Outdoor Education Commons^™

Professional Opportunities, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section included numerous opportunities for professional development related to outdoor education and environmental or conservation education. Some of the options included "Green Festivals 2009" and the "38th NSEE Conference Dallas, TX".

From The Editor, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Like the people in the above story, this issue of Taproot deals with the sounds people value. Considering the increasing popularity of cell phones, iPods, and other portable electronic devices it appears the value of hearing natural sounds or experiencing silence is not a high priority. Many questions can be posed regarding this situation. What is the long-term impact on human physical, mental, and spiritual health when people are subject to noise, human voices and music as they sleep? What harm does daylong use of cell phones, iPods, and other electronic devices bring about? What is the future for environmental …

Susquehanna Paddle, William Williams

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

My childhood reading of Mark Twain's account about Huck Finn's river trip caused me to dream about venturing down the Susquehanna. Growing up along the river in Elmira, New York there was always a sense of uncertainty and unpredictability suggesting it would be physically challenging and fun. However, it remained only a notion in the inner recesses of my mind as I grew and life drew me in other directions. The idea surfaced and strengthened once again in the summer of 2007 and, despite the reservations of my wife and friends, off I went.

An Overview Of The National Trails System Act, Sandra L. Johnson

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

The National Trails System Act, P.L. 90-543, became law October 2, 1968. The Act and its subsequent amendments authorized a national system of trails and defined four categories of national trails. Since the designation of the Appalachian and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails as the first two components, the system has grown to include 20 national trails. Now, 30 years after its inception, issues remain regarding funding, quality and quantity of trails, new trail categories, and nationwide promotion to make Americans more aware of the System. This report will be updated as legislative actions occur.

Trends And Issues In Outdoor Adventure Programming, Tom Holman, Andrew J. Bobilya, And Leo Mcavoy

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Research has shown that these Outdoor Adventure Programs provide their participants with major positive and life changing outcomes. These programs connect people with nature, encourage growth in personal and group development, provide outdoor skill development, and enrich people's quality of life in many other outcome areas. Quality leadership and management of programs are necessary for these programs to continue to offer safe and attractive opportunities for participants. Like all other social movements, the Outdoor Adventure Program movement must constantly adjust to changing social and cultural conditions. The purpose of this paper is to identify and explain some of the current …

Review Of Wind The World Over, Michael A Anderson

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

In our last issue, we identified in our news briefs section the significant increase in wind power installations throughout the United States during 2007. Now coincidentally, we find Irene Roland and Vanessa Kellogg's, 2007 children's book, Wind the World Over in our reviews section.

Professional Opportunities, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section included numerous opportunities for professional development related to outdoor education and environmental or conservation education. Some of the options included "Council of Outdoor Educator of Ontario 2008 Annual Conference" and "The Wildlife Society's 15th Annual Conference".

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 a mission the support and furtherance of outdoor education and its goals.

A Visual Exploration Of Schools And Prisons, Michael A Anderson

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

I've often found myself driving down the road passing by an unfamiliar large building wondering, "What's going on in there?" And more specifically, "Was that a school or a prison? I think it was a school, but it sort of looked like a prison." Currently, my 1992 Honda Accord's odometer reads 225,346 miles - the majority of which are from my personal travels throughout the greater United States. While I've certainly contributed to my share of greenhouse gases during those 15 years of driving, I've also had the opportunity to observe and reflect on society and a lot of mysterious …

Review Of In Defense Of Childhood, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Those who have read, and taken seriously, Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder must quickly obtain a copy of Mercogliano' s In Defense of Childhood ... Mercogliano's focus is on modern parenting and public schools asserting that most of them stifle the innate sense of wonder, imagination, and creativity that all healthy children are born with. The main culprit, in his view, is an over-structured lifestyle imposed on children by parents and schools. By attempting to provide risk free situations and to prepare children for success in a consumer oriented society parents …

Conference Calendar, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section provides a list of conferences in the field of outdoor education including "National Center on Accessibility" and "SOLO - Wilderness Medicine".

An Overview Of Outdoor Experiential Education In Canadian K-12 Schools, Mary Breunig & Tim O'Connell

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Must we always teach our children with books? Let them look at the mountains and the stars up above. Let them look at the beauty of the waters and the trees and flowers on earth. They will then begin to think, and to think is the beginning of a real education. - David Polis

In January, the authors of this paper spent an afternoon at the Norval Outdoor School in Norval, Ontario. It was a cold day. The ground was blanketed with a layer of new fallen snow and a group of 5th grade students were engaged in a form …

Outdoor Learning At Tuckahoe Elementary School, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Recognizing that public schools can play an important role in reconnecting children to nature, Taproot sought out an exemplary program to highlight. Some strong recommendations from professional colleagues, a brief personal visit, and review of their web site prompted an interview with leaders at Tuckahoe Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. School principal, Cynthia Brown and Outdoor Learning Coordinator, Mary McLean discussed how outdoor learning has become an integral part of their curriculum. We trust their experiences may model school-based outdoor education elsewhere.

Review Of Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning...will be a very worthwhile edition to any "would be" outdoor educator's library. Herb Broda has written a nicely balanced book blending theory and practice. Stated in easily understood language, the author provides a very good introduction and overview of "outdoor education" that will help guide readers through confusion surrounding the term. Broda's explanation of the evolving concept of outdoor education will be very useful to new students and to those who wish to convince others (school administrators) about its educational value.

News Briefs, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section contains multiple brief news items related to conservation, environment or outdoor education. Some items included: "Eco-consumers, we are not." and "One way to spread a little knowledge about environmental issues around the work place."

Review Of Where Do The Children Play?, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Where Do The Children Play is a DVD based on Elizabeth Goodenough's book Secret Spaces of Childhood. Recently released in May 2008 it will become a very important component in advancing the Children and Nature movement!

Resources, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section contains a listing of teaching resources of all types for those who work in the outdoor education field at the time of publication. Some items highlighted include: "No Child Left Inside Coalition" and "The Children & Nature Network".

From The Editor, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

It has been said, "a picture is worth a thousand words." If this is true, reason suggests that a direct experience is worth a thousand pictures! Unfortunately, even a cursory look at our society reveals that words and pictures are increasingly defining reality for more and more citizens. This is especially true for children when parents provide an array of electronic devices to "occupy" any available unstructured time and when schools routinely keep them indoors tied to books, computers, and tests. This issue of Taproot attempts to provide some insights on why we are holding our children prisoners and what …

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 a mission the support and furtherance of outdoor education and its goals.

Review Of Jayber Crow, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

As in his other books, and poetry, Berry writes about ordinary people, community and the land. In Jayber Crow, readers follow the life journey of a "wouldbe" preacher who becomes the town barber in a small rural community of the south. Berry's genius is in the way that he draws the reader into the story. His development of characters is such that readers will quickly relate with them, and once hooked, will continue to read to see what happens. The book truly is one that you will not want to put down. It is a love story between and about …

Pleasurable Cures For Nature Deficit Disorder, Martin Ogle

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Let's back up and define "Nature Deficit Disorder" a bit. The one sentence description of this disorder most often posited goes something like this: "Kids don't spend as much time outside as they used to, and this is compromising the health. and well-being of kids, the adults they become, and society." There is a lot of truth in this, and efforts to simply get kids outside more are needed and powerful in their own right. But the problem goes deep~r than that. Increasingly, the word "unstructured" is being added to the basic sentence, above: "Kids don't spend as much unstructured …

Outdoor Education And The Development Of Civic Responsibility, Judith A Boss

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Recently commentators have mourned the "disappearance of civic America," saying we are becoming a nation of civic couch potatoes (Tyack, 1997). Surveys suggest voters know little about what their legislators are doing (Harris, 1997). Other observers point out the importance of strong civic involvement for creating conditions sometimes referred to as social capital-that support vital community life and thriving economies (Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 1993). This type of involvement includes participation in government, associations (for example, charitable, religious, athletic, environmental, or arts), and community and economic development. For students to grow into fully participating citizens, they need to find their place …

Conference Calendar, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section provides a list of conferences in the field of outdoor education including: "Bradford Woods Outdoor Education Center" and "OWAA" (Outdoor Writers Association of America).

Resources, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section contains a listing of teaching resources of all types for those who work in the outdoor education field at the time of publication. Some items highlighted include: "Wilderdom - A Project in Natural Living and Transformation" and "Environmental Directory: EcoBusinessLinks".

From The Editor, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Several months after we decided to make "Nature and Character Development" the theme for this Taproot, a disturbing Teaching and Learning Newsletter found its way into my mailbox. An article titled: Generation Next Comes to College ... dealt with our current cohort (Generation NeXt) of younger college students and issues such as "high school grade inflation in entering students, academic disengagement and consumer expectations while in college to difficulties entering the workforce and taking on adult roles when they graduate" if they do so at all. The author's thesis was that college faculty must adopt new teaching styles to accommodate …

Update On The Children And Nature Movement, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

The National Forum on Children and Nature, sponsored by The Conservation Fund, Louv and others, also continues to progress towards its goal of sponsoring national projects which will serve to reconnect kids with nature. Calls for project proposals went out last fall and Forum Advisory Panels are now considering some 500 applications anticipating awarding funding to thirty or so finalists later in 2008. Reviewing those applications is, in itself, cause to celebrate somewhat. It is very encouraging to see the diversity of environmental, outdoor, and recreation education programs that already exist in the USA The Children and Nature movement is …

Review Of Fermenting Revolution, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Want to help save the planet? Want to do so while enjoying a healthy and pleasurable experience? OK, then read Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World. Seriously, O'Brien makes a sound argument, often humorous, that drinking locally brewed beers can significantly assist the goals of the growing "sustainability" movement. He is the Director of the Responsible Purchasing Network at the Center for a New American Dream. The Center and this book are dedicated to challenging the "onslaught of corporate globalization" by putting into practice the wisdom of "thinking globally and acting locally."

The Camp Experience, Deborah Bialeschki, Karla A Henderson, And Penny A James

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

The focus of this article is the importance of camp settings in providing a positive climate for youth development outcomes. Camps may be one of the largest organized interventions for children in the US followed only by schools and churches. Camp programs serve an estimated 12 million campers each year, so they have the potential to exert great influence on many children and adults each year. Camps provide interventions in that camp staff members are trained to help youth change in posi- Fall/Winter 2007 tive ways. Camp offers sustained experiences, usually in natural settings that promote a "sense of community" …

Review Of Noah's Children, Josh Bochniak

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Sara Stein, in a narrative that elicits emotions as divergent as anger and laughter, approaches the broad idea of what is missing in today's childhood, and what she perceives is needed for its restoration. Approaching topics such as evolutionary and cultural heritage, natural interaction, and developmental struggles, she places many contemporary social norms in sharp contrast against their historical predecessors.

Professional Opportunities, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section included numerous opportunities for professional development related to outdoor education and environmental or conservation education. Some of the options included the 2008 ATRA Annual Conference - "Leading the Way" and "The 2008 Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) Annual Conference".