I always feel honored to take part in thesis and dissertation research. I participated in Steph N. Dean’s dissertation, “A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Teachers Who Implement Outdoor/Environmental Education within a K-12 Setting,” at George Mason University.
Read MoreWe recently had some experiences that led me to believe we are doing the right things, according to others we interact with. We have been fortunate enough to:
Read MoreDo you have a place, in the world,
Read MoreLast week, as we started our walk up into the hills with stepping aside and looking slightly away so we could seem less threatening. We wanted to let a cow pass, walking along to meet up with the rest of its herd.
Read MoreWoohoo!!! I love cruising around up in the hills, making constant new discoveries.
Read MoreSchool is starting up again! In the last couple of years, I’ve really ramped up the work of giving back to the Alvarado Park/Wildcat Canyon by setting goals for litter pickup and invasive species removal.
Read MoreSummer camp was so amazing this year. When I started doing these camps, I thought it would be a preview for potential school year families.
Read MoreWoohoohoohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Summer camp is here!!! I have some amazing new families whose kids have eased right into the general state of things, and I feel so grateful.
Read MoreThis month, Jilliann Rodriguez M’Barki, an Outside School parent, wrote a wonderful article for Ten Strands. In “Preparing Future Generations to Protect Our Planet,” she shares her life journey, and I feel so fortunate to be part of it!
Read MoreIt’s been a busy time, with some late school year enrollments. The hills are just now turning brown, having been green for months despite the severe drought.
Read MoreIt’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!
Read MoreRecently, some students of mine were complaining about a school’s motto they’d heard, “Grow into great.” They were completely incensed at the news that they were not born great.
Read MoreAn article showed up on my facebook feed recently, that builds upon the emotional resiliency video I shared a couple months back, highlights the burden on women’s roles in caregiving, and served as an exclamation mark upon a recent drop-off period we had at Outside School. That morning, one child unexpectedly didn’t come to school. Everyone missed them, and it made drop-off hard.
Read MoreWelcome, and Happy (or insert your current emotions and curse words here) New Year! I’m excited to have been given the official county go-ahead that Outside School can require vaccinations.
Read MoreI got all riled up the other day while reading a link from Peter Gray. His article took me right back to when I first started Outside School, as an afterschool program at local elementary schools.
Read MoreA parent sent along this wonderful article, "Mud-Luscious and Puddle-Wonderful," by Lucy Jones for Writers Rebel. In it, Ms. Jones raises many important points about humans needing more time in nature.
Read MoreWe are so lucky to be able to have Alvarado Park/Wildcat Canyon as our classroom! We're right at an urban/wildland interface and never know what will happen. We had this huge moment last week when some deer in rut came close!
Read MoreI hope you have been able to enjoy your summer.
Outside School Summer Camp 2021 has come to a close, and we had a blast!
Read MoreIt's the last week of the school year, and what a year it's been, hasn't it?!
Read MoreThe best way my teaching has been described is “organic.”
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