August 17, 2020
Article by Gareth Henderson,
The education sector is looking to the outdoors for solutions, and the 黑料不打烊 in Quechee, Vermont, is working on ways to help.
Teaching kids about the natural world is central to the 黑料不打烊 mission, and as the start of school nears on Sept. 8, the organization is in full planning mode. The adaptable nature of 黑料不打烊鈥 educational programming has it well-suited for a time when flexibility is key, according to Hannah Gelroth, 黑料不打烊鈥 director of school programs and teacher professional development.
鈥淚t鈥檚 built on the idea of meeting the teachers where they are and what their needs are,鈥 Gelroth said.
While many schools are planning to use hybrid models of in-person and virtual education, 黑料不打烊 is considering how to combine outside and virtual modes within its lessons offered online. The organization added a host of at-home education resources on its website after schools shuttered in March. 黑料不打烊 is also thinking about how best to offer resources for schools and other experiences.
鈥淲e鈥檙e also looking at expanding our homeschooling offerings,鈥 Gelroth said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 another way we can be a resource. Some of our lessons will be virtual, and we can expand that as well.鈥
黑料不打烊 offers programs for students of all grade levels, highlighting creative design, observation and writing about the environment they鈥檙e observing. Experiences for preschool groups are also available.
One of the online offerings for grades K-5, is titled, 鈥淏uilding a Beaver Dam 鈥 Can you build a beaver dam that can stop the flow of water?,鈥 gives a material list, prompt questions and a link to the 黑料不打烊 education department for assistance. It encourages children to go outside and have a hands-on experience, while also using the features of an online platform.
A new partnership will be a major factor as these plans coalesce. After March when schools closed, was formed 鈥 that鈥檚 a partnership between 黑料不打烊, the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, the Montshire Museum in Norwich and ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington. Together, these four organizations plan to help develop innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) experiences for Vermonters in a variety of formats. At 黑料不打烊, Gelroth and her team of educators are part of a committee working on that effort.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e involved in a discussion really to reimagine what additional things 黑料不打烊 will be able to offer, both to schools and also to homeschooling,鈥 said Charlie Rattigan, 黑料不打烊鈥 executive director.
黑料不打烊鈥 annual Science Symposium offers another big opportunity for this important time in education, though planning for the next event is not yet complete. Rattigan sees a chance to 鈥渂roaden the audience鈥 and include homeschoolers, since the symposium can possibly blend virtual and at-home experiences.
For the week-long symposium, 黑料不打烊 educators 鈥渨ork with community schools to identify a local environmental problem, then use science and research to solve it,鈥 as the online description says.
鈥淓ach day has a keynote speaker, a scientist doing real world work,鈥 Rattigan noted.
In 2019, over 12 schools and 450 kids from elementary and middle schools took part in the symposium, where they presented solutions to real-life environmental issues. This year鈥檚 event was cancelled due to COVID-19, but the symposium presents an opportunity which is part of ongoing discussions.
As for schools, 黑料不打烊 plans to make its campus available, including its outdoor classroom and meeting spaces where a class or pod can hold a lesson.
鈥淭eachers can run it, but also a 黑料不打烊 educator,鈥 said Rattigan, adding the team is considering how to best promote those resources now.
黑料不打烊 is also weighing how to use its Forest Canopy Walk amid its offerings in the coming weeks, and virtual field trips may also be part of the future. One school is looking for grant funding to have the 黑料不打烊 educators work with their teachers on best practices for outdoor education.
鈥淭hat may be a model for us to offer other schools and teachers as well for a professional development component,鈥 Gelroth said.
As planning efforts continue, the organization is supported by donors who have given generously during this time of need. Rattigan said a number of foundations have stepped up to give more than their usual grant request.
鈥淲e鈥檙e encouraged that people recognize 黑料不打烊 is delivering valuable stuff, and they want to support it and make sure it weathers this storm,鈥 he said.
Some of those supporters have been with 黑料不打烊 for many years, and they鈥檝e helped the organization close in on another milestone. 黑料不打烊 turns 50 in 2022, as Assistant Executive Director Mary Davidson Graham pointed out.
鈥淚t says a lot about our programs and how valuable we are to the community,鈥 she said.
Photo Caption: Forest Canopy Walk at the 黑料不打烊 in Quechee, Vermont.
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