I completely agree with your blog. I teach in Orlando, Florida and although we do have local areas to hike and camp, many parents don't do this. They would rather take their children to a local hotel to swim, rather than the beach or a lake. I grew up in Northern Michigan, surrounded by woods, countryside and beach. Being surrounded by these things my whole life, it kills me to have my students ask me what the word "woods" means. They don't understand that it's the same thing is a forest.
If parents would take there children on nature vacations, rather than Disney theme parks, they'll learn a little more. They will appreciate nature. They will experience life outside of cement and plastic.
This school year, I was incharge of coming up with one educational field trip. Rather than taking them to the science museum (which is fun, don't get me wrong), we are taking them to a butterfly garden; outside in nature! I feel like this will be a field trip for them to remember.

I agree with you that getting kids outside and learning about nature is so important. I grew up in rural Tennessee where being outside half the day was normal for us. Now, I live in suburban Atlanta, and it is not uncommon that children have never even planted a flower. My school as recently become part of our county's "Clean and Beautiful" group. We are actively recycling, taking better care of the school grounds, and are asking the parents to turn off their cars while they wait to pick up their children. These are small steps, but every little bit will help our environment.

I always try to make an effort to get my class outside especially in the spring to see the changes occurring around them everywhere. It really seems to give the students a new sense of excitement.

Mark,
Slide Ranch looks like a wonderful place. I would really love to work as a teacher there!I am also a nature enthusiast and want to help children to love and cherish our natural world. I enjoyed reading your article. Keep up the great work teaching.

In Connecticut there is a partner to " No child left behind". It is NO child left INSIDE! The great outdoors has so very much to offer in terms of education. It enhances critical thinking skills, develops awareness, and in general provides an outlet for discovery. Yes, let's get the children outside!

I have taken my kindergarten students to the Lorrimer Sanctuary in Franklin Lakes, NJ. It is part of the Audubon Society. It has amazing and appropriate field trips for children and families. The students learned about the parts of a tree and used and old fashioned apple press to make cider. It was fun. We are looking forward to future trips there in the spring.

I took my class to the Lorrimer Sanctuary in Franklin Lakes, NJ. It is part of the Audubon Society. They have amazing trips for schools and families. They are very appropriate and child friendly. The students learned about the parts of a tree and used an old fashioned apple press to make cider. We are looking forward to more trips in the spring.

Children are amazed by the miracle of nature much moire than adults who have grown conditioned to the convenience of indoors.

I teach first grade in Tanzania, and am grappling with how to extend education into the phenomenal vastness outside of our classroom. I teach on the foothills of Mount Kilimajoaro, and just miles from the Serengeti. Yet, I haven't yet thought of an appriate, educational and safe way to give these children a glimpse of the beauthy of their environment.

I agree with you. I wish more students would get involved in nature. Even the science classes want take field trips because some believe it is a hassle to watch the kids. There is so much kids can learn from nature. Kids nowadays wants to play games on the computer and not go outside. I know times has changed since I was a little boy. However, nature hasn't and it is a great learning tool. I agree with you totally.

I find my (elementary) students are very interested in nature. They are so curious about the weather's changing climate. They are always thrilled to go outside, but in unfamiliar territory their imaginations seem to run wild. Once I taught a little boy, who stopped wanting to go outside for recess, he was in kinder. The play area was surrounded by woods. I started asking questions about why he was afraid. He told me that his best friend had been fighting invisible skeletans. I told him that This was not real. He responed with conviction to his illusion by stating he saw his friend hitting and kicking the skeletans. However, there were no skeletans. Sometimes, students with vivid imaginations need to be reassured of a safe environment, but yet, still remaine cautious of realistic dangers.

In my preschool classroom, we have plants growing. Every year around spring time we take field trips to Home Depot and other places with gardens where the children learn about different plants and trees. We also allow the children to plant dfferent seeds and watch grow right in the classroom and at the end of the school year they get to take them home and continue taking care of them. It amazed me that none of my returning students were able to keep their plants alive, I guess the parents did not really reinforce what we taught the children about taking care of plants. This year I going to create a monitoring chart for my returning students so that the parents can help them in keeping their plant alive. In our playground at school, every spring we section off a corner where we uld woplant our seeds and everyday the chldren would come and water it. They always seem to have fun doing just that.