September 2019 - A Reflection of the 2018-19 Nature Immersion Program

A new school year is upon us and so is our monthly Nature Immersion Blog. I thought it would be beneficial to start this year’s blog posts with a look at the highlights and accomplishments of last year’s nature immersion program as well as a sneak peak into some of the plans for this school year.  

 In no particular order, some of the highlights included:

• 32 specialized curriculum-linked outdoor experiences were created and delivered to help connect the indoor and outdoor classrooms at Alpenglow School. From discovering seasonal changes to identifying rocks from plant explorations to wetland studies. We played games in the woods and listened to stories under trees, we followed animal tracks and dug up insects. Students were engaged in their surroundings and most of this happened walking distance from the school. 
  
• Every student started their own nature journal to record, reflect and/or celebrate their outdoor learning. 
  
• A lot of outdoor materials and supplies were researched, purchased and organized, some of these items included:
  
  • New magnifying glasses, sheets, loupes, and boxes 
    
  • Game supplies (ropes, bandanas, game bands)
    
  • Clipboards and sit cushions
    
  • Ecosystem study tools (soil and air thermometers, moisture meters, soil corers, and compasses)
    
  • Extra large class parachute
    
  • Field guides (wildflowers, insects, mushrooms, birds)
    
  • Binoculars
    
  • Teacher resources and nature story books
    
• All the students participated in aspects of a pollinator project (native bee boxes, wooden bee cut-outs to beautify the deck and information sessions).
  
• Oral stories about the land and animals were created for every class to enrich their connections and inspire their learning. 
  
• The school celebrated the Earth with a week’s worth nature-loving activities and learning for “Earth Day”.
  

This school year we’re planning to build upon the successes of last year and grow the nature immersion program even more. Some of these ideas include:

• Create inspiring opportunities, materials and programs to increase the nature literacy and numeracy capacity within the school (rather than predominantly science-based experiences).
  
• Reflect on our nature immersion teaching pedagogy and ensure all the target areas are being implemented. 
  
• Create more activities, resources, and/or kits for the teachers to deliver nature experiences, at any time.
  
• Continue to produce a monthly nature immersion blog and inspire more readership.
  
• Increase the social media posts after nature immersion experiences to better celebrate our efforts at Alpenglow school. 
  
• Work with ACES’ fundraising coordinator and the teachers and help design a project linked to an environmental grant application (stay tuned for exciting ideas here). 
  
• Continue to create material, research resources and purchase supplies to enhance the nature immersion program.
  

As always, if you, as a parent of a child at Alpenglow school have some ideas which would enhance the nature immersion program, please bring them forward. We welcome your contributions! The nature immersion specialist position is completely funded by the Alpenglow Community Education Society and is intended to support teachers and students in the design and delivery of the outdoor learning component, which is one of the foundational pillars of the school. 

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