Inspiring Educators Everywhere
What's it like to teach science and conservation to both adults and children? This week we chat with Cari Ritzenthaler, co-host of the Bugs & Stuff podcast. She is a scientist, adjunct instructor and works in an elementary school in the United States. Cari also co-hosts the Bugs & Stuff Podcast, a show all about... Continue Reading →
Why should teachers focus more on getting kids outdoors to play? How does outdoor play benefit us all? In Episode 6 (Chinese New Year holiday bonus episode), host Kevin O'Shea goes solo to advocate for more outdoor play and nature education for children! Everyone wins when our little ones get outdoors to play and discover... Continue Reading →
When I was a child growing up in rural Eastern Canada in the late 1970s and early ’80s, being a child was a very different thing than it is today. I was a Pre-Internet child. I was a Pre-Helicopter Parent child. Things were indeed different. I grew up playing hours each and every day in... Continue Reading →
Often people lament that they are unable to connect with nature because it may be too far away. In a way, I understand their thinking. I grew up in rural Eastern Canada and the forests and shorelines of Nova Scotia were my playgrounds. I was extremely close to nature as a child and young adult.... Continue Reading →
You’ve now made the decision to help get your children or students more connected to nature. It’s time to get them outside and let them explore and inquire. Kids can of course simply do this using their own senses and that is a theme that will appear throughout this series, but there are some basic... Continue Reading →
Playing outside is essential to the healthy growth of children. Children need to get outside, get dirty and discover the natural world around them. They need to, but they are not. In a recent article in “The Guardian”, a survey in the U.K. showed that 74% of children spent less than 60 minutes a day playing... Continue Reading →
About a year ago I decided to check out a Birding Beijing social event here in Beijing, China. I do a great deal of work within my school with regards to environmental and nature education, but I wanted to meet people from outside the international school world who like-minded. It was a fantastic event and... Continue Reading →
I have always been a huge advocate of outdoor learning and outdoor play. I think it stems from my upbringing in rural Canada and I grew up with a close connection to the outdoors and nature. That coupled with the sadness I have felt my entire international teaching career, working in large cities where... Continue Reading →
This has been an exciting week for me as an educator. It’s nearing Halloween (one of my favorite celebrations of the year) and I am on my way back from Shenzhen, China. What was I doing there? I was presenting at the ACAMIS ECE Conference. ACAMIS is a group of almost eighty international schools in... Continue Reading →
