Outdoor Education Commons^™

Nebline, November/December 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Tiny Tastes Can Total BIG CALORIES Over the Holiday Season

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Nebline, October 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Smart Snacking

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Nebline, September 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Youth Showcase Their Achievements at Super Fair

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Nebline, August 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Cherry Creek Habitat Provides Opportunities for Pollinator Education

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Special pullout section: Lancaster County Super Fair 2014 Schedule & Map

Nebline, July 2014

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Table Setting Contest is a Fun Way to Learn Nutrition, Setting a Table, Presenting and More!

Food & Health

Family Living

Farm & Acreage

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Extension Calendar

and other extension news and events

Local Hero: The Journey To Malloryville Bog, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This article reports an interview with Robert M. Beck author of The Journey at Malloryville Bog. Like the book, it shares an illuminating and intimate chronicle of environmental challenge and success. It is Robert Beck’s personal narrative about the collective effort to protect his cherished home and ecologically unique adjacent bog from destruction. Beck’s account of glacier-formed eskers, kames, and kettles, of diverse woodlands, swamps, fens, and bog, of mining applications and recurring environmental reviews, of uncertainty and long struggle, and of diligence, awesome teamwork, and phenomenal land deals is highly instructive for those who might also become involved in …

A Call For Environmental Patriotism, Anne Marie Todd

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Environmental patriotism, the belief that the national environment defines a country’s greatness, is a significant strand in twentieth century American environmentalism. This article is adapted from Anne Marie Todd’s book, Communicating Environmental Patriotism: A Rhetorical History of the American Environmental Movement (Routledge, 2013) where the author is the first to explore the history of environmental patriotism in America through intriguing stories of environmental patriots and the rhetoric of their speeches and propaganda. The article and book offer a provoking critique of environmentalists’ communication strategies and suggests patriotism as a persuasive hook for new ways to make environmental issues a national …

The Perceived Significant Life Experience, Jennifer Wigglesworth And Paul Heintzman

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This quantitative study of a university outdoor education (OE) course as a significant life experience (SLE) builds upon previous qualitative research (Wigglesworth & Heintzman, 2013, in press). The study was retrospective in nature, and its theoretical framework emerged from SLE research in which participants are asked to recall experiences that have contributed to future decisions about environmental protection (Chawla, 1998). A life experience is significant if it changes a person in some way (i.e., perspective, behaviour, or belief); it constitutes a new or extraordinary experience; it provides something useful for the future; specific meaning is derived from or attributed to …

Growing Girls’ Leadership Through Outdoor Programming, Kallen E. Tsikalas And Karyn L. Martin

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Girl Scouting (GS) is fundamentally about developing girls as leaders—growing their courage, confidence, character, and ability to make the world a better place. It does this by providing them with opportunities to build leadership skills (outcomes) related to discovering, connecting, and taking action (GSUSA, 2008), and by engaging them in the processes of learning by doing, cooperative learning, and girl-led activities (James & Bastiani Archibald, 2009).

Contents, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

The Coalition for Education in the Outdoors is a non-profit network of outdoor and environmental education centers, nature centers, conservation and recreation organizations, outdoor education and experiential education associations, institutions of higher learning, public and private schools, fish and wildlife agencies, and businesses that share the mission to support and further outdoor education and its goals.

The Environmental Rhetoric Of Song, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Pete Seeger was, indeed, a master of environmental lyric and song. His folk style musical rhetoric continues to attract the listening of thousands of children and adults each year. Songs can capture the moment and also launch a movement. What follows are 10 of our favorite tunes carrying environmental/green messages. Some are old, some are new; perhaps you have others to share with Taproot readers. Our favorite, considering the Coalition for Education in the Outdoors’ mission, is a new one by none other than Bruce Matthews, first director of the Coalition. It began as a poem many years ago and …

From The Editor, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

The need for environmental patriotism, the theme of this issue of Taproot, is suggested by a 2006 college student in his final quarter of college. Asked by professor Carmen Werder (See Resources on page 48) to describe himself via metaphor, the student finally settled on being like a stream. A stream, he said, “is always moving forward, forever changing…eventually becomes pure… We are all pieces of a larger system, and I appreciate my place in it. It’s the first time I’ve ever thought of myself as part of something bigger.” How is it, Werder asks, that research shows so many …

Local Environmental History And The Journey To Ecological Citizenship, Michael B. Smith

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This article describes a process of hands-on learning that Professor Michael Smith uses to help college students develop a sense of place and understand the meaning of civic engagement. It also suggests ways of evaluating a teacher’s pedagogical effectiveness. The article first appeared in the book, Citizenship Across the Curriculum, which describes how similar approaches to civic education can also be used in political science, mathematics, the natural sciences, rhetoric and communication studies. Smith’s inclusion of student comments about their course experience is especially insightful for scholars wishing to know more about the learning process.

A Salute To Pete Seeger: Environmental Patriot Extraordinaire, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

A Salute to Pete Seeger is a tribute to an American folk music legend. Celebrated for his political activism and contributions to revive American folk music, Seeger was also an important environmental patriot. Tirelessly using his guitar and banjo he got a whole generation singing together and actively involved in cleaning up and protecting the natural world. The inscription on Pete’s banjo succinctly illustrates his personal philosophy and how he lived: “This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender.” His principled and modest lifestyle provides a worthy role model for teachers and parents who want their children to become …

Participant Profiles, Antecedent Predictors, And Developmental Outcomes, Jayson Seaman, Erin Hiley Sharp, Sean Mclaughlin, Corinna Tucker, Karen Vangundy, Cesar Rebellon

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Adolescents spend 40% to 50% of their waking hours in discretionary activities, representing an important context for youth development (Verma & Larson, 2003). Structured and unstructured outdoor activities have been acknowledged as especially promising venues for positive youth development (PYD, Mainella, Agate & Clark, 2010; Sibthorp, 2010). In the youth development and activity literature, however, outdoor activities often are undifferentiated from other options, with researchers emphasizing more generic characteristics such as adult supervision, program structure, and skill-building opportunities (see Mahoney, Larson, & Eccles, 2005). Conversely, many outdoor education scholars highlight the distinctiveness of outdoor programs, yet research designs are frequently …

Constructing A Family Adventure Experience, Jillisa R. Overholt

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

While family leisure is a growing area of inquiry, focus on family outdoor recreation or family adventure experiences remains limited. Outdoor recreation and camping experiences, however, are particularly well suited to enhancing family bonding and cohesiveness (Hawkes, 1991). This has been suggested to be the case because of the unfamiliar environment, the social structure, and the types of interactions required to successfully negotiate the environment and task (Huff, Widmer, McCoy, & Hill, 2003). Much of the existing research in this area has focused on organized family camping experiences (Agate & Covey, 2007; Taylor, 2006) or short-term adventure experiences, usually one …

Book Reviews, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section reviewed several books. These books included:

Outdoor Adventure and Social Theory-- edited by Elizabeth C. J. Pike and Simon Beames and reviewed by Jeff Rose

The Journey at Malloryville Bog-- written by Robert M. Beck and reviewed by Charles Yaple

In The News, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section contains multiple brief news items related to conservation, environment, and outdoor education.

Resources, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section lists teaching resources of all types for those who work in outdoor education at the time of publication. Some highlighted items include:

Eco-Warriors: Updated Edition

Rise of the Eco-Warriors: Film Review

Taproot In & Outside The Classroom, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section provides activities and strategies to include Taproot into classroom lesson plans.