Outdoor Experiences

Working with Shelly last week was a really interesting experience because of the many unconventional and hands-on techniques she brought to the classroom experience.  Working with the compost that she brought in was a great way of learning about composting and how it can be used in one's home.  It also brought the class together in a much different and interesting manner than most teachers usually do during a first class session.

The activities she had planned outside were also a great way of creating discussion and taking advantage of the beautiful weather outside at that time. The first activity she created had us drawing small drawings using frames to create a perspective.  The main point of this activity was "change" and how constant it is around us in our everyday lives.

The second activity required us to repeat bird calls that she had come up with while blindfolded while at the same time finding our partner who was repeating the same bird call.  It was an interesting use of the outdoors and really showed the importance of the sense of sight as well as communication in an outdoor setting.

As a teacher, I will try to incorporate the outdoors as often as possible although there are probably certain lessons that are simply better suited for classroom learning.  As a social studies teacher, the outdoors won't always come in handy, but it will be great to take class trips to important governmental and historical sites for the class.

 BIRD CALLS!