Ed-Ventures on the A.T.!

 Join the ATC on an amazing virtual A.T. Ed-Venture Series, created for young people but engaging for all ages. Starting in Georgia and traveling all the way north to Maine, each session is led by environmental educators providing exciting content across diverse disciplines that connect curriculum and students to the Appalachian Trail. These interactive sessions will be hosted live via Zoom, and then published to YouTube for access at any time. They will take place on the first and third Wednesdays of every month August 2020 through March 2021 at 4:00 pm.

Each session will have two instructors, typically one formal educator and one community, Trail club, or agency partner. These interactive live sessions will include approximately 45 minutes of lesson time and then allow participants to ask questions to the teachers about the content or more personally about their career paths. Content is variable based on the educator’s expertise, discipline, focus, and interest.

Through the Ed-Venture series, the ATC hopes to connect with and foster a lifelong love of learning and discovery, both on the A.T. and beyond. We are thrilled to create and co-host this series with educators and partners involved with the conservation of our public lands, providing engaging lessons for young learners. 

Visit appalachiantrail.org/edventure to register for upcoming sessions and find links to recorded sessions that have already occurred. Like any good A.T. journey, there will be lots of exciting things to discover!

Deep Noticing

This is a chapter found in the 

School's Out(doors): Place-based Education (PBE) Responds to COVID-19 and Beyond

New Resource! School's Out(doors): Place-based Education Responds to COVID-19 and Beyond is designed for leaders who seek healthy learning spaces for students, as well as equity, social-emotional development, and mutually-beneficial relationships with local communities.

bit.ly/schoolsoutdoors

Power spots are a simple and profound way to get started.

Get outside and look around. This simple act has launched many great place-based education (PBE) projects. When Rob Hanson’s 6th graders get outside, they often head for their “power spot,” a natural location they selected for frequent visits to observe and reflect.

Some of the most powerful learning Rob has seen comes from students journaling about the prompt “What  Nature Teaches Me.” [14] Rob’s student Kyler recently observed: “Grass teaches me to be flexible... when the wind hits grass it goes with the flow. The grass is open to new ideas and can adapt to new climates. I should adapt to quarantine.”