Outdoor Education Commons^™

Is This A Plant?, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an activity for grades 1 through 6 about identifying plants.

Leaf Art!, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an art activity for grades Kindergarten through 8 about taking leaf rubbings.

Micro-Hiking, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an activity for grades 1 through 8 to explore a small area in the school yard.

Nature Blanks, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an activity for grades Kindergarten through 8 for students to make a picture of a item in nature.

Nature Charades, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an activity for grades 1 through 8 for students to act out aspects of nature for others to guess.

Nature Framing, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline for an activity program fro grades Kindergarten through 8 to select an area they enjoy.

Nature Interpreting, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an activity for grades 1 through 8 asking students to imagine being something in the natural world and to write about it.

Painting Nature, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an activity for grades Kindergarten through 3 for students to explore textures in the natural world.

Rainbow Chips, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an activity for grades 1 through 8 for students to match color samples with things found in nature.

Scavenger Hunt, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an activity for grades 1 through 8 to have students explore an outdoor area by looking for items.

Wildflower Frenzy, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

An outline of an activity for grades 1 through 8 to have students learn about wildflowers

Supporting Students In Learning English Outside The Classroom, Mubariz Zirman

Journal of Research Initiatives

Both inside and outside the classroom are essential in learning a language. However, the importance of these two environments may change from here to there. For instance, in Afghanistan, English is a foreign language, and it is mainly learned inside the classroom. Therefore, the classroom is considered an essential place for learning. This paper aims to identify ways of supporting students in learning a language outside the classroom. Specifically, it will discuss ways of learning English outside the classroom, such as the flipped classroom approach, involving students in out-of-classroom learning, online learning, project-based learning, interacting with native speakers, surfing social …

New To Nature: Resources And Information, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

A guide to help educators in planning the addition of nature or the outdoors into their teaching.

Self-Reported Water Competency Skills At A Historically Black College & University And The Potential Impact Of Additional Hbcu-Based Aquatic Programming, Knolan C. Rawlins Ph.D., Shaun M. Anderson Ed.D, Tiffany Monique Quash Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This article provides an analysis of self-reported water competency skills at a Historically Black University (HBCU). A survey was administered to undergraduate students who lived on campus at one HBCU. Of the 254 respondents that reported the ability to swim, only 187 respondents self-reported the ability to swim and the ability to perform water competency skills. The biggest discrepancy occurred within individuals that identified as Black or African American. In this group, 142 out of 250 participants proclaimed the ability to swim. However, the number of Black or African Americans that could swim dropped to 84 when researchers operationally defined …

Cultivating Joy: Play, Rest, And Connection In Regenerative Cycles, Tim D. Howe

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

As dominant systems continue to lean towards unsustainable patterns, fueled by models of white supremacy and capitalism, these paradigms can be challenged by prioritizing joy and wonder as essential inputs rather than measurable outcomes. This paper seeks to imagine the ways in which failing systems that promise eternal growth and insatiable power dynamics can be in part dismantled through creating the conditions necessary for joy to take precedence over productivity.

The Physical Activity Of Spanish Speleologists: Accomplishment Of Recommendations And Differences By Sociodemographic Variables, Miquel Pans, Laura Antón-González, Maite Pellicer-Chenoll

International Journal of Speleology

Outdoor adventure activities are becoming more popular due to their potential health benefits, although there is little scientific information on speleology as a physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study is to expand the scientific evidence in this field in two ways: (a) describe the PA performed by speleologists, taking into account the variables of interest such as gender, age, education, speleological level, participation in ‘Alpine’ explorations and body mass index (BMI) and (b) identify how far the World Health Organization’s (WHO) PA recommendations were accomplished (i.e.,150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic PA or 75 min of vigorous-intensity aerobic). A …

Making Pla(Y)Ces: Softening The City Through Play, Shivani Pinapotu

Masters Theses

Cities that grow naturally over time integrate spaces of gathering that allow for serendipitous happenstance. However, the cities we design today instruct and codify through intentional planning and design; they assign use, hardening specific function to place. Such strategies lead to spaces devoid of spirit, inculcating in city-dwellers to a sense of disconnect from the city.

In contrast to this, the places we make as children, express our intuitive, direct, and unselfconscious relationships with space and one other. These spaces embody softness through their malleability and adaptability, borrowing from the world around them and imbuing the ordinary with imagination. …

Nebline, June/July 2023

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Introducing Nit Kits: Extension's New Program on Head Lice in Early Childhood Settings by Kait Chapman

Curiosity as a Tool for Health Access by Emily Gratopp

Recipe of the Month: Refreshing Watermelon Salad by Emily Gratopp

Nebraska Celebrates Wildflower Week, June 5–11 by Sarah Browning

Graden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Fescue Toxicosis by Connor Biehler

Graywater Use in Nebraska by Becky Schuerman

Aphids, Scales and Spider Mites, Oh My! by Kait Chapman

Challenging Behaviors: Using Positive Language by Hayley Jackson

Extension News: New 4-H Assistant

4-H’ers Qualify for State Presentations Contest

4-H Clubs Helped at Kiwanis Karnival

Nebraska …

The Center For Centering Dome, Olek Piechaczek, Ryan M. Scharf

Architectural Engineering

The Center for Centering seeks to create a large-scale healing center, conducive to individual centering of the mind and body. This mobile installation provides a relaxing, enclosed space while still maintaining a connection to the outdoors. The clients liked the idea of having a pop-up installation that could be easily set up as a touring display. With a deadline for installation looming in June 2022, a team of students had five months to design and manufacture the structure.

In winter 2022, the students developed custom geometry to minimize the number of individual parts and built a ¼ scale model of …

The Benefits Of Outdoor Education For Students With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Annabelle Winking

University Honors Theses

ADHD diagnoses and pharmaceutical treatment have increased dramatically within this century. However, non-pharmaceutical treatments have not reflected this increase. One area where those diagnosed often struggle the most is within academic settings. This study argues for the benefit of outdoor education for students with ADHD, and suggests the importance of future research on this topic. In this study I examine the recent history of ADHD and evaluate trends in treatment, particularly green space as a form of treatment. These studies show both immediate and long-term benefits within a variety of settings. Within these studies, I identified a research gap in …