"You only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods that all its inhabitants may exhibit themselves to you by turns."
~Henry David Thoreau
Words and Numbers and Pictures, oh my! We wonder how we might use the core routines to help us make learning in nature intentional and connected to literacy, numeracy, science, social studies, art, and more. How is our curriculum connected to learning in, with, and on the land?
Instead of asking, what can we learn outside, why not start asking, what can't we?
Find the PDF of the Ta’tupa - 2022 Spirit Bear Moon Calendar here.
From Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature
"The Core Routines are things people do to learn nature’s ways.
They aren’t lessons.
They aren’t knowledge.
They are learning habits."
"Each core routine for nature connection awakens a kind of 'mindfulness,' an attention toward nature. What we are really doing is raising the Natural IQ. These habits of mind are all tendrils of the Natural Intelligence, which is an ability to perceive patterns in a complex fabric. Such intelligence brightens all other thinking processes. Natural Intelligence is easy to rouse, because it is already deep in our brain's circuitry. The human brain was wired to thrive on relating actively with nature. The brain is most excited while solving problems on the move, quickened by the imperatives of survival. It senses widely. It focuses sharply. It decides quickly. It remembers vividly."
~Haas & Bakewell, Coyote's Pocket Guide
Learning these core routines will help you and your students to become more comfortable in nature, to become more aware of all that nature offers us and we can offer to nature, and to grow your nature literacy.
Sit Spot
Story of the Day
Expanding Sensory Awareness
Questioning and Tracking
Animal forms
Wandering
Mapping
Exploring Field Guides
Journaling
Survival Living
Mind's Eye Imagining
Listening for Bird Language
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Survival Living
Journaling
Exploring Field Guides
Mapping
Story of the Day
Our session on the land with educators on May 25th, 2022
Here is a link to the slide deck so you can copy slides to use any of these ideas with your students
In your break out room, please reflect on the learning story that has been shared.
Discuss:
What has inspired you? What are you hoping to try with your students?
What further connections might you make between ethnobotany, the Four Food Chiefs, and Nature Journaling (or any of the other core routines)?
We really appreciate Katie, Jane, and Christine for continuing to share their learning and for being brave enough to let us peek into their learning journey with nature journaling so far.
Please take a moment to let our storytellers know how their story has inspired and sparked you.
Add your thoughts into the google doc below!
Fintry Falls, Fintry BC
Here is a link to the slide deck so you can make a copy and edit.
This is a free app that is a digital field guide that allows you to take pictures and capture bird calls to help you to identify birds you encounter in nature. Then, as a citizen scientist, you can share what you have discovered with the world.
This is a free app that acts as a digital field guide, and allows students to become citizen scientists who explore and share their observations about the natural world. Use this app to identify plants and animals and everything in between. Also see the Okanagan Valley City Nature Challenge.
This is a free app that is a digital field guide that allows you to use the power of image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you. Earn badges for seeing different types of living things and participate in monthly observation challenges.
Please take a moment to reflect on the core routines. Make your thinking visible on our Core Routines Reflection Padlet.
Click on the '+' below to start typing or click on this link: https://bit.ly/coreroutinereflection.
Our challenge to you between now and our next session, is to try out one of these core routines yourself.
In doing so, you will be better able to understand the experience of your students when you ask them to learn these core routines.
We ask that you post some documentation of your experience in our reflection slide deck.
This could be a picture of you in your sit spot, a picture of a page in journal, a typed reflection, a video to show your students how to do the core routine, etc... Get creative!
Today, our winners will win one of the Core Routines resources below.
Thursday May 19th Session Winners:
Lisa Middleton: Me and My Sit Spot
Clint Maltais: How To Teach Nature Journaling
Victoria Lou: Put On Your Owl Eyes
Wednesday May 25th Session Winners:
Your feedback is really important to us because we want to make sure that this Nature Network is fulfilling your expectations and your learning needs.
If you haven't had a chance to give us feedback yet, we would love it if you could take a few minutes and fill out our feedback form.
Thank you!