by the seasons, and just becoming more aware of what's in our backyard and what 00:07:45.475 --> 00:07:49.025 I have found truth to be over the years. 00:07:49.435 --> 00:07:53.015 It's just more and more that children have, are living a very indoorized 00:07:53.035 --> 00:07:58.225 life and they're not connected , and so whether, you know, both , in urban 00:07:58.225 --> 00:08:03.665 areas, but also even children who live in very rural agricultural kinds of spaces 00:08:03.665 --> 00:08:07.135 where you would think, Oh, they have access to nature because they're in this 00:08:07.135 --> 00:08:09.425 rural space that they're not like that. 00:08:09.665 --> 00:08:15.715 They have, really these indoorized lives and that very young children are 00:08:15.725 --> 00:08:18.340 spending a huge amount of time on screens. 00:08:18.730 --> 00:08:23.920 And so helping them get outside, find the joys of being out there, 00:08:23.940 --> 00:08:29.090 the simple pleasures of, going for a nature walk or collect, making a nature 00:08:29.090 --> 00:08:33.160 collection or creating some sort of process art with natural materials. 00:08:33.160 --> 00:08:36.480 Like it just, it awakens something in kids and they get excited about it. 00:08:37.035 --> 00:08:41.045 And that has very aptly brought me to my very next question. 00:08:42.355 --> 00:08:47.175 Technology drives our modern world, and we find it everywhere. 00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:50.210 and even in young children's lives. 00:08:51.010 --> 00:08:55.530 It's something that I find personally really disconcerting, and I'm very 00:08:55.530 --> 00:09:03.200 pleased to see that the media is starting to see a connection between 00:09:03.350 --> 00:09:08.655 the negative effects of technology on young children's brain development. 00:09:09.215 --> 00:09:11.825 So that is a positive turn, but I think they're not 00:09:11.825 --> 00:09:13.555 talking about it nearly enough. 00:09:13.975 --> 00:09:15.805 So what is your perspective on that? 00:09:15.905 --> 00:09:19.305 How do you find that balance between nature inspired learning 00:09:19.785 --> 00:09:23.295 and the use of technology in the early childhood classroom? 00:09:24.305 --> 00:09:24.735 Yeah. 00:09:24.735 --> 00:09:28.665 So for me, there's been a lot of times throughout my career where I've 00:09:28.665 --> 00:09:32.855 had this, you know, I'm using air quotes, but opportunities to have 00:09:32.875 --> 00:09:35.735 iPads one to one iPads for my class. 00:09:35.745 --> 00:09:39.005 So meaning every child could have an iPad because there's a such and 00:09:39.005 --> 00:09:41.115 such grant that would, allow that. 00:09:41.125 --> 00:09:42.405 And it's like, no, thanks. 00:09:43.085 --> 00:09:45.675 So for me personally, within my own classroom, I've really 00:09:45.675 --> 00:09:46.835 pushed back against that. 00:09:47.125 --> 00:09:52.195 I do like to have an individual iPad we use for documentation, uh, sometimes 00:09:52.195 --> 00:09:55.775 capturing, maybe an interesting bird or an interesting sound that 00:09:55.775 --> 00:09:59.395 we see, or, taking photographs of something that we've created. 00:09:59.695 --> 00:10:03.245 But as far as technology within the classroom, I've really just pushed 00:10:03.255 --> 00:10:06.685 back, against that because I just know that there's so many other, 00:10:07.185 --> 00:10:10.975 more developmentally appropriate and engaging things that I can 00:10:10.975 --> 00:10:12.955 do when the children are with me. 00:10:13.295 --> 00:10:17.975 Um, and then another key part of that is just having supportive conversations 00:10:17.975 --> 00:10:22.475 with families about technology and , my own worries about young children being 00:10:22.485 --> 00:10:28.135 on screens, and to do it in a way, you know, that's without judgment, 00:10:28.145 --> 00:10:31.575 because I do think that families, they have to get food on the table. 00:10:31.605 --> 00:10:37.545 And sometimes they just feel like this is their only way to get 20 extra minutes 00:10:37.545 --> 00:10:39.205 in the kitchen to prepare the thing. 00:10:39.485 --> 00:10:42.630 But , to really, help them to see the difference between 00:10:42.930 --> 00:10:46.870 just consuming technology and using technology as a tool. 00:10:47.180 --> 00:10:50.780 So, I think part of that is parent education, uh, and 00:10:50.780 --> 00:10:52.320 doing it in a supportive way. 00:10:52.370 --> 00:10:57.270 I'm just holding my own ground to say, no, we have had an opportunity 00:10:57.300 --> 00:11:01.180 to get a smart board in my classroom, which is essentially a giant. 00:11:02.865 --> 00:11:04.345 And it's like, no, thanks. 00:11:04.425 --> 00:11:07.765 I just know that, I want to hold the book and show it to them. 00:11:07.765 --> 00:11:12.635 And I want to flip the pages and I don't want to, uh, be engaging with 00:11:12.635 --> 00:11:16.965 them, , in my classroom with a giant screen or with one to one iPads. 00:11:16.965 --> 00:11:18.575 It's just not my teaching passion 00:11:18.575 --> 00:11:21.545 and I think that we can do better with the time we have. 00:11:22.190 --> 00:11:26.770 Yes, in most schools now, we have, the screens, the interactive smart boards, 00:11:27.610 --> 00:11:31.420 and you see it on social media, you see it in schools, everywhere, is 00:11:31.420 --> 00:11:33.800 teachers are using that more and more. 00:11:34.550 --> 00:11:38.520 And I'm feeling the more I read, the more I listen, the more I engage 00:11:38.530 --> 00:11:43.690 in it, is that there are better ways than switching on a YouTube video 00:11:43.690 --> 00:11:46.010 and getting kids involved in that. 00:11:47.290 --> 00:11:48.900 Because I think they get enough of that. 00:11:48.920 --> 00:11:50.830 They're already getting enough at home. 00:11:50.870 --> 00:11:56.100 And I don't think school is the place for entertainment on YouTube. 00:11:56.300 --> 00:11:59.500 I think if we're going to use technology, we need to use it, as 00:11:59.500 --> 00:12:05.720 you said before, Very specifically as a tool to capture or to investigate 00:12:05.750 --> 00:12:09.520 those kinds of things, but I feel personally that it shouldn't be used for 00:12:09.520 --> 00:12:11.290 entertainment in a school environment. 00:12:11.310 --> 00:12:17.510 I think we are much better, as you said, to actually read the book, turn 00:12:17.520 --> 00:12:23.790 the pages, sing the songs ourselves instead of putting on a YouTube video, 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:30.580 and I, I think of it too, as, even the thinking of it, like with the educator 00:12:30.590 --> 00:12:35.440 having, a phone on their person and being outside and maybe on a nature 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:38.540 walk and seeing something and the kid asks, you know, a right there kind 00:12:38.540 --> 00:12:40.090 of question of what's that plant? 00:12:41.165 --> 00:12:45.615 Yeah, we could grab our phone and we could identify it for them, using, an 00:12:45.625 --> 00:12:47.545 app that helps us identify a plant. 00:12:47.545 --> 00:12:49.145 But really, is that the question? 00:12:49.485 --> 00:12:51.725 Do, we want to use technology in that way? 00:12:51.725 --> 00:12:54.695 Or do we say, Oh, that's really interesting, huh? 00:12:54.695 --> 00:12:59.235 I'm noticing that, , we have these really Interesting spring ephemerals. 00:12:59.245 --> 00:13:01.065 So it's springtime where we are. 00:13:01.315 --> 00:13:05.205 Um, and right now and , the spring ephemerals are these interesting little 00:13:05.205 --> 00:13:07.155 plants that they don't last very long. 00:13:07.505 --> 00:13:10.335 And, , it's sort of, they're kind of magical because they 00:13:10.335 --> 00:13:11.895 pop up and then they're gone. 00:13:13.325 --> 00:13:16.945 You know, the, one of the very first ones that comes up , is Coltsfoot and 00:13:16.945 --> 00:13:18.715 it has this little teeny yellow flower. 00:13:19.045 --> 00:13:21.775 And it's like, if, and they're like, Oh, there's dandelions. 00:13:21.775 --> 00:13:24.595 And they remember dandelions from, , the last time that flowers 00:13:24.595 --> 00:13:25.885 were blooming in their yards. 00:13:26.255 --> 00:13:29.465 And it's like, You know, well, let's look at it a little bit closer and then 00:13:29.665 --> 00:13:33.025 oftentimes kids will go, they'll notice they look, it looks a little different 00:13:33.025 --> 00:13:37.945 and it's growing in the, forest, not out in the grass or in the yard. 00:13:37.955 --> 00:13:42.005 And so it's like giving kids the opportunity to make those , observations 00:13:42.005 --> 00:13:47.085 rather than saying, Oh, telling them right away what it is or , using 00:13:47.085 --> 00:13:49.385 the phone to, to identify it. 00:13:49.730 --> 00:13:53.750 It kind of steals away that wonder and curiosity that kids have. 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:58.120 And so I think that smart use of technology , it is a tool, but we 00:13:58.120 --> 00:14:03.300 also don't want to rely on it so much to, to give those quick answers. 00:14:03.670 --> 00:14:07.995 And I think kids really are even very young children, they have 00:14:08.005 --> 00:14:11.325 that instant gratification , with the phone or the technology. 00:14:11.325 --> 00:14:15.185 But it's in children's boredom, , and in those times when they have to 00:14:15.185 --> 00:14:19.175 sort of figure out or entertain themselves that their wonder is 00:14:19.175 --> 00:14:21.215 sparked and their curiosity is sparked. 00:14:21.545 --> 00:14:28.300 So if we were always filling in those bored times, it's like, we're 00:14:28.300 --> 00:14:29.810 stealing something away from them. 00:14:31.130 --> 00:14:34.490 And how would you, let's say you were going out with that group of children 00:14:34.490 --> 00:14:39.300 and you saw those beautiful little flowers, how would you respond to that? 00:14:39.330 --> 00:14:43.150 Would you actually take the photograph and then take it back to the classroom 00:14:43.230 --> 00:14:46.830 and then maybe print it out so that it's a physical print of the plant 00:14:47.150 --> 00:14:48.950 or how would you respond to that? 00:14:49.400 --> 00:14:53.890 So when I have a group of children and we're visiting the same 00:14:54.530 --> 00:14:55.862 space over a period of time. 00:14:55.862 --> 00:14:59.792 And so say we're going on a walking field trip, and for some of the educators 00:14:59.792 --> 00:15:04.312 that I work with, that might only be once a month because they're more confined, 00:15:04.322 --> 00:15:08.192 particularly in more urban settings, they're more confined in their, you 00:15:08.192 --> 00:15:10.502 know, fenced in sort of play areas. 00:15:10.872 --> 00:15:14.012 Um, but maybe on these walking field trips, it's like, well, the last time 00:15:14.012 --> 00:15:16.572 we were here, these little yellow flowers weren't here, there was 00:15:16.572 --> 00:15:19.062 still snow or, it's interesting. 00:15:19.062 --> 00:15:21.912 So we kind of observe the changes that are happening. 00:15:22.172 --> 00:15:26.852 And even if going to that, wild place is only once a month, we can 00:15:26.862 --> 00:15:28.182 notice those different changes. 00:15:28.182 --> 00:15:32.272 And I think that a good use of technology would be taking that picture 00:15:32.272 --> 00:15:36.102 and printing it out and then using some tools that we have , to look it 00:15:36.102 --> 00:15:38.262 up and to figure out, what it is. 00:15:38.322 --> 00:15:43.289 And, the next time that we go, and if that walk didn't happen, uh, for 00:15:43.289 --> 00:15:46.952 a few more weeks, that little yellow flower is going to be gone, and 00:15:46.952 --> 00:15:48.462 something else is going to be there. 00:15:48.502 --> 00:15:53.982 And it's just that ongoing, letting the kids, make those discoveries of 00:15:53.992 --> 00:15:58.252 things and so I think when we think about like these experiences that 00:15:58.252 --> 00:16:02.272 we can have for kids, like going on walks is a really easy way. 00:16:02.572 --> 00:16:07.552 And so, making sure that we can do things within our prepared environment, 00:16:07.552 --> 00:16:12.432 so in our fenced in areas, like whether it's in our garden, you know, or little 00:16:12.432 --> 00:16:16.622 raised beds that we have, or how we design the space to bring nature in, 00:16:16.972 --> 00:16:21.392 that's one thing, but then also knowing like a walking field trip could be just a 00:16:21.392 --> 00:16:26.697 really short little walk to a green space that's different than where we normally 00:16:26.697 --> 00:16:31.977 are, or going, into the community and seeing what changes are happening. 00:16:32.057 --> 00:16:37.677 And how easy is it where you are just to take children out 00:16:37.677 --> 00:16:39.297 for a walk into a green space? 00:16:39.317 --> 00:16:43.237 Because here in Australia, there's , the ratios to consider. 00:16:43.487 --> 00:16:47.557 It's getting enough adults to go on the walk with, it's getting the permission 00:16:47.587 --> 00:16:49.647 from the parents to go on the walk. 00:16:50.097 --> 00:16:54.747 So I find with those kinds of things, it would be seen as an excursion, 00:16:54.747 --> 00:16:56.187 because you're leaving school property. 00:16:57.252 --> 00:17:03.232 So that whole red tape issue and finding help to go with, so how easy is it for 00:17:03.232 --> 00:17:05.682 you guys to just pop off to a green space? 00:17:06.307 --> 00:17:10.437 Yeah, I was actually just working with a team, a childcare team, for 00:17:10.437 --> 00:17:15.507 them, they're in a, very touristy town and they can leave their space 00:17:15.507 --> 00:17:17.787 and there's a path not too far. 00:17:17.787 --> 00:17:22.107 And so, what they've done is they have it's called like a walking field 00:17:22.117 --> 00:17:27.067 trip permission slip, or it's like families, sign something and this works 00:17:27.067 --> 00:17:31.997 here so like in where I'm at in the public school we have a walking field 00:17:32.007 --> 00:17:36.427 trip permission form that they can fill out, and it says clearly on the piece 00:17:36.427 --> 00:17:39.577 of paper what's the distance that we're talking about so we're not talking about 00:17:39.727 --> 00:17:43.947 walking five miles with little kids, but kind of give them a sense and so 00:17:44.687 --> 00:17:46.497 this group that I was working with. 00:17:47.297 --> 00:17:50.737 We did a whole day of professional development about and we 00:17:50.737 --> 00:17:52.097 call them adventure walks. 00:17:52.397 --> 00:17:56.337 And so the adventure walk for the toddler group is really not far at all. 00:17:56.347 --> 00:17:59.017 It's really just to a grassy field close by. 00:17:59.357 --> 00:18:02.587 But then, the younger preschoolers, , might walk further down. 00:18:02.867 --> 00:18:05.497 They had access to a little creek area. 00:18:06.097 --> 00:18:09.957 But you're right, there is the issue of permission, but here we can do 00:18:09.957 --> 00:18:13.807 these sort of blanket permission slips that families have access so you 00:18:13.807 --> 00:18:17.267 don't have to do it every week or however frequently you're doing. 00:18:17.557 --> 00:18:19.237 You just get them to sign that once. 00:18:19.497 --> 00:18:21.477 , but yes, we do have to follow ratios. 00:18:21.507 --> 00:18:26.667 The ratio gets more, we have to have more adults when we are near water. 00:18:26.927 --> 00:18:32.157 That is, a safety precaution, but as long as we're within ratio, uh, 00:18:32.167 --> 00:18:37.877 if we're not going somewhere With water the ratio here stays the same. 00:18:38.387 --> 00:18:44.017 If we were walking into a dangerous area or something, I maybe 00:18:44.027 --> 00:18:45.127 it'd be a little bit different. 00:18:45.387 --> 00:18:48.597 But with a walking field trip, I like to have a smaller ratio. 00:18:48.597 --> 00:18:50.727 So , for example, my age group three to five year olds. 00:18:51.067 --> 00:18:54.507 It's one to 10, but I would never take 10 kids on a walking field 00:18:54.507 --> 00:18:56.107 trip that would just be bonkers. 00:18:57.167 --> 00:19:00.207 There's just too many things that could you know that might happen. 00:19:00.207 --> 00:19:06.230 But, finding a ratio that feels comfortable for you and maybe that 00:19:06.230 --> 00:19:10.180 means recruiting, a volunteer, that has done the background 00:19:10.180 --> 00:19:11.250 check or whatever you have. 00:19:11.610 --> 00:19:15.310 Um, and maybe they, you can find a community member, whether it's a 00:19:15.310 --> 00:19:20.270 parent or grandparent of children who are already enrolled, or maybe it is, 00:19:20.320 --> 00:19:25.425 a community member that, believes as you believe about getting kids outside 00:19:25.435 --> 00:19:27.235 or getting kids connected to nature. 00:19:27.565 --> 00:19:31.865 And what I find, I've had a lot of success, previously with grandparents 00:19:31.895 --> 00:19:36.555 because they do have a little more time on their hands and they grew up with 00:19:36.565 --> 00:19:42.465 more nature and more ability to explore their communities, maybe the adults, 00:19:42.665 --> 00:19:44.605 the parents of these kids have had. 00:19:45.625 --> 00:19:47.585 So I think the takeaway there is. 00:19:48.670 --> 00:19:51.470 that there aren't any obstacles. 00:19:51.750 --> 00:19:57.440 It's about just being creative and finding a solution to be able to do the 00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:01.860 thing I love that thing that you've said about the, walking field trip 00:20:01.860 --> 00:20:06.690 or the walking adventure, permission slip, which would really cover all that. 00:20:06.690 --> 00:20:12.090 So that's just a great way around any of those boundaries 00:20:12.090 --> 00:20:14.070 and obstacles we put in our way. 00:20:14.070 --> 00:20:17.365 I think if you want to do something, You find a way around it. 00:20:18.415 --> 00:20:22.305 And I think part of it too is communicating with families, or for 00:20:22.305 --> 00:20:27.355 those educators who have administrators who are well, wait, why are you doing 00:20:27.355 --> 00:20:32.105 that again, I think part of it is being able to communicate the value, like what 00:20:32.280 --> 00:20:34.810 are children learning when they're on that? 00:20:34.840 --> 00:20:38.150 And so, it's , going beyond the fence, particularly if you 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:39.700 have a small fenced in area. 00:20:39.700 --> 00:20:44.300 It's , yes, you might have the right minimum square footage for each child, 00:20:44.700 --> 00:20:49.360 but there's so many things that, this whole exciting world of going for walks. 00:20:49.360 --> 00:20:53.270 And even if they're really quite nearby, there still has that sense of 00:20:53.330 --> 00:20:58.400 adventure and these opportunities for kids to engage in things that, that 00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:00.650 they just don't see on the regular. 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:06.450 And so whether it's like going to a local park or a nature trail or, even, , one 00:21:06.450 --> 00:21:11.020 of my college students, teaches in a very urban area, , but he was describing 00:21:11.030 --> 00:21:13.860 how just walking like three blocks away 00:21:13.860 --> 00:21:17.005 there's this lot that's Oh, I forget the term for it. 00:21:17.105 --> 00:21:19.425 I think they're doing regenerative agriculture. 00:21:19.695 --> 00:21:23.685 And so there's, it's like a, they're bringing this little lot back to life. 00:21:23.945 --> 00:21:27.945 So these kinds of adventures, like there's all different kinds of possibilities for 00:21:27.945 --> 00:21:30.205 discovery and exploration and learning. 00:21:30.565 --> 00:21:33.705 And just the things like there that you couldn't replicate 00:21:33.705 --> 00:21:35.155 that in the indoor classroom. 00:21:35.175 --> 00:21:39.315 And so I think communicating to the stakeholders, the families, , and 00:21:39.315 --> 00:21:42.275 your administrators is the why behind what you're doing. 00:21:42.605 --> 00:21:46.315 And I call my outdoor space, my outdoor classroom. 00:21:46.805 --> 00:21:51.185 And that's very intentional because it communicates that when we're out 00:21:51.195 --> 00:21:54.405 here, it's not like we're taking a break from real learning, but 00:21:54.405 --> 00:21:57.165 rather this is part of our day. 00:21:57.215 --> 00:21:59.285 This is part of, being out here. 00:21:59.285 --> 00:22:03.855 This is part of the curriculum, for my students and it's not like we're 00:22:03.855 --> 00:22:06.945 just taking a break to have recess, but this is the outdoor classroom, 00:22:06.945 --> 00:22:10.815 and these are the things we're doing, and going on those adventure walks 00:22:10.935 --> 00:22:15.875 also is a way that we're learning and it obviously it's going to look very 00:22:15.875 --> 00:22:19.625 different if you're going on a walk with infants and toddlers versus going 00:22:19.625 --> 00:22:22.845 with preschoolers are going with school age children, like the kinds of things 00:22:22.845 --> 00:22:24.825 that we would be doing look differently. 00:22:24.825 --> 00:22:29.145 But I think it's important to communicate that it's not just we're going for a 00:22:29.145 --> 00:22:33.595 walk to kill some time, but we're going on a walk and, these are some of the 00:22:33.605 --> 00:22:38.115 things that, that happened today on our walk and communicating the value of that. 00:22:38.135 --> 00:22:42.215 And I love the research of Claire Warden and she talks about 00:22:42.215 --> 00:22:44.575 the inside, the outside and beyond. 00:22:44.925 --> 00:22:45.395 Yeah. 00:22:45.395 --> 00:22:48.595 And so , what I'm describing as an adventure walk is really 00:22:48.595 --> 00:22:50.285 that going to that beyond. 00:22:50.665 --> 00:22:55.155 And sometimes people think the beyond has to be like some grandiose huge 00:22:55.155 --> 00:22:56.825 experience and it's not at all. 00:22:56.895 --> 00:23:01.975 We can find, , all kinds of things, even nearby. 00:23:02.035 --> 00:23:05.375 We have in our communities, we have a lot of rail trails 00:23:05.375 --> 00:23:06.885 where , railways used to be. 00:23:07.195 --> 00:23:08.495 So they're very flat. 00:23:08.505 --> 00:23:10.975 They're not paved, they call it crush and run, so it's 00:23:10.975 --> 00:23:12.545 kind of like a gravel surface. 00:23:12.975 --> 00:23:16.375 Uh, but even in something like that, there's all kinds of things happening. 00:23:16.405 --> 00:23:20.625 We're seeing insects that we wouldn't see, in our fenced in areas necessarily. 00:23:20.945 --> 00:23:25.375 Um, but just going on those adventures, wandering through, a nearby forest 00:23:25.375 --> 00:23:30.655 or going on, little scenic or even going to a spot and having a picnic. 00:23:30.675 --> 00:23:31.865 Like these are experiences, 00:23:31.885 --> 00:23:37.155 what I found is many children haven't had those, but it broadens their 00:23:37.185 --> 00:23:39.185 world of what they can interact with. 00:23:39.185 --> 00:23:43.395 And I really think it fosters your curiosity and they're like, Oh, 00:23:43.395 --> 00:23:45.085 I didn't know this place existed. 00:23:45.415 --> 00:23:50.375 A couple of years ago, I was with a group of, uh, fourth graders, so, that 00:23:50.475 --> 00:23:55.435 here would be nine year olds, uh, nine and ten year olds, and, we went on a, 00:23:55.615 --> 00:24:00.475 it was a winter activity program, and so every Friday, these school children 00:24:00.485 --> 00:24:02.305 would go on different experiences. 00:24:02.305 --> 00:24:07.035 And I was with a group going snowshoeing in the local town forest. 00:24:07.345 --> 00:24:11.085 And so we got there and it was very, we did have to take a bus to that one. 00:24:12.045 --> 00:24:13.945 because it's a little bit too far to walk. 00:24:14.315 --> 00:24:17.285 But we got there and we got out onto the trail and the kids were 00:24:17.295 --> 00:24:19.315 like, I can't believe this exists. 00:24:19.705 --> 00:24:22.965 And this one girl I was talking to, she was just like really in awe. 00:24:23.335 --> 00:24:24.875 And it was really beautiful day. 00:24:24.875 --> 00:24:27.495 Like the snow was like that clumpy snow on the trees. 00:24:27.495 --> 00:24:31.805 And she was like, I just can't believe this is right here so close to the school. 00:24:32.085 --> 00:24:33.275 And I was like, Oh yeah. 00:24:33.575 --> 00:24:35.185 Are you new to the community? 00:24:35.185 --> 00:24:36.845 Did you guys just move here this year? 00:24:37.155 --> 00:24:38.955 Because I didn't really know the group of children. 00:24:38.955 --> 00:24:42.580 And she's like, No, I've lived here my whole life. 00:24:43.010 --> 00:24:47.060 And I'm like, you're, how can you be nine or 10 years old? 00:24:47.070 --> 00:24:53.780 And this is a little town, like, and not know that this natural space exist. 00:24:54.110 --> 00:25:00.250 So, , not just building their connection to, the plants and the 00:25:00.250 --> 00:25:04.410 insects and, and that and such, but actually becoming aware of their local 00:25:04.410 --> 00:25:06.380 environment, I think is really huge. 00:25:07.600 --> 00:25:11.360 April, I live in Perth, Australia. 00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:16.780 The beach is a 10, 15 minute drive away. 00:25:16.930 --> 00:25:17.040 Oh. 00:25:17.490 --> 00:25:24.230 I have had children in my class that have not been to the beach. 00:25:25.320 --> 00:25:34.690 And so these kinds of experiences that we as educators can give children are 00:25:34.690 --> 00:25:40.490 so crucial because many of them do not have them in their own families. 00:25:40.800 --> 00:25:44.700 So if you are going to take children on this little field trip or on a walk, 00:25:45.170 --> 00:25:50.440 one of your biggest justifications is that you are giving children experiences 00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:52.800 that they are not normally getting. 00:25:54.020 --> 00:25:57.420 I think as educators now, our purpose has almost changed. 00:25:57.450 --> 00:26:01.070 We're not just teaching curriculum anymore, we're teaching just about 00:26:01.080 --> 00:26:06.065 everything, manners, social emotional well being as well as introducing them 00:26:06.065 --> 00:26:09.975 to spaces that are on their doorstep because many kids aren't actually 00:26:10.005 --> 00:26:12.805 getting those experiences and as you said 00:26:12.805 --> 00:26:16.985 I think we need to give children those experiences, those adventurous 00:26:16.985 --> 00:26:20.225 experiences, because we all know, we all love adventures, right? 00:26:20.225 --> 00:26:22.925 And those are the things that you remember and that stay with you. 00:26:23.335 --> 00:26:25.525 That girl's never going to forget that. 00:26:26.205 --> 00:26:29.535 I think that's important because that's catalyst for getting 00:26:29.535 --> 00:26:31.935 those interested in nature. 00:26:32.555 --> 00:26:32.585 Yes. 00:26:32.895 --> 00:26:37.315 And interested in experiences outside of four walls. 00:26:38.125 --> 00:26:41.605 I was thinking even like during that experience with the girl, I was 00:26:41.605 --> 00:26:45.675 like, okay, when I get back to the building, I want to create a map 00:26:45.685 --> 00:26:49.545 of where this place is you know, what's the physical address of it. 00:26:50.065 --> 00:26:53.465 With a aerial photo of like you park here. 00:26:53.715 --> 00:26:57.645 And this is where we walked, because obviously there are community members 00:26:57.645 --> 00:26:59.415 that don't know, but you're right. 00:26:59.425 --> 00:27:03.375 It is a memorable experience and it does create these lasting memories 00:27:03.375 --> 00:27:06.025 that are really meaningful for kids. 00:27:06.055 --> 00:27:10.825 And, , that's what we want is a well rounded education for kids, you know, 00:27:10.825 --> 00:27:15.515 and so it's like we get out there, their environmental awareness about what's 00:27:15.515 --> 00:27:21.975 here, right here in our own backyard and when they feel that appreciation, 00:27:22.035 --> 00:27:24.175 it's those firsthand nature experiences. 00:27:24.700 --> 00:27:28.660 Especially I feel like those times when kids are like, Whoa, you know, 00:27:29.010 --> 00:27:31.050 it's like, yes, that's what we want. 00:27:31.070 --> 00:27:34.020 And so they build this connection to their community. 00:27:34.020 --> 00:27:37.810 And so if their family doesn't know about it, then yes, we've given them 00:27:37.810 --> 00:27:41.880 this opportunity to go there, and then, providing information to the family so 00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:47.090 that they could go back or maybe it should be, uh, maybe we should do a family 00:27:47.090 --> 00:27:51.880 event where we meet on a Saturday and do something like that because we do want 00:27:51.880 --> 00:27:56.270 this sense of this connection to our local community and our natural surroundings, 00:27:56.630 --> 00:28:00.540 and it helps us, at the school that I'm at once a year, they go on a 00:28:00.540 --> 00:28:02.860 hike up the same mountain every year. 00:28:03.190 --> 00:28:07.390 And I think it's really neat because the young kindergartners, the five year olds, 00:28:08.100 --> 00:28:10.590 that is a huge physical test to get. 00:28:10.590 --> 00:28:13.850 I mean, this is not really that challenging of a hike, 00:28:13.850 --> 00:28:15.530 but to a five year old it is. 00:28:15.890 --> 00:28:18.780 But by the time they finish with our school in sixth grade, it's 00:28:18.780 --> 00:28:22.780 like they can zip up that mountain and they're familiar, with it. 00:28:22.790 --> 00:28:27.860 So they really develop this sense of, confidence or pride, you 00:28:27.860 --> 00:28:29.140 know, in how they get up there. 00:28:29.410 --> 00:28:31.100 And they have this sense of place. 00:28:31.120 --> 00:28:34.760 Like they, this is part of, they belong, to this place. 00:28:34.760 --> 00:28:35.920 They know where it is. 00:28:36.220 --> 00:28:38.890 And so when we think, well, what's really important for kids? 00:28:38.920 --> 00:28:43.730 It's yes, I want my preschoolers to have alphabet knowledge, but I really 00:28:43.730 --> 00:28:46.330 want them to have, emotional wellbeing. 00:28:46.330 --> 00:28:51.830 I want them to feel good so that they can, you know, like outside is a 00:28:51.830 --> 00:28:57.740 real, often a relaxing kind of stress reduction, fun time for kids, and 00:28:57.750 --> 00:29:02.440 I feel like there's, a different dynamic of how the children interact with one 00:29:02.440 --> 00:29:08.050 another when we're outdoors especially in our outdoor classroom space, but in 00:29:08.050 --> 00:29:11.940 these sort of adventure walks, I think too, the kid maybe who struggles in 00:29:11.940 --> 00:29:16.800 the indoor classroom with like following, you know, following the rules or whatever 00:29:17.150 --> 00:29:20.980 in this kind of adventure walk, they can be the first one in the line. 00:29:20.990 --> 00:29:22.110 They could be the leader. 00:29:22.140 --> 00:29:24.870 It's like their self concept I think changes a bit. 00:29:25.220 --> 00:29:27.490 And that's just, I think, amazing. 00:29:27.490 --> 00:29:34.210 And so when we think about, Um, we have such a obesity, epidemic here in the 00:29:34.210 --> 00:29:38.460 U. S., getting kids out and getting kids feeling good in their bodies, 00:29:38.780 --> 00:29:42.600 moving their bodies and challenging themselves, like walking and running 00:29:42.600 --> 00:29:48.160 and, climbing up rocks or balancing and those kinds of gross motor skills. 00:29:48.470 --> 00:29:52.640 Yes, they have a bit more of that in the outdoor classroom, but when we go into 00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:56.900 the beyond space, it really promotes, I think, those gross motor skills as well. 00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:01.490 Because in nature, there's so many challenges that aren't planned for. 00:30:02.160 --> 00:30:05.690 You've got to, you cross the stream, for example, you might have 00:30:05.690 --> 00:30:10.640 to tippy toe on little stepping stones or balance on a log. 00:30:10.920 --> 00:30:15.885 And so that really tests some of those natural, physical characteristics 00:30:15.895 --> 00:30:17.595 and abilities that we have. 00:30:17.795 --> 00:30:18.235 And so those 00:30:20.475 --> 00:30:24.645 unpredictability of nature and the outdoors is so important, not just for 00:30:24.645 --> 00:30:29.765 our physical development, but also for our brain development, because that is how we 00:30:29.765 --> 00:30:36.835 were meant to learn, because we as humans, we're losing our connection to nature, 00:30:36.875 --> 00:30:41.265 but actually we have to try and remember that we really are part of nature. 00:30:41.605 --> 00:30:43.965 And so to get kids into those spaces. 00:30:44.670 --> 00:30:48.300 is so important for really who we are and who we're meant to be. 00:30:48.660 --> 00:30:53.540 And I think for many people, we've become so urbanized that sometimes people 00:30:53.550 --> 00:30:58.140 think that, oh, it's just those sort of hippie greenie types that go outside. 00:30:58.430 --> 00:31:00.950 Well, it's not like that at all. 00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:06.980 And as you said before, something as simple as just going on a walk, 00:31:07.210 --> 00:31:12.030 switching off the phone, switching off the technology, because for parents and 00:31:12.030 --> 00:31:19.080 for teachers, you very quickly find how beneficial this is to your emotional 00:31:19.090 --> 00:31:24.760 state, how calming it is on the nervous system to be outdoors and to be in nature. 00:31:24.760 --> 00:31:30.070 So I think that this should really be the focus at least in a week, 00:31:30.080 --> 00:31:35.150 if not every day to get out into nature and just, just walk. 00:31:35.160 --> 00:31:35.550 Yes. 00:31:35.580 --> 00:31:42.920 And I think there is definitely, we have a very risk adverse society here, you 00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:48.110 know, where people, it's like, well, you know, that sounds a little risky and 00:31:48.110 --> 00:31:53.740 it's like, yeah and if kids never try climbing and balancing on things, then, 00:31:54.410 --> 00:31:56.770 are they fully developing their bodies? 00:31:56.780 --> 00:32:01.090 Like if they're only on play structures with very uniform sized 00:32:01.100 --> 00:32:05.580 steps and they're not having to really negotiate or challenge their body, 00:32:05.810 --> 00:32:08.490 that's, really, it's really not good. 00:32:09.260 --> 00:32:15.200 So I, think, kind of unpacking a little bit our own feelings around risk 00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:19.330 and obviously we're not putting children into hazardous situations, but rather 00:32:19.340 --> 00:32:21.800 defining for your program what is risk? 00:32:21.800 --> 00:32:25.670 And communicating that to the stakeholders, both the families and 00:32:25.670 --> 00:32:29.010 your administrator of, you know, we really value risk because there's 00:32:29.010 --> 00:32:33.070 a lot of benefits and then sharing with them, what are those benefits 00:32:33.070 --> 00:32:37.460 about, I think , in giving kids those opportunities to challenge their body, 00:32:37.460 --> 00:32:39.170 they're building their self confidence. 00:32:39.510 --> 00:32:41.710 They're going to have more opportunity. 00:32:41.720 --> 00:32:42.780 Yes, they might fall. 00:32:42.780 --> 00:32:45.730 Yes, they might get some scrapes, but they're going to really, it 00:32:45.730 --> 00:32:50.640 teaches them that resilience and that persistence, being able to get up 00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:56.150 and brush the dirt off and keep going, and kids who haven't had those kinds 00:32:56.150 --> 00:32:58.200 of experiences they can feel really 00:32:59.365 --> 00:33:04.605 overwhelmed by it, but I think we want to reinforce that whole emotional regulation 00:33:05.605 --> 00:33:10.705 not all things in life are easy, and so sometimes the child who really, you know, 00:33:10.735 --> 00:33:14.255 it's circle time at the rug, is the first one to shoot up their hand and always 00:33:14.255 --> 00:33:18.825 knows the answer and, super smart, you know, got all the ideas and, whatever. 00:33:19.915 --> 00:33:24.005 But then gets outside and can't balance on the log to cross the stream, you 00:33:24.005 --> 00:33:30.435 know, or, other kids are willing to take chances or test out their balance and 00:33:30.435 --> 00:33:31.935 their coordination and their endurance. 00:33:31.935 --> 00:33:35.595 And it's like, you know what, that's really important for them too to 00:33:35.615 --> 00:33:38.215 really, test their limits a little bit. 00:33:38.225 --> 00:33:40.145 And obviously we're there to support them. 00:33:40.445 --> 00:33:44.095 But I think when they have this opportunity to, and when I'm 00:33:44.095 --> 00:33:47.175 talking crossing a stream, I'm talking like super shallow. 00:33:47.245 --> 00:33:49.765 We have this little creek that literally like dries up. 00:33:49.785 --> 00:33:50.985 It's not a raging river. 00:33:51.075 --> 00:33:54.825 No, this is not like class four rapids or anything. 00:33:54.825 --> 00:33:59.715 But, learning how to carefully step either, whether it's on, stones 00:33:59.715 --> 00:34:01.565 or a log or something to cross it. 00:34:01.825 --> 00:34:04.933 And you'll see some kids, and they'll stand back and go, you can see, they're 00:34:04.933 --> 00:34:08.203 not sure about it and they'll watch their peers, their friends do it. 00:34:08.603 --> 00:34:10.493 Um, and maybe they don't try it today. 00:34:10.533 --> 00:34:12.643 Maybe they don't try it for a few weeks. 00:34:12.673 --> 00:34:16.373 And then when they do it, oh my gosh, , it's like hands in the air. 00:34:16.393 --> 00:34:22.108 They're like, they have this expanded feeling of like, Yes, 00:34:22.218 --> 00:34:24.568 I've accomplished this goal. 00:34:24.888 --> 00:34:28.858 Those kinds of experience, they're not going to get sitting with an 00:34:28.868 --> 00:34:30.718 iPad, , they're just not going to do it. 00:34:31.008 --> 00:34:34.618 And so we want them, to see, like, have these opportunities 00:34:35.018 --> 00:34:37.438 to, to test their limits. 00:34:37.498 --> 00:34:42.298 And, I think sometimes that we're in such a risk adverse society 00:34:42.298 --> 00:34:43.478 that , they might get hurt. 00:34:43.838 --> 00:34:46.218 And it's like, well, yeah, they might skin their knee. 00:34:46.678 --> 00:34:48.808 And that's part of childhood you know, 00:34:48.808 --> 00:34:52.853 I was thinking, for a lot of these kids, the focus is very 00:34:52.853 --> 00:34:54.813 often on the academic side, right? 00:34:56.043 --> 00:34:59.583 But as you get older, maybe you go to college and then you get a job, 00:35:00.853 --> 00:35:03.073 it's not all unicorns and rainbows. 00:35:03.463 --> 00:35:04.393 It's hard. 00:35:04.663 --> 00:35:05.333 It's tough. 00:35:05.753 --> 00:35:07.733 You're going to come up against challenges. 00:35:08.133 --> 00:35:14.263 And those are the times when if you've had those challenges and taken those risks 00:35:14.293 --> 00:35:19.553 out in nature, then the risks and the challenges that you start to experience 00:35:19.573 --> 00:35:24.993 in your working life or your life in college, they become manageable because 00:35:24.993 --> 00:35:31.573 you learned through your childhood how to manage those risks and to take chances 00:35:31.763 --> 00:35:35.743 and to figure out how to do things and to figure out how to step to cross a river. 00:35:36.123 --> 00:35:40.803 Those things actually give you the skills to learn how to navigate the problems 00:35:40.803 --> 00:35:43.383 that are going to come later in life. 00:35:43.783 --> 00:35:46.513 So as you said, I think. 00:35:47.303 --> 00:35:51.553 educating stakeholders is a really important part of this process. 00:35:52.593 --> 00:35:53.033 Yeah. 00:35:53.333 --> 00:35:58.983 And even, I think sometimes too, something that holds educators 00:35:58.983 --> 00:36:00.663 back is well, I'm not an expert. 00:36:00.713 --> 00:36:02.363 I don't know the names of all the plants. 00:36:02.363 --> 00:36:05.853 I don't know what the trees names are, or I don't know, and it's no, no, the 00:36:05.853 --> 00:36:11.303 kids aren't looking to you to be a walking, , encyclopedia or, field guide. 00:36:11.373 --> 00:36:13.753 No, like they are going to experience it. 00:36:13.753 --> 00:36:18.143 So I just encourage folks to just try even short little 00:36:18.143 --> 00:36:20.163 walks, a short little, adventure 00:36:20.443 --> 00:36:20.653 . Yeah. 00:36:20.653 --> 00:36:21.713 Like see how it goes. 00:36:21.713 --> 00:36:24.293 Don't, don't go on some way distant thing. 00:36:24.303 --> 00:36:25.253 That's overwhelming. 00:36:25.523 --> 00:36:29.573 Go on some nearby nature, little adventures and see how it goes. 00:36:29.583 --> 00:36:35.393 Like those little baby steps, I feel like really do add up to building 00:36:36.613 --> 00:36:40.533 both the confidence of the adult and the excitement of the children. 00:36:40.533 --> 00:36:44.013 And so, yeah, sometimes kids are like, Oh, why do we have to do this? 00:36:44.043 --> 00:36:45.873 Ooh, don't let that stop you. 00:36:45.933 --> 00:36:49.183 If they're always indoors, they'll be like, what is this place or 00:36:49.183 --> 00:36:50.483 why do we have to do this thing. 00:36:50.843 --> 00:36:55.733 But once they get out there, I really do, I've seen it where kids who are 00:36:55.733 --> 00:37:00.823 really reluctant will get excited about it, or they get, they start to 00:37:00.823 --> 00:37:02.883 know the places that they're going to. 00:37:03.543 --> 00:37:06.453 A group of kids that I worked with years ago, there was this one place 00:37:07.233 --> 00:37:08.913 in the forest with a big boulder. 00:37:09.333 --> 00:37:12.193 And then a smaller rock in front of it or, or next to it. 00:37:12.513 --> 00:37:14.903 And they were like, we have to go to Turtle Rock. 00:37:15.243 --> 00:37:16.643 And they named this place. 00:37:16.693 --> 00:37:19.423 And now that the place had a name, it was like magical. 00:37:19.773 --> 00:37:24.443 And this was so close to the door of my classroom, but it was up 00:37:24.443 --> 00:37:26.493 a hill and it was in the forest. 00:37:26.553 --> 00:37:28.573 So it was like, you couldn't see the building. 00:37:28.893 --> 00:37:34.048 And so for them, It was like, , we really were on an adventure, even though 00:37:34.428 --> 00:37:37.688 if we really needed to, we could get right back to the building quite easily. 00:37:37.908 --> 00:37:43.318 But I think like this idea of just giving kids the opportunity, , to go. 00:37:44.018 --> 00:37:46.978 It doesn't have to be something grandiose. 00:37:46.978 --> 00:37:48.278 It can be really simple. 00:37:48.708 --> 00:37:54.478 , For people who don't have that nearby access, it does cost money to take 00:37:54.498 --> 00:37:59.038 children, by bus , but I would encourage adults in that situation to really think 00:37:59.048 --> 00:38:03.268 about, you know, we want children to have access to these experiences and we want 00:38:03.278 --> 00:38:08.268 children to have equitable access, they have a right to be connected to nature. 00:38:08.268 --> 00:38:14.008 And so to consider writing grants and, saying that the purpose of this 00:38:14.378 --> 00:38:18.988 is for children to connect to their local ecosystems that they're not. 00:38:19.338 --> 00:38:26.668 And, we have one particular grant, uh, here where it gives, money for bus 00:38:26.678 --> 00:38:32.118 transportation for school children to go to farms so that they have firsthand 00:38:32.118 --> 00:38:37.938 experiences at these, , farms, local farms, because even, , both urban and 00:38:37.938 --> 00:38:43.978 even rural kids aren't having these farm experiences that children, children 00:38:43.978 --> 00:38:46.208 love, they love those experiences. 00:38:46.528 --> 00:38:51.758 So I think, having that mindset of this is important and I'm going to 00:38:51.758 --> 00:38:55.628 make time or I'm going to advocate for it and see how we can make it happen. 00:38:55.958 --> 00:38:59.088 And if for some reason it just can't happen, like there's 00:38:59.088 --> 00:39:00.628 too many logistical things, 00:39:00.978 --> 00:39:06.698 It just can't happen during the school day, you know, consider the idea of it 00:39:06.788 --> 00:39:11.838 being like a family field trip or a family experience, maybe you go berry picking, 00:39:11.948 --> 00:39:16.828 with families, or maybe you have a winter, family snowshoe hike, or come up with 00:39:16.838 --> 00:39:19.058 things that are in your local communities. 00:39:19.418 --> 00:39:23.258 And what I find is there's often lots of partners. 00:39:23.288 --> 00:39:28.473 There's lots of organizations, that part of their mission is to 00:39:28.473 --> 00:39:30.993 help people get connected to nature. 00:39:31.153 --> 00:39:34.773 And so partnering up with them, you know, maybe meeting up at a nature 00:39:34.773 --> 00:39:41.573 center or meeting up at a community center might be the way to do 00:39:41.573 --> 00:39:43.513 something a little more low cost. 00:39:43.583 --> 00:39:47.053 Yeah, but I really think identify what the barriers are and then 00:39:47.053 --> 00:39:48.483 figure out how to overcome them. 00:39:49.353 --> 00:39:50.843 And as you were talking about. 00:39:52.188 --> 00:39:55.798 finding the funds often to go on these trips. 00:39:56.318 --> 00:40:00.918 I was thinking, well, maybe part of that budget that they use for technology, 00:40:01.278 --> 00:40:05.108 maybe a little bit of less of that, and actually take that and put it 00:40:05.108 --> 00:40:07.048 into field trips and getting outdoors. 00:40:07.448 --> 00:40:11.438 Cause I often say, and I'd love to know what you think about this before we 00:40:11.438 --> 00:40:16.063 move on to the next little bit that I want to talk about, is Then people say, 00:40:16.063 --> 00:40:19.143 Oh, but you know, kids need to be on technology because it's the way of the 00:40:19.143 --> 00:40:22.993 future and they need to know how to code and they need to know, have you seen how 00:40:22.993 --> 00:40:25.443 easily a child can figure out an iPad? 00:40:26.163 --> 00:40:28.813 They know how to use that thing even before you have. 00:40:29.133 --> 00:40:33.803 A two year old knows how to use a remote for television and to switch on all 00:40:34.023 --> 00:40:36.243 little systems within five minutes. 00:40:36.243 --> 00:40:36.583 Absolutely. 00:40:37.203 --> 00:40:42.703 So absolutely, it's not, they are going to be just fine. 00:40:42.843 --> 00:40:48.393 They can learn that stuff at a drop of a hat and in split second time. 00:40:48.563 --> 00:40:51.383 So we do not have to prepare them for that. 00:40:52.363 --> 00:40:56.423 In the first eight, nine, even 10 years of their lives, they will be 00:40:56.453 --> 00:40:59.333 able to pick that up within a week. 00:40:59.613 --> 00:41:01.533 So there's no concern about that. 00:41:01.813 --> 00:41:07.573 Rather, I would say, let's do things that are really meaningful and really would 00:41:08.953 --> 00:41:13.493 aid and help their social, emotional well being and it's going to stay 00:41:13.493 --> 00:41:15.123 with them for the rest of their life. 00:41:15.613 --> 00:41:18.283 And they have all the time in the world. 00:41:18.878 --> 00:41:24.138 to figure out how to code and do technology, but that connection 00:41:24.138 --> 00:41:27.918 to nature, they might not always have that opportunity. 00:41:29.648 --> 00:41:33.798 Now, before, perhaps I should just get off my soapbox there because that is 00:41:33.808 --> 00:41:36.018 something I feel really strongly about. 00:41:37.048 --> 00:41:41.838 Now, April, you also said right at the beginning, how not only is 00:41:41.838 --> 00:41:45.968 this nature inspired education a passion of yours, but so is art. 00:41:46.488 --> 00:41:52.328 And art in an education setting, especially in a nature based education 00:41:52.328 --> 00:41:56.688 setting, then we're probably talking there about art like process art and 00:41:56.718 --> 00:41:58.888 art that you create using nature. 00:41:59.268 --> 00:42:02.698 Would you like to talk a little bit about that? 00:42:03.838 --> 00:42:04.748 Absolutely. 00:42:04.758 --> 00:42:10.158 So one of the things, as we're teaching and as we're getting to know kids more 00:42:10.168 --> 00:42:12.688 and more, we start to see these trends. 00:42:12.688 --> 00:42:16.018 And one of the things that I realized is that many of the children that 00:42:16.018 --> 00:42:20.758 I work with don't have access, easy access to art materials and 00:42:20.768 --> 00:42:22.218 including just pen and paper. 00:42:22.218 --> 00:42:26.688 I mean, like markers and paper, and you know, sometimes I think 00:42:26.698 --> 00:42:30.228 that that lack of, of opportunity. 00:42:30.538 --> 00:42:33.208 And so we know that art is so great, 00:42:33.218 --> 00:42:38.538 and so I think nature art in particular, like having kids have the opportunity 00:42:38.568 --> 00:42:43.238 to do interesting things outdoors and so providing these opportunities 00:42:43.238 --> 00:42:46.798 might look like things like bringing out materials to do leaf rubbings. 00:42:46.828 --> 00:42:49.788 That's like a classic autumn activity that we can do. 00:42:49.788 --> 00:42:53.118 So kids have leaves and they're taking leaf rubbings and it's like, 00:42:53.158 --> 00:42:57.318 Whoa, it's part art, but it's also really interesting science, right? 00:42:57.318 --> 00:43:01.718 Like doing, observing closely the veins of a leaf , and noticing that 00:43:01.848 --> 00:43:04.818 this type of leaf looks different, is a different shape than this one. 00:43:05.178 --> 00:43:08.058 Um, but having, , access to materials. 00:43:08.058 --> 00:43:12.238 So I don't feel like you have to bring out all of the art materials into the 00:43:12.238 --> 00:43:16.748 outdoor classroom because I use the indoor space equally as , I'm both, 00:43:16.788 --> 00:43:18.418 I'm teaching indoors and outdoors. 00:43:18.768 --> 00:43:23.483 , But, using natural materials to create land art or, the kids , will 00:43:23.483 --> 00:43:24.913 gather up natural loose parts, 00:43:24.913 --> 00:43:30.393 so like leaves and, pine cones and little twigs and sticks and, 00:43:30.723 --> 00:43:35.103 uh, pebbles or rocks and, creating things like, ephemeral art. 00:43:35.103 --> 00:43:36.093 So it doesn't last. 00:43:36.143 --> 00:43:36.943 Maybe we. 00:43:37.848 --> 00:43:42.048 Um, and making nature faces one day and kids are really enjoying making 00:43:42.048 --> 00:43:46.238 the nature faces, but we're not gluing all those bits down and then taking 00:43:46.238 --> 00:43:50.288 it home, and we're just making them for the joy of it and maybe we take 00:43:50.288 --> 00:43:52.798 photographs of it, or maybe we don't. 00:43:53.518 --> 00:43:56.838 But starting to look at materials a little bit differently. 00:43:57.588 --> 00:44:03.428 And so, making, Nature collages, uh, taking some of those natural loose parts 00:44:03.428 --> 00:44:08.678 back into the indoor classroom where I do have more of an open-ended art center. 00:44:08.948 --> 00:44:13.058 Um, so that there's lots of different materials that children can choose from. 00:44:13.388 --> 00:44:19.358 Um, you know, there's tools like, scissors and , hole punches and, 00:44:19.608 --> 00:44:23.608 , variety of things that kids, can use to, build their fine motor skills. 00:44:23.848 --> 00:44:26.068 But then they also have the traditional. 00:44:26.383 --> 00:44:33.483 art supplies, so paper and, glue sticks or white glue, um, different 00:44:33.483 --> 00:44:38.463 types of writing instruments, markers or crayons, colored pencils, and they 00:44:38.463 --> 00:44:43.043 have access to, uh, oftentimes, uh, it seems to be, especially in the autumn 00:44:43.373 --> 00:44:47.113 for a year, I just feel like even the colors of autumn and all of the leaves 00:44:47.113 --> 00:44:52.138 falling, it's like these natural little treasures, um, but having some natural 00:44:52.138 --> 00:44:56.598 materials in the art center as well, so that children can create open ended. 00:44:56.878 --> 00:45:02.088 And so some kids will do nature collages, some will, just be interested 00:45:02.098 --> 00:45:05.258 in, playing with the materials. 00:45:05.548 --> 00:45:11.798 But I think that having a variety of, uh, tools and open ended art materials is 00:45:11.798 --> 00:45:14.448 just really great experiences, for kids. 00:45:14.448 --> 00:45:18.918 When we're making things in the outdoor classroom, I really love having cardboard, 00:45:19.258 --> 00:45:23.288 like corrugated cardboard, so if we are making something that they are 00:45:23.288 --> 00:45:27.988 going to take home, I find that having that is so much easier in the outdoor, 00:45:27.998 --> 00:45:32.468 especially , if it's a little windy that day, or the ground is a little damp, 00:45:32.808 --> 00:45:36.758 the corrugated cardboard is a great base for things, and then kids may use 00:45:36.758 --> 00:45:41.938 that, to make collage or come up with their own ideas with the materials. 00:45:42.298 --> 00:45:47.628 But I just feel like, um, these are experiences that kids aren't having. 00:45:47.978 --> 00:45:49.198 Same thing with paint. 00:45:49.268 --> 00:45:53.238 Like many children don't Are not using paint at home. 00:45:53.538 --> 00:45:58.328 So thinking about, giving them the opportunity and the access to do 00:45:58.348 --> 00:46:02.618 painting, whether that's on an easel in the indoor classroom, or maybe 00:46:02.668 --> 00:46:07.968 it's, hanging up some, , in the outdoor classroom, sometimes we use oversized 00:46:07.988 --> 00:46:09.618 cardboard that they can paint on. 00:46:09.618 --> 00:46:13.638 So more like group murals, things like that, , or they're using 00:46:13.878 --> 00:46:18.248 washable, you know, tempura paint to, even paint on natural materials. 00:46:18.258 --> 00:46:23.408 So painting on leaves and making leaf prints is a wildly fun kind of thing. 00:46:23.748 --> 00:46:27.418 And so it doesn't have to be complicated, but I think just having 00:46:27.448 --> 00:46:31.438 access to materials and letting kids 00:46:31.508 --> 00:46:33.258 decide what they want to do with it. 00:46:33.268 --> 00:46:37.778 So when, when I think about, um, process art really, to me, the 00:46:37.778 --> 00:46:43.198 definition of process art, is easiest to easiestly defined as. 00:46:43.783 --> 00:46:47.593 open ended, meaning kids get to make decisions about what it is. 00:46:47.923 --> 00:46:53.243 So even on a day where I've brought out paper and crayons that are peeled and 00:46:53.243 --> 00:46:59.073 my plan is to show them how to do a leaf print, or sorry, a leaf rubbing, , if 00:46:59.073 --> 00:47:03.243 another kid decides to Oh, I don't, not interested in a leaf product, but rubbing, 00:47:03.263 --> 00:47:04.813 I want to just draw with the crayons. 00:47:04.813 --> 00:47:09.853 Well, of course that's encouraged, uh, but I think that there's a lot 00:47:09.853 --> 00:47:13.813 of benefits to incorporating process art, both indoors and outdoors. 00:47:14.143 --> 00:47:18.413 And it really, to me, comes down to a lot of self expression and them being able to 00:47:18.413 --> 00:47:21.333 make choices about how they use materials. 00:47:21.383 --> 00:47:29.048 And for that reason, I just love to think of my role as the provider of the 00:47:29.048 --> 00:47:35.038 materials and then really stepping back rather than saying, you know, it has to 00:47:35.038 --> 00:47:39.738 look, you have to do it this one certain way and have it very teacher directed. 00:47:39.738 --> 00:47:42.838 I just, it's not, that's not the goal. 00:47:43.868 --> 00:47:49.478 I think when it comes to process art, we always have that cohort 00:47:49.488 --> 00:47:52.648 of children, that want perfection. 00:47:53.313 --> 00:47:57.953 And they put a lot of pressure on themselves, or maybe the pressure 00:47:57.953 --> 00:48:01.693 comes from home environment where everything has to be right. 00:48:01.743 --> 00:48:05.173 You get those children that don't want to even try something if they 00:48:05.203 --> 00:48:09.213 think that they're going to fail or they're not going to excel. 00:48:10.013 --> 00:48:14.763 And so when it comes to this process art, where it doesn't matter what 00:48:14.763 --> 00:48:20.273 the product is, what matters is your experience of creating it. 00:48:20.344 --> 00:48:26.933 And I found working with children doing process art is that pressure 00:48:27.213 --> 00:48:29.433 of the final product is removed. 00:48:30.163 --> 00:48:33.693 And so they're just enjoying the process of creation. 00:48:34.783 --> 00:48:39.613 So I think if you're working with those children that put a lot of pressure on 00:48:39.613 --> 00:48:44.863 themselves, those little perfectionists, something like process art can really 00:48:44.903 --> 00:48:49.643 break down those barriers for them and actually get them to enjoy themselves 00:48:49.643 --> 00:48:55.003 more rather than worrying about producing something extraordinary. 00:48:55.573 --> 00:48:56.073 Mm hmm. 00:48:56.563 --> 00:48:57.233 Absolutely. 00:48:57.233 --> 00:49:01.743 And I think that, as soon as the adult makes an example of what 00:49:01.743 --> 00:49:05.448 the thing is supposed to look like, It's no longer process art. 00:49:05.758 --> 00:49:08.618 It's totally product oriented because it's this is what 00:49:08.628 --> 00:49:09.948 you're working towards achieving. 00:49:09.958 --> 00:49:13.778 And for those perfectionist children, sometimes they won't even start because 00:49:14.583 --> 00:49:18.883 For example,, they have this image of, or they know what their name looks like and 00:49:18.883 --> 00:49:21.023 they can't make it look exactly like that. 00:49:21.033 --> 00:49:23.193 Like that could even be a barrier for them. 00:49:23.583 --> 00:49:26.743 So, uh, we live in a very Pinterest age. 00:49:26.753 --> 00:49:31.133 It's really easy to pop on Pinterest and print out whatever and spend the 00:49:31.133 --> 00:49:33.413 weekend cutting out all of , the pieces. 00:49:33.443 --> 00:49:37.793 And then, make the super cute penguin or whatever. 00:49:38.103 --> 00:49:39.383 And it's like, is it art? 00:49:39.393 --> 00:49:41.383 No, , this is creating a product. 00:49:41.643 --> 00:49:41.973 Yeah. 00:49:41.973 --> 00:49:46.933 And it's like, yes, it can, nothing against the penguin, but it's really not 00:49:46.943 --> 00:49:51.703 meeting the goals of, or it's not helping the child, , it's at best, it's, it would 00:49:51.713 --> 00:49:54.143 be like a following directions activity. 00:49:54.503 --> 00:50:00.363 Um, and at worse, it's just frustrating because they're wasting their time on it 00:50:00.373 --> 00:50:05.713 when rather if we kind of open this up and we provide natural materials, they 00:50:05.713 --> 00:50:11.203 have leaves or sticks and stones or whatever it is that we have twigs, um, and 00:50:11.213 --> 00:50:13.403 have a collection of recycled materials. 00:50:13.403 --> 00:50:17.563 So in my, indoor classroom, you know, it's a lot easier to manage having, 00:50:17.593 --> 00:50:22.363 uh, collage kinds of materials, but, having recycled or found objects, uh, 00:50:22.373 --> 00:50:27.358 milk jug lids that are, , different colors or, recycled bits of whatever 00:50:27.358 --> 00:50:31.838 from packaging, you know, kind of repurposing kinds of materials and then 00:50:31.848 --> 00:50:34.248 having a variety of art materials. 00:50:34.298 --> 00:50:38.938 Sometimes things that kids come up with, I'm like, particularly as they start 00:50:38.948 --> 00:50:44.533 to go from 2D, flat creations and then they start to build up, you know, it's 00:50:44.533 --> 00:50:46.703 like, woo, that's really interesting. 00:50:46.703 --> 00:50:51.043 And they get into using tape and doing sculptural kinds of 00:50:51.043 --> 00:50:54.553 three dimensional things with the materials that are offered. 00:50:54.563 --> 00:50:56.423 That's really exciting to see. 00:50:56.713 --> 00:50:58.123 And same thing in their writing. 00:50:58.123 --> 00:51:01.693 Like we, in their drawing, we keep samples of their drawing. 00:51:02.058 --> 00:51:06.708 Uh, for my preschoolers is like a year long portfolio and I bind it at the 00:51:06.708 --> 00:51:08.148 end of the year and they take it home. 00:51:08.158 --> 00:51:13.188 But man, it's amazing to see how, a three year old goes from just, you 00:51:13.188 --> 00:51:19.718 know, essentially scribbling, um, to beginning to do representational drawings. 00:51:20.118 --> 00:51:25.638 And I think the more fun that we make that process, like we're not putting pressure 00:51:25.638 --> 00:51:31.008 on them to do that, but we're, noticing, I think the perfect, catalyst for art too 00:51:31.008 --> 00:51:36.178 , is bringing attention to the picture books that we're reading and noticing, how is 00:51:36.178 --> 00:51:41.428 the book made and, oh, this book is from, the author and illustrator is Eric Carle 00:51:41.468 --> 00:51:46.278 and notice how, and then talking about the process that Eric Carle uses, like he, 00:51:46.538 --> 00:51:50.968 , he painted these papers, then cut them out to make these interesting collages. 00:51:51.328 --> 00:51:56.333 And I love to me, collage is one of my favorite, mediums for kids because 00:51:56.373 --> 00:51:58.573 even two year olds can make collage. 00:51:58.933 --> 00:52:03.543 And so we can meet with success in a lot of different ways, which feels 00:52:03.543 --> 00:52:08.273 like a lot less pressure than some very teacher directed, it's, here's the 00:52:08.273 --> 00:52:10.553 example and yours should look like mine. 00:52:10.554 --> 00:52:16.114 Process art to me is just can be really joyful process and we can 00:52:16.124 --> 00:52:17.584 certainly do it outside as well. 00:52:17.584 --> 00:52:19.414 So having portable art supplies. 00:52:20.044 --> 00:52:23.234 I don't like to take a whole lot of things outside but even just bringing, 00:52:23.494 --> 00:52:29.844 you know, different, whether you call them art invitations or art provocations, 00:52:30.134 --> 00:52:34.534 where we're bringing some materials out and, kids will use them in different 00:52:34.534 --> 00:52:36.744 ways, but I think it's so much fun. 00:52:36.754 --> 00:52:40.694 And I'm thinking too, what kinds of things can we do in the winter as well? 00:52:40.694 --> 00:52:45.104 Because sometimes we think of art, as just, in the, warmer, temperatures, 00:52:45.104 --> 00:52:50.074 but even, you know, painting the snow or bringing out loose parts 00:52:50.094 --> 00:52:55.844 when it's snowing and, um, making designs or land art, , in the snow. 00:52:56.164 --> 00:52:59.634 And one of the beautiful things about outdoors too, is that you can go 00:52:59.644 --> 00:53:03.994 large scale, so that's where I was mentioning, like larger cardboard 00:53:04.264 --> 00:53:08.564 boxes that kids are painting on, it's going to be a different scale than when 00:53:08.564 --> 00:53:10.754 we're working in the indoor classroom. 00:53:11.334 --> 00:53:15.514 And of course we know, like, all of this is cross curricular too, because 00:53:15.534 --> 00:53:19.444 as we're doing it we're, we're making connections to the books that we're 00:53:19.454 --> 00:53:22.194 reading and there's the literacy connection and there's connections 00:53:22.194 --> 00:53:24.354 to, different scientific concepts. 00:53:24.354 --> 00:53:30.084 Like we had a lot of ice and so we were, we sprinkled some rock salt, like, so 00:53:30.084 --> 00:53:34.274 like kind of chunky salt or Epson salts, uh, I think is another name for them. 00:53:34.534 --> 00:53:38.714 We sprinkled some of that onto the ice and then we could hear the ice 00:53:38.734 --> 00:53:43.774 cracking, and then the salt in the ice would make these little tunnels. 00:53:44.134 --> 00:53:45.354 And it was really fascinating. 00:53:45.354 --> 00:53:47.704 So we brought them back into the indoor classroom. 00:53:48.054 --> 00:53:51.684 , and then, we're like, well, what would happen if we put some colored water? 00:53:51.904 --> 00:53:54.204 So we used liquid watercolors and then. 00:53:54.449 --> 00:53:55.839 Put that on top. 00:53:56.199 --> 00:54:00.389 And so then , the colors went down into the channels and it was like, man, 00:54:00.419 --> 00:54:02.189 there's so much science happening here. 00:54:02.209 --> 00:54:06.499 You know, one, the effect , of salt on ice that, the salt makes the ice 00:54:06.499 --> 00:54:11.539 melt faster and then , how we could actually hear it, not just see it. 00:54:11.539 --> 00:54:17.109 And then, so I think about how sometimes when we talk about, Um, these things in 00:54:17.109 --> 00:54:21.609 isolation, it's like we have to remember they're actually really cross curricular 00:54:22.129 --> 00:54:27.659 activities and all of this supports the early learning standards as well from fine 00:54:27.659 --> 00:54:32.519 motor development to communication skills, you know, and the list really goes on 00:54:33.579 --> 00:54:36.809 when you were saying that I lived in Scotland for many years. 00:54:37.899 --> 00:54:43.139 And the penny has just dropped for me why they used to sprinkle salt on the roads. 00:54:43.499 --> 00:54:46.759 So I don't know whether they sprinkle salt on your roads. 00:54:47.179 --> 00:54:50.739 But now, yeah, they sprinkle salt on the roads and then kids can 00:54:50.749 --> 00:54:52.269 actually make those connections. 00:54:52.279 --> 00:54:54.219 So yeah, once they've made that connection. 00:54:54.259 --> 00:54:56.959 Oh, well, the salt dissolves the ice. 00:54:56.969 --> 00:55:01.229 So, oh, so why do you think they sprinkle salt on the roads then in the winter? 00:55:02.254 --> 00:55:05.014 And then they could actually have those moments where they make 00:55:05.014 --> 00:55:08.674 those scientific connections to the everyday experiences they're having. 00:55:09.234 --> 00:55:10.894 And to me, that's true learning. 00:55:11.464 --> 00:55:12.374 Absolutely. 00:55:12.634 --> 00:55:17.524 And, you know, it's like having those experiences multiple times, too. 00:55:17.554 --> 00:55:19.894 So it's not like, oh, well, check that off. 00:55:19.894 --> 00:55:20.874 We did that one day. 00:55:20.874 --> 00:55:22.264 We're moving on to the next thing. 00:55:22.864 --> 00:55:25.794 But I had a few years ago, a group, it was a very small group. 00:55:26.104 --> 00:55:31.124 Actually, it was in 2020, in the fall, when we came back, when we 00:55:31.124 --> 00:55:33.374 reopened, my group was really tiny. 00:55:34.394 --> 00:55:38.484 And they got really, that winter, were really interested in ice and so we 00:55:38.484 --> 00:55:44.904 did all kinds of ice experiments from freezing small toys in it, uh, noticing 00:55:44.904 --> 00:55:49.074 the differences between, you know, sort of, we'd have to put like our eyewear 00:55:49.074 --> 00:55:53.374 on because we were like smashing the ice to get stuff out, uh, noticing how 00:55:53.394 --> 00:55:57.214 the plastic toys would come out just fine, but when we would put a natural 00:55:57.214 --> 00:56:02.514 material in there, like, um, pine cones, Oftentimes the pine cones would break or 00:56:02.814 --> 00:56:07.104 the seashells broke, because we're using force on the ice we were cracking things. 00:56:07.404 --> 00:56:10.344 It wouldn't happen when it was like the plastic milk jug lids 00:56:10.594 --> 00:56:13.684 or the plastic little dinos like they would stay in one piece. 00:56:14.044 --> 00:56:19.674 That to me, it's like those multiple experiences, just like a kid, 00:56:20.044 --> 00:56:24.944 uh, likes to have the same story read to them at bedtime for I 00:56:24.944 --> 00:56:26.964 don't know, six or 12 months. 00:56:27.504 --> 00:56:30.484 We're like, really, why again? 00:56:30.704 --> 00:56:31.474 But you know what? 00:56:31.504 --> 00:56:33.664 They're still processing something from it and they're 00:56:33.664 --> 00:56:35.024 still getting something from it. 00:56:35.314 --> 00:56:38.924 And so I think about that with art opportunities, if they only 00:56:38.924 --> 00:56:42.334 ever get to paint, like if they only can paint once a month. 00:56:42.744 --> 00:56:47.004 They're not really getting the full benefit of what is it like 00:56:47.014 --> 00:56:49.564 to, to mix the colors together. 00:56:49.564 --> 00:56:54.084 And, so sometimes teachers will talk about , the colors, it just all ends 00:56:54.084 --> 00:56:57.534 up, even if they had painted something that looked nice, you know, quote 00:56:57.534 --> 00:56:59.514 unquote, they just kept painting. 00:56:59.514 --> 00:57:01.154 And then it's just a big blob. 00:57:01.204 --> 00:57:02.604 And it's like, well, guess what? 00:57:02.854 --> 00:57:06.644 It was the experience of painting that's important for their development and 00:57:06.644 --> 00:57:11.459 their learning than it is about them having a , perfect picture to take home. 00:57:11.809 --> 00:57:16.449 In fact, they get so much more of being able to do it the way 00:57:16.479 --> 00:57:20.699 they want to, rather than having us stop them at a certain point 00:57:20.699 --> 00:57:22.169 and say, okay, you're all done. 00:57:22.439 --> 00:57:25.929 I mean, obviously once the paper starts to disintegrate and fall off the easel, 00:57:25.979 --> 00:57:29.749 okay, we do have to sort of say, , maybe it's time for another sheet of paper, 00:57:29.749 --> 00:57:35.289 but I think process art, it's just great for them to, you know, experiment. 00:57:35.329 --> 00:57:40.199 And , the whole thing is for them to try out and get familiar with the materials. 00:57:40.199 --> 00:57:44.589 And so there's, I know a few years ago, there was this a lot of promotion on 00:57:44.589 --> 00:57:47.819 social media about using glue, sponges. 00:57:48.149 --> 00:57:55.149 So kids would just dip the thing into this sponge that had been soaked with glue. 00:57:55.149 --> 00:57:56.529 And you're like, wait a minute. 00:57:57.909 --> 00:58:01.859 It's really important that they learn how to actually open the glue bottle, 00:58:02.069 --> 00:58:06.929 pick the little thing off and then glue the things on, and use the fine motor 00:58:06.929 --> 00:58:11.119 skills that it takes to open up that and, to learn how, when it's open and 00:58:11.119 --> 00:58:14.919 when it's closed and what to do if it gets plugged up and then to use those 00:58:14.919 --> 00:58:16.759 little hand muscles to squeeze the glue. 00:58:16.789 --> 00:58:19.769 And yes, they're going to make a puddle of glue, but guess what? 00:58:19.829 --> 00:58:21.469 That's how you learn how to glue. 00:58:21.869 --> 00:58:24.159 So it's like, what's your objective? 00:58:24.379 --> 00:58:29.219 Them gluing as quick as possible or them learning the skills of how to glue. 00:58:29.639 --> 00:58:34.959 For me, I want them to know how to glue, not just how to dip it into, you 00:58:34.959 --> 00:58:37.659 know, glue sponge, because it's faster. 00:58:37.669 --> 00:58:43.719 And, when we offer them just those like close ended kind of craft activities 00:58:43.989 --> 00:58:47.669 where everybody's, making them, they're, maybe they're enjoying the 00:58:47.669 --> 00:58:51.789 process of assembling the things that an adult had cut apart, but they put 00:58:51.789 --> 00:58:55.199 it on the drying rack and then they go back over and they don't know which is 00:58:55.199 --> 00:58:57.069 theirs because they all look the same. 00:58:57.489 --> 00:59:00.149 That is product art. 00:59:00.639 --> 00:59:05.069 And, Gosh, if we only have them for so much time, where do we really want 00:59:05.069 --> 00:59:10.389 to spend our time is definitely in the process, giving them the opportunity 00:59:10.389 --> 00:59:15.379 to, um, really foster their own creativity and their imagination, 00:59:15.739 --> 00:59:19.714 and many kids don't have those opportunities beyond the classroom. 00:59:19.714 --> 00:59:22.304 So I think it's, it's really important to value that. 00:59:22.304 --> 00:59:26.324 Years ago, , Claire Warden actually said that we need to get away 00:59:26.334 --> 00:59:30.414 from this whole thing of having 25 identical yellow ducks hanging from 00:59:30.414 --> 00:59:33.034 a washing line across the classroom. 00:59:33.464 --> 00:59:38.364 And what you've just said reiterates that because if all the craft, all the 00:59:38.404 --> 00:59:44.014 art looks exactly the same, then we're actually, , reducing the child's voice 00:59:45.214 --> 00:59:51.424 and their individuality And that is not art and that is not them expressing 00:59:51.434 --> 00:59:57.854 themselves and that does not show the child's voice Or giving the child agency 00:59:57.884 --> 01:00:03.254 and saying this is mine, I've created this and mine actually looks totally 01:00:03.254 --> 01:00:07.504 different to everybody else's and how cool is that because even as a parent 01:00:07.524 --> 01:00:11.474 when you come into the classroom, as you've said, okay, so they're all the 01:00:11.474 --> 01:00:16.129 same, so which one is your, you want to see that , yours is different. 01:00:16.129 --> 01:00:20.569 You want to see that yours stands out, that it's not like everybody 01:00:20.569 --> 01:00:24.649 else's because you are different and you are not like everybody else. 01:00:25.319 --> 01:00:26.109 Absolutely. 01:00:26.129 --> 01:00:29.679 And I think sometimes we think of these like projects that we sent home as 01:00:29.689 --> 01:00:34.079 kind of parent pleasers because parents are often excited to see something 01:00:34.079 --> 01:00:35.659 that they know what it is, you know? 01:00:35.679 --> 01:00:39.029 And so like the book, Leaf Man, do you know that story? 01:00:39.039 --> 01:00:43.759 It's called Leaf Man, it's by Lois Elhert, and she used leaves to make, leaf 01:00:43.759 --> 01:00:47.559 collages, and it's a really beautiful book, and so often, you know, we'll kind 01:00:47.559 --> 01:00:53.609 of use that as an inspiration to do leaf art projects, and one year, uh, there 01:00:53.609 --> 01:00:57.859 was an adult in my room and they helped the children come up with very specific 01:00:57.859 --> 01:01:03.079 things these are three to four year old kids, and their projects look like, I 01:01:03.079 --> 01:01:06.089 don't know, fifth or sixth graders had made them like they were very intricate. 01:01:06.674 --> 01:01:07.714 Very, very intricate. 01:01:08.024 --> 01:01:12.034 And I was like, okay, if I put these materials out, 01:01:12.284 --> 01:01:13.464 this isn't what they can do. 01:01:13.474 --> 01:01:15.684 This is what the adults sitting next to them did. 01:01:16.024 --> 01:01:19.874 And it was like a real teaching moment for me to reinforce the idea of 01:01:19.924 --> 01:01:23.734 what process is about, this really isn't about them creating something 01:01:24.074 --> 01:01:28.899 specific, it, representational of a duck or representational of a fish 01:01:28.899 --> 01:01:31.579 or something that was in the book, but rather than just kind of coming 01:01:31.579 --> 01:01:33.389 up with their own sort of thing. 01:01:33.649 --> 01:01:37.629 But I think sometimes communicating with families so that they understand, when 01:01:37.659 --> 01:01:40.569 their child, especially the three year olds, , and they're coming home with 01:01:40.579 --> 01:01:46.039 these brown blobs that they've painted, there was a lot of learning that happened, 01:01:46.099 --> 01:01:51.319 you know, beyond that, because if I had sent home a coloring sheet, that we 01:01:51.319 --> 01:01:54.339 told them they had to, I couldn't even imagine saying this, but you have to 01:01:54.349 --> 01:01:58.219 color in the lines where you have to do it this way, or you can, because it's this, 01:01:58.219 --> 01:02:00.009 you can only use these certain colors. 01:02:00.339 --> 01:02:03.499 I think sometimes when parents see , the brown blob, they're 01:02:03.499 --> 01:02:04.419 like, well, what is this? 01:02:04.429 --> 01:02:08.719 So I think communicating to families too, about the value of 01:02:08.719 --> 01:02:10.489 the process , is really important. 01:02:10.769 --> 01:02:15.379 And, , communicating with our coworkers about this is the work of the children. 01:02:15.479 --> 01:02:20.489 And yeah, sometimes it , doesn't look like much, but it's important to them. 01:02:20.729 --> 01:02:23.639 And when they go to the drying rack, they know their brown blob 01:02:23.929 --> 01:02:26.009 because it's important to them. 01:02:26.079 --> 01:02:27.249 It was, they created it. 01:02:28.109 --> 01:02:33.799 And I always find it amazing that children know exactly, they don't 01:02:33.799 --> 01:02:35.069 even have to put their names on. 01:02:35.829 --> 01:02:39.824 Everybody in the class knows exactly who's is who's. 01:02:40.354 --> 01:02:40.784 Yeah. 01:02:40.784 --> 01:02:40.977 Yeah. 01:02:40.977 --> 01:02:42.804 You can just ask them, you know, hold this up. 01:02:42.954 --> 01:02:43.694 Well, there's no name on it. 01:02:43.694 --> 01:02:43.964 Who did this? 01:02:43.984 --> 01:02:44.294 Oh, yeah. 01:02:44.634 --> 01:02:45.434 No, it was such and such. 01:02:45.924 --> 01:02:46.424 I know. 01:02:46.474 --> 01:02:47.084 whose it is. 01:02:47.184 --> 01:02:52.054 That's amazing because they've already identified what belongs to who. 01:02:52.574 --> 01:02:55.724 But if they all look the same, well, we don't know because they all look the same. 01:02:56.404 --> 01:03:01.074 So I've always found that absolutely fascinating that children just know. 01:03:01.284 --> 01:03:01.694 They know. 01:03:01.744 --> 01:03:02.754 They know who it belongs to. 01:03:02.754 --> 01:03:04.254 They know their friends. 01:03:04.254 --> 01:03:06.684 They know their style of creation. 01:03:06.694 --> 01:03:07.254 It's incredible. 01:03:07.254 --> 01:03:07.554 Yes. 01:03:08.824 --> 01:03:13.194 April, I'm becoming aware of the time and I know that we should 01:03:13.254 --> 01:03:15.064 probably start wrapping things up. 01:03:15.314 --> 01:03:18.494 And I wanted to know, what do you think for the future? 01:03:18.784 --> 01:03:24.484 What do you see trends emerging in early childhood education related to 01:03:24.874 --> 01:03:27.484 nature based learning and process art? 01:03:27.614 --> 01:03:29.284 What do you think the future holds? 01:03:30.679 --> 01:03:35.269 I am an optimistic person and wear rose colored glasses. 01:03:35.269 --> 01:03:41.039 And so I feel really encouraged by, to me, the interest, particularly with 01:03:41.039 --> 01:03:46.429 nature based approaches, , and more and more people knowing, some who only 01:03:46.429 --> 01:03:50.779 discovered these approaches, , because of COVID and they moved outdoors as a 01:03:50.779 --> 01:03:55.139 mitigation, technique to stay healthy, and then finding joy out there and 01:03:55.139 --> 01:03:56.999 finding, that they really enjoyed it. 01:03:57.009 --> 01:04:04.489 And so I feel like more and more people are interested in this and that 01:04:04.519 --> 01:04:10.369 whole idea of nature inspired, like we don't have to be in a particular box. 01:04:10.369 --> 01:04:12.239 Like we don't have to be fully outdoors. 01:04:12.289 --> 01:04:17.444 You know, doesn't have to look like a certain way, but rather what will really, 01:04:17.534 --> 01:04:22.484 work in our, in this setting or in this type of program, what can we make work? 01:04:22.514 --> 01:04:27.064 And so, I have a Facebook group called Nature Inspired Teachers it's a 01:04:27.194 --> 01:04:30.914 closed group so people have to answer some questions before they join. 01:04:31.324 --> 01:04:35.294 And one of the questions is about like, what do you love or what is something 01:04:35.294 --> 01:04:37.284 that you really appreciate about nature? 01:04:37.954 --> 01:04:39.564 And it's beautiful. 01:04:39.574 --> 01:04:41.124 Some of the things that people say. 01:04:41.394 --> 01:04:45.569 And then one of the second question is, what supports do you need to 01:04:45.569 --> 01:04:47.649 help this in your own classroom? 01:04:48.009 --> 01:04:55.549 And what I find is that people really are looking for easy things to get started 01:04:55.559 --> 01:04:57.489 and to feel the support of others. 01:04:57.799 --> 01:05:01.429 Because oftentimes you might be in a more traditional setting 01:05:01.439 --> 01:05:02.679 and you're the lone wolf. 01:05:02.699 --> 01:05:06.739 You're the only one who's like thinking about going on adventure walks. 01:05:06.739 --> 01:05:10.169 And then it can feel like, wait, why am I doing this? 01:05:10.189 --> 01:05:11.349 Is this important? 01:05:11.349 --> 01:05:16.549 Or maybe the teacher next door to me is making these really beautiful teacher 01:05:16.749 --> 01:05:21.809 crafts and parents are happy with all of the yellow ducks hanging on the wash line, 01:05:22.499 --> 01:05:26.629 you know, and so sometimes it feels like you're straying from the status quo, but 01:05:26.679 --> 01:05:31.949 I feel like more people are interested in it and the more that we can find supports 01:05:31.959 --> 01:05:37.269 for them and encouragement, , whether that's through, resources or, just 01:05:37.269 --> 01:05:41.109 helping them overcome those limitations or those barriers that they see. 01:05:41.499 --> 01:05:45.859 And sometimes those barriers are actually what they might think is , really 01:05:45.859 --> 01:05:50.319 huge barrier when they have other people's eyes on it, like it isn't as 01:05:50.319 --> 01:05:53.129 big as they maybe perceived it to be. 01:05:53.139 --> 01:05:58.659 So, I guess I would say like working in community and if that community 01:05:58.689 --> 01:06:03.199 doesn't exist in your current school or in your current child care program, 01:06:03.589 --> 01:06:09.439 finding community, I think with others is a really great way to be inspired, 01:06:09.449 --> 01:06:13.449 to find the encouragement and then find the ways, the resources or 01:06:13.449 --> 01:06:15.169 what you need to make it happen. 01:06:15.629 --> 01:06:20.809 And I've mentioned this several times, during our chat, but the idea of really 01:06:20.809 --> 01:06:25.909 communicating, with our stakeholders about why you're doing what you do, uh, 01:06:25.939 --> 01:06:29.749 because it could look like, Oh, she's just spending a lot of time outside because 01:06:29.749 --> 01:06:35.044 she's doesn't, want to do the work of the indoors or something, but rather 01:06:35.064 --> 01:06:37.194 communicating what is the value of this? 01:06:37.214 --> 01:06:42.844 What is the benefit of this approach for both the, I think of the 01:06:42.844 --> 01:06:48.224 whole child and communicating those values so that families really 01:06:48.694 --> 01:06:50.604 understand why you do what you do. 01:06:50.604 --> 01:06:53.194 And so when their kid comes home dirty at the end of the 01:06:53.194 --> 01:06:55.474 day, they're like, Oh, good. 01:06:56.554 --> 01:07:00.824 They clearly they were outside or that administrators, feel that way. 01:07:01.064 --> 01:07:06.094 But I think part of it is just learning a huge body of research, 01:07:06.104 --> 01:07:09.814 a growing body of research that supports a nature based approach. 01:07:10.444 --> 01:07:18.414 And I think that it takes community to really feel connected and that 01:07:18.414 --> 01:07:21.414 continual inspiration to do the work. 01:07:22.624 --> 01:07:24.104 I think that's really good advice. 01:07:24.144 --> 01:07:25.224 So thank you for that. 01:07:25.884 --> 01:07:28.634 April, is there anything else you'd like to share with our listeners 01:07:28.804 --> 01:07:30.934 ? Sometimes it can feel really overwhelming. 01:07:30.934 --> 01:07:37.594 So I think for me, teaching truth is, you know, through action, we get the clarity. 01:07:37.674 --> 01:07:40.214 So sometimes people might be like, well, I don't have it all 01:07:40.214 --> 01:07:45.754 figured out or, I, I feel like I don't know enough before I do it. 01:07:46.014 --> 01:07:50.494 It's baby steps, you know, it's like the baby step might be that you bring 01:07:50.664 --> 01:07:52.544 plants into the indoor classroom. 01:07:52.824 --> 01:07:56.554 And that's how you're bringing nature in by having living plants. 01:07:56.894 --> 01:07:59.954 And maybe you start with the simplest living plants don't start with 01:08:00.024 --> 01:08:03.764 orchids, start with something really, really simple that is hard to kill. 01:08:04.014 --> 01:08:07.724 Um, but in the outdoor classroom, just think about what can I bring 01:08:07.724 --> 01:08:12.424 into this fenced in area that adds nature to this, and that's probably 01:08:12.424 --> 01:08:17.759 an ongoing thing of bringing, maybe bring in, a basket of something and 01:08:17.759 --> 01:08:21.839 then, bring in some more loose parts or some tree cookies or something. 01:08:22.179 --> 01:08:25.039 Uh, but little baby steps, I think adds up to it. 01:08:25.329 --> 01:08:29.019 It's keeping it simple so that it doesn't, it's not like another thing 01:08:29.019 --> 01:08:34.779 on our to do list, but rather getting outside to me brings a lot of joy for me. 01:08:34.799 --> 01:08:37.894 And I just notice the changes in kids. 01:08:37.914 --> 01:08:41.034 And then I'm like, Oh, this is really worth, this is really worth 01:08:41.044 --> 01:08:42.934 investigating and making it work. 01:08:43.194 --> 01:08:45.974 And whatever the obstacles are, like we can figure we're 01:08:46.104 --> 01:08:47.574 resourceful and creative people. 01:08:47.574 --> 01:08:50.854 We can figure out how to work around that and just take those 01:08:50.884 --> 01:08:52.854 baby steps and build community. 01:08:52.904 --> 01:08:56.224 And if you don't have the community right there where you are, find 01:08:56.224 --> 01:08:59.004 community, in the virtual world. 01:09:00.114 --> 01:09:03.364 That's wonderful advice, and I think that is so true, community, and 01:09:03.764 --> 01:09:05.714 also you don't have to know it all. 01:09:06.284 --> 01:09:11.064 It's a learning process, and asking the community for their help, but also 01:09:11.094 --> 01:09:15.194 asking the children, and then you can learn together, and even children and 01:09:15.204 --> 01:09:20.679 families could support the whole process, and you'd be amazed at what you'll get 01:09:20.679 --> 01:09:25.489 once you've involved the community and you'll see they will start bringing 01:09:25.489 --> 01:09:32.749 truckloads of things to you that you have at your disposal for your art and 01:09:32.749 --> 01:09:34.739 for that whole connection to nature. 01:09:34.739 --> 01:09:40.614 So you just have to ask I've always felt and community provides. 01:09:40.804 --> 01:09:41.894 They're very generous. 01:09:43.064 --> 01:09:45.014 April, where can people get hold of you? 01:09:45.014 --> 01:09:49.614 So anybody listening, because you do a lot, not just, you're not 01:09:49.614 --> 01:09:53.224 just working with children, but you also are supporting adults. 01:09:53.534 --> 01:09:58.504 So how can people who want to get involved more with nature based 01:09:58.744 --> 01:10:04.574 learning and even process art, how can they get hold of you and how can 01:10:04.574 --> 01:10:06.404 they get your support if they need it? 01:10:07.294 --> 01:10:11.674 I would say the best way to, to connect with me would be through 01:10:11.684 --> 01:10:15.654 the face, my Facebook group, which is nature inspired teacher. 01:10:15.884 --> 01:10:19.344 There is, like I said, there's a few questions before you join the group, 01:10:19.684 --> 01:10:23.419 uh, but those questions really help me to think about the resources that 01:10:23.419 --> 01:10:25.599 I create and share within the group. 01:10:25.919 --> 01:10:29.669 Um, and so Nature Inspired Teacher on Facebook group is the best way. 01:10:29.899 --> 01:10:33.099 If you want to get onto my mailing list, join the group. 01:10:33.129 --> 01:10:36.679 When you're joining the group, you can put your email address in there 01:10:36.679 --> 01:10:41.449 and I send out a weekly newsletter, and in the newsletter, I really aim 01:10:41.449 --> 01:10:47.924 to deliver a lot of value and, really good resources, that support teachers 01:10:47.924 --> 01:10:53.274 in doing, whether it's activity ideas or, just, you know, we talked earlier 01:10:53.314 --> 01:10:59.259 about, outdoor classroom design and just, practical things that teachers can use. 01:10:59.269 --> 01:11:03.159 So with the Facebook group, you can join if you join and add your 01:11:03.159 --> 01:11:04.749 email that's really the best way. 01:11:05.079 --> 01:11:10.199 And I do have a resource, that I'll share, a link with that'll be in the, 01:11:10.539 --> 01:11:11.959 you could post in the show notes. 01:11:12.569 --> 01:11:15.199 So people could, get more information there as well. 01:11:16.209 --> 01:11:16.629 Thank you. 01:11:16.629 --> 01:11:21.744 And I will put all the links to April's resources in the show notes 01:11:21.754 --> 01:11:25.524 so anybody listening can just click on there very easily and go and get them. 01:11:26.254 --> 01:11:30.374 April, this has been an amazing conversation, amazing opportunity, 01:11:30.374 --> 01:11:31.954 I think, for anybody listening. 01:11:32.804 --> 01:11:36.374 And I hope that they have been as inspired as I have been, 01:11:36.934 --> 01:11:38.564 because this is the way forward. 01:11:38.564 --> 01:11:41.164 You know, I talk about going back to the future. 01:11:41.939 --> 01:11:46.249 Because we really do need to go back to those original connections 01:11:46.249 --> 01:11:47.829 we have because we're losing them. 01:11:47.859 --> 01:11:52.069 And if we want any kind of future, I think we need to go and reconnect 01:11:52.379 --> 01:11:57.839 with those basic simple things that we're meant to have a connection with. 01:11:58.209 --> 01:12:03.069 So I really thank you for bringing that to the forefront and helping 01:12:03.069 --> 01:12:08.594 people to see with your generosity and your knowledge in this area just 01:12:08.594 --> 01:12:14.694 how amazing it is for children and how they benefit in nature based 01:12:14.984 --> 01:12:17.064 activities and in nature based learning. 01:12:17.064 --> 01:12:21.514 So I thank you on behalf of everybody listening for your gracious 01:12:21.524 --> 01:12:23.884 input to Blooming Curious today. 01:12:23.894 --> 01:12:27.974 So thank you very much for that and I really hope that we'll see more of you 01:12:28.054 --> 01:12:32.014 and perhaps in a later date you can come on again and we can talk more about that. 01:12:32.744 --> 01:12:33.644 Absolutely. 01:12:33.704 --> 01:12:37.364 Well, my husband and I want to come to Australia in 2028 for the 01:12:37.724 --> 01:12:41.474 eclipse, you have a, I don't know if you know, but you'll have a full 01:12:42.374 --> 01:12:45.804 totality, a solar eclipse in 2028. 01:12:45.814 --> 01:12:50.584 So , we're planning a, um, yeah, July 22nd of 2028. 01:12:50.884 --> 01:12:53.934 I look forward to it, I'll be waiting for you in 2028. 01:12:56.414 --> 01:12:59.614 We could reflect on how much has happened in the last four years. 01:12:59.854 --> 01:13:00.434 Brilliant. 01:13:01.184 --> 01:13:01.784 Okay. 01:13:01.864 --> 01:13:04.494 Well, thank you so much for being on Blooming Curious 01:13:04.494 --> 01:13:05.774 and we'll speak to you soon.