It’s gorgeous out there, up in the hills. This year’s interesting precipitation patterns and temperatures have excited the flora and fauna- blossoms and birds abound!

Nature News

Herpetology has long been one of my favorite subjects, ever since my mom used to push through her fear of snakes to take my sister and me through the reptile house at the Sacramento Zoo when we were kids. We were really lucky to have one of our recent hikes turn into a real herping trip! It’d been a dream of mine to do with my students for years. I’d brought along insect nets and a collapsible terrarium “just in case,” and we were so excited to actually get to use them.

Do you know how to handle amphibians? Their skin is very fragile, just two layers instead of three, like ours. Our skin is too hot and salty for them, and many species actually do some of their respiration through their skin. Some salamanders don’t even have lungs! We take care by rubbing our hands through wet grass and dirt to cool them and provide a layer of protection, then gently grasp their whole bodies from above. Animal handling can become a lost art, so I think it’s important to introduce it when you can. We release them exactly where we found them. We never know what each day will bring, and the discoveries are pure joy.

Here’s advice from when I took herpetology at UC Davis: never stick a newt in your eye. Its toxic skin can blind you for a few days!

You can find out more about this trip and Outside School in the first resource listed below.

Egg sacs affixed to a stick underwater at Outside School. — *Egg sacs are affixed to an underwater stick.*

*Outside School kids get to examine frogs up close.*

*It’s neat to see how this newt’s skin has turned smooth, instead of its usual roughness, for its underwater breeding activities. Check out those sensory pits!*

Outside School children get to enjoy lunch with a garter snake! — *Lunchtime with a garter snake!*

Enrollment

I’m currently accepting applications for the 2022 - 2023 school year at Outside School. Children in elementary, middle, and high school are welcome! Check out www.outside.school to learn more and to get the application.

Resources

There are so many great resources I found this month! I know it’s a lot, but I wouldn’t include them if I didn’t think them worthy of your attention. 💞

Referencing the unexpected herping trip above, last month I wrote and article for Ten Strands, “Outside School in Richmond Brings Outdoor Learning to Life”:

Read Article

Here’s a really great article about others who, like Outside School folks, are working to make a small impact on big problems. Thanks to one of my school’s parents for finding it! “How does a newt cross the road? The teams trying to end a nightly carnage,” by Maanvi Singh with photographs by Christie Hemm Klok, The Guardian (that’s exactly why East Bay Regional Parks closes one of their thoroughfares each Winter):

Read Article

There’s such an enormous need for mental wellness, no matter how old we are. Here’s a facebook post by Neurochild Community with resources supporting stillness and silence in our lives:

Read Post

I absolutely love telling real life stories to the kids. My students recently described it as the stories don’t seem real, but they are. Check out “Sharing Memories Sets Children on Path to Better Well-Being” by the University of Otago in Science Daily:

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Another step in the right direction are children’s mental health services being addressed here in California. “When Children Suffer: California To Funnel Billions Into Mental Health Overhaul” by Cal Matters for Patch discusses new proposals:

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The lure of “free land” evokes dreams of a better life. Both sides of my own family were in Nebraska in the mid-1840s, and I’ve known people who went to Israel following the same dream. Government pawns, all, to move Indigenous cultures off their land. I used to follow Bernard Spiegel because of his blog posts related to risky play. This Jewish author from Great Britain then began focusing on the effects of apartheid on Palestinian schoolchildren, and now reports from those working on the frontlines of governmental affects on families and communities. It’s incredibly eye opening and I recommend checking it out:

Go to Blog

I was elated to find out that SAT scores are being dropped at California State Universities. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of “teaching to the test,” and understanding that people are so much more than just exam scores. Here’s an article, “California State University Ditches SAT, ACT For Admissions” by Daniel Hampton, Patch:

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In my teaching practice, I take things even further than described by this article, but this is a great start for those seeking newer, better ways of teaching. Check out “Kids Learn as Much From Guided Play as From Direct Instruction, Report Finds” by Karen D'Souza for EdSource (also provided by one of my school’s parents):

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Take care,

Heather