Earth Day Every day
Earth Day Every Day: How much has truly changed in the last 52 years? Is it too late to affect real global change?
Outdoor Learning
Outdoor Learning includes the discovery, learning about and connecting to our natural world. Getting students outdoors, even just for 30 minutes, and engaged in environmental activities offers many benefits. This is true during the pandemic and beyond.
When I first started teaching about 13 years ago, I worked for a central city Milwaukee public school. Being a Montessori public school, our students had a slight advantage over many of their neighborhood peers. Connecting to the outdoors and the surrounding communities was already built into their learning curriculum.
Three become one
Three Become One: Water conservation is quickly becoming the most critical environmental issue for our next generation. Fresh water from our three rivers and great lakes are a limited resource. With population growth, expansion of industry, and the increasing impact of climate change, more and more pressure is being placed on protecting our waterways.
First Nations
Before the infiltration of white settlers, there were First Nations. In Milwaukee, the Menominee and Ho-Chunk were the first. Centuries later, they were joined by The Fox, Sauk, Ojibwa, Odawa, Huron, Mascouten, Kickapoo and Potawatomi Tribes. All were fleeing from their homelands due to eastern tribal warfare. By the 1600s, the blend of these Nations would become the key players in the territory’s tribal alliance.
Grand Old Leaf
The connection easiest made to winter learning is to local history. Milwaukee’s a great place for a bike ride in the park! Similar to the grand “Ring of Parks,” the evolution ofThe Oak Leaf Trail was strongly influenced by German culture and depended heavily on the fate of the county’s parks and freeways.
Winter Learning
Winter learning includes the discovery, exploration and connecting to our natural world during this important season.
Getting students outdoors, even just for 20 minutes, and engaged in environmental activities offers many benefits. This is true during winter and beyond.
Emerald Necklace
The Emerald Necklace is the term used to describe our extensive public park System. Milwaukee’s a great city for a walk in the park and an even better place for outdoor learning!
Learning outside adds a dimension of enrichment that can’t be taught within the walls of the classroom.
Outdoor Learning
Outdoor Learning includes the discovery, learning about and connecting to our natural world. Getting students outdoors, even for as little as 20 minutes, and engaged in environmental activities offers many benefits. Outdoor Learning includes the discovery, learning about and connecting to our natural world. Getting students outdoors, even for as little as 20 minutes, and engaged in environmental activities offers many benefits. I now call it the 20/20 Vision: 20+ minutes of outdoors and 20+ minutes of reading each day!
Walking With Nature
Walking with Nature: New research shows walking and talking enhances our mental creativity. The primary source of walking’s cognitive benefits seems to come from its effects on the mysterious spontaneous fluctuations of our brains. Reason is not the source of intelligence. Instead, it’s the product of it.
Walking with nature also makes us feel good. It releases endorphins which lowers our risk of depression. Walking with nature also increases cognitive functioning and strengthens our memory.
School Is Out
School Is Out For Summer! What type of learning should students be focused on over summer vacation, if anything at all?
Hard History
Hard History sheds light on our difficult past. It teaches truth rather than whitewashing it. Sometimes, it’s hard to comprehend the inhumanity defining it.