ECO
A Porcupine in the Classroom
By Zac Cota, NBNC Teacher-Naturalist The first and second graders at Moretown Elementary know they share their forest with many other animals. Chickadees sing while searching for food in the treetops. Worms and slugs live under moist logs. The antics of Red Squirrels provide daily entertainment. One special visitor, however, left only a trace…
Read MoreA Spotlight on ECO (Educating Children Outdoors) with Amy Butler
By Natural Start Alliance “Educating Children Outdoors (ECO) is a nature immersion program developed by the North Branch Nature Center located in Montpelier, Vermont. ECO was founded in 2009 by two teachers within the Montpelier City School District for Kindergarten and 1st grade students. With a passion for learning and exploring the nature of Vermont,…
Read MoreCreating Community by Learning With Nature
By Amy Butler * This post was written on October 28 for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Blog On a cold and blustery October morning in northern Vermont, 15 public preschool children tumble about their indoor classroom space getting ready for a morning in the forest. Winter coats, neck warmers, snow pants, mittens…
Read MoreLessons from a Left-handed Leaf
By Zac Cota It was the soggy sort of autumn day that we adults sometimes call “gloomy,” but the first graders at Union Elementary were completely undeterred. After studying the work of Andy Goldsworthy, famous for his ephemeral nature art, we set out to make some art of our own. Arriving in the woods, pairs…
Read MoreECO Iron Chef
Last week our ECO Institute (Level 2) participants spent five days with NBNC Teacher/Naturalist Ken Benton and NBNC Staff Naturalist Sean Beckett in a natural history immersion for educators. The group spent each day birding, botanizing, checking out local geology, learning forest trees, building fires, and covering a range of ecological content and outdoor skills…
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