Snake!

I am afraid of snakes (it a real thing, called ophidiophobia, look it up). They have no fins, feathers, or feet, yet they move around all sneaky and silent. They fit in small spaces, climb trees, swim in the water, and even leap from tree to tree. The other day I went to check the locks on the way out of the building, turned around, and saw this guy right in front of me! I took a picture and ran away. I've gotten much better since I see them almost every day now, but I am still leery.

Gopher snake on our front bench.

My Favorite Picture.

This is my favorite picture of kids learning outside. We were doing a hike to learn about how water moves through the ground. It was a warm day and I asked them if the water would be cold or warm. Since the stream was small, most said that it would be warm. After discussing where the water comes from, I told them it was actually quite cold. Within a second, all of them were face down on the bridge with their hands in the water! I love this photo because it reminds me of how curious children are and how eager they are to experience things.

The importance of a support system.

This was probably one of my best days in environmental education so far, and it was a day when everything "went wrong".

Last week we had to be flexible. After that, we had to be flexible again....and again.....and again. The Secretary of the Interior wanted to use the FLC for an event. The problem was that we had 75 3rd graders coming at the same time. We worked with the school and came up with a schedule that would allow us to do our classroom portion of the lesson and get out before the site was needed for the meeting. We planned on hiking to a nearby park to eat lunch and do the second part of our activity, but the weather was NOT on our side and very heavy rains foiled our plans. We decided to load the buses and take the kids to another park with a shelter, but there were six buses there already and the shelter was full. We ended up eating in the band shell at a nearby park which was a special event for them and for us.

We taught the second half of our lesson and then the weather suddenly improved. We were off on an impromptu hike to look for birds along the river down town. My group headed west and soon came upon the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial. I took the opportunity to share the story of Anne Frank and the sapling that we received which is a descendant of the same tree that Anne Frank wrote about in her diary. The kids were exceptional listeners and showed a great deal of respect for the moment. I was very moved by their model behavior on an exceptional day.

What made it all work was that we had a support system that functioned very well that day. The bus drivers were willing to make unscheduled stops and find a place for lunch. The teachers were willing to alter the lesson plan to accommodate the schedule change. My fellow staff members were willing to alter the lesson plan and teach it anywhere. Finally, the students themselves stayed curious despite the rain and constant change.

I hope I have more days where nothing goes according to plan!

Community outreach.

Most of my job is spent going to classrooms or hosting field trips. When the opportunity to go to a school carnival in my neighborhood for a community outreach event, I jumped at it. Suddenly I was a representative of an organization. The thought didn't occur tome until I got there. I was setting the expectation for anyone who would later interact with the FLC, Boise Parks and Rec, AmeriCorps, and educators. Fortunately for me, I brought a worm composter and stickers, so I was a huge hit. While the kids were busy mining for worms, I had the opportunity to share our activities and mission with the adults. I think I definitely recruited a few new visitors to our next 2nd Saturday event.

Our display table. I put it together myself and was pretty proud of it.

A panorama of the carnival in the school parking lot. Food music, kids, and a DJ. The weather was awesome that day too.

Just kids being awesome!

Kids really are awesome!!! They have tons of energy and loads of curiosity. Any time I am tired or lagging in the morning, I just get around a group of 3rd graders and I absorb enough of their energy to keep going for at least a day. I hope that I can get them as excited about learning as I am about teaching.

First graders lining up to use a spotting scope to see baby owls! I've never heard "they're sooooo cute!" more times in my life. Look how awesome these kids are, waiting in line patiently to see owls. Setting a tripod at 1st grader height requires some yoga moves.

Another awesome things about youngsters is how willing they are to volunteer for things. During our camouflage lesson they get to take turns showing the pictures to their classmates. They all want to do it, so it is a great way to bribe them into being still and quiet.

These 3rd graders got to pick a "uniform" to wear on field trip days. They picked tie-dyed shirts! How awesome is that?

Bullfrogs were spotted on a trip around the pond.

Big weekend.

This was quite a weekend. Not a whole lot of education to discuss, but some reflection. Friday was my 43rd birthday and on Saturday, I graduated from Boise State after starting there in 1991. It took me almost a quarter of a century, but I finally graduated with degrees in Geoscience (hydrology emphasis) and Biology (ecology emphasis).

This accomplishment marked my commitment to education and studying earth science. The amount of time and money that was sacrificed to accomplish the goal was significant, but not painful because my wife and I knew that this is what I was meant to do. Now that I have a solid education to match my interests, I will be starting grad school and the McCall Outdoor Science School in August where I will be improving my education skills.

Have you ever sniffed a Ponderosa Pine?

Sometimes our students think we are kidding them. That is definitely the case during our trees lesson. When I tell them that Ponderosa Pines has a distinct smell, they don't believe me. After I get them up close and personal, they become believers. The thing that strikes me in this exercise is how much children automatically trust you when you are an educator. I am also impressed by how willing they are to jump in and try to learn new things.

Sniffing a Ponderosa. Try it, you might be surprised!