Outdoor Education Commons^™

Fostering Resilience Through Outdoor Education, Amy Shellman

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

According to the American Psychological Association (n.d.), resilience is “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress- such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors.” Psychological resilience (distinct from other types of resilience, e.g., physical resilience) may be understood as one’s capacity for maintenance, recovery, or improvement in mental health following life challenges (Neill & Dias, 2001). Wagnild and Young (1993) describe resilience as one’s ability to respond and adapt to challenging, adverse or stressful circumstances. In short, one may be considered resilient …

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 to support the furtherance of outdoor education and its goals.

Movie Review Of 127 Hours, Susan Wilson

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

127 Hours (2010) is the story of Aron Ralston directed by Danny Boyle. An outdoor adventurer, Ralston catapulted to the national stage when he was found in Canyonlands National Park after having amputated his own arm over the course of an 127 hour ordeal. Ralston was hiking alone in 2003 when he fell, pinning his arm under a large boulder. After four days and many failed attempts at escape, Ralston made the difficult decision to amputate his own arm to save his life. Ralston’s story became controversial amongst outdoor enthusiasts; a lone hiker, who did not alert others to the …

Professional Organizations, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This section lists Professional Organizations for those who work in the outdoor education field. Some organizations include: NAI (National Association for Interpretation) and TAEE (Texas Association of Environmental Educators).

Book Review Of The Sound Of A Wild Snail, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA) winner is a natural fit for Taproot’s resiliency theme. Who could be more resilient than an active and bright thirty-four year old woman felled by an incurable autonomic nervous system disorder, debilitated to the point that she spends her days lying in bed barely able to move an arm but still becomes a noted authority on snails (gastropods)? Elizabeth Tova Bailey is the epitome of resiliency and The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is an outstanding piece of natural history writing. Like snails, the book is small (191 pages) but replete with important …

Interview With Jon Young, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

In this section, Charles Yaple interviews Jon Young, one of the authors of the "Coyote Guide to Connecting with Nature" and Co-founder of the Eight Shields Institute, about connecting with nature and animal tracking.

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 "Smithsonian Education Online Conferences" and "The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science."

From The Editor, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Old Twist is a symbol of resiliency on our tree farm. I suspect its seedling days were spent in a pasture where it suffered the predation of cows, deer, rabbits; buffeting winds, torrential rains and scorching sun. It survived numerous setbacks and today reigns as the strongest tree in the forest. How is it that some people, like Old Twist, can bounce back from adversity and others can’t? Does being connected to nature and learning in the outdoors provide “tonics and barks which brace mankind” as proclaimed by Henry David Thoreau? To him wild places were a source of inspiration …

Resiliency Quiz, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors, The Resiliency Advantage; Al Siebert, Ph.D

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Resilient people overcome adversity, bounce back from setbacks, and can thrive under extreme, on-going pressure without acting in dysfunctional or harmful ways.

The most resilient people recover from traumatic experiences stronger, better, and wiser. Honestly answer the following the questions to see how resilient you are!

This Quiz is reprinted with permission from the The Resiliency Advantage, Al Siebert, Ph.D.

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 "US Play Coalition" and "Wilderness Medicine".

Outdoor Education Research Symposium Call For Abstracts, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

From January 13-15, 2012, an international research symposium will be held at the Bradford Woods Campus of Indiana University near Martinsville, Indiana, a short drive from the Indianapolis Airport. The purpose of this gathering is to advance the empirical, conceptual, and theoretical bases of outdoor education. Like the first ten CEO Research Symposia, this symposium will bring together a wide array of researchers to explore current and future trends in using the outdoors for educational and therapeutic purposes. In addition to spotlighting current research, the program includes featured presentations on timely issues and ample time for both structured and informal …

Examining Youth Camping Outcomes Across Multiple States: The National 4-H Camping Research Consortium (Ncrc), Barry Garst, Allison Nichols, Jill Martz, Niki Nestor Mcneely, Laura Bovitz, Denise Frebertshauser, Martha Garton, Suzanne Le Menestrel, Jill Walahoski

Nebraska 4-H Clubs: Historical Materials and Publications

The impact of residential camp participation is needed for camps focused on a variety of outcomes including education, summer fun, prevention, and youth development. One system, the Cooperative Extension Service, conducts 4-H residential camps in most states nationwide every year. These camps, though offering educational enhancement and fun activities, are focused on youth development, incorporating a framework called the essential elements of positive youth development. The National 4-H Camping Research Consortium (NCRC), a group of Extension specialists and county-level educators, designed and piloted assessment tools for 4-H camps that can be used at any camp that focuses on youth development. …

Nebline, April 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Supplemental Kits Make Learning Nutrition Fun

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Nebline, March 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Connect, Learn, and Share With Extension

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Weed Awareness Insert

Nebline, February 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Got Bed Bugs? Don't Panic! There are Steps You Can Take

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Otis: A Coyote In New York City An Original Children's Story, Lexi Gross

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis represents a year-long project that has taken on many forms, been influenced by many factors, and has now been crafted into an original children's story about a coyote in New York City. The work is based on a true story and explores the tension between city life and the natural world.

Nebline, January 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Tightening Your Belt in Tough Times

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Annual Report Special Pullout Section

El Atlas De Oregón Para Estudiantes, Teresa L. Bulman, Gwenda H. Rice, Center For Spatial Analysis And Research. Portland State University, David Banis, Anamaria Esparza

Instructional Materials

Un atlas para los estudiantes de primaria y secundaria

Nebline, November/December 2010

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Garbology 4-H School Enrichment

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Maple Syrup: A Sweet Springtime Lesson, Stephen G. Saupe, Sarah Gainey

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Nebline, October 2010

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Can Help Youth Choose a Career Path

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Children And Nature Forum Update, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Approximately five years have lapsed since Richard Louv launched an unanticipated national children and nature movement with publication of his book. Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nat tire Deficit Disorder. Just as Gifford Pinchot informed and inflamed (with Theodore Roosevelt's help) public consciousness by coining the term "Conservation" in the early 1900's; Louv's "Nature Deficit Disorder" (NDD) resonated with the suspicions of outdoor professionals in 2005. Seemingly almost everywhere, children were experiencing the outdoors less and less and they, and society, were paying a heavy price because of it!

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 "Neill 2010 Outdoor education theories: A review and synthesis" and "National Public Radio."

Celebrating The Camp Experience Through Eighty Years Of Camp Research, M. Deborah Bialeschki, Jim Sibthorp

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

The purpose of this article is to broadly describe the contributions of research to organized camping over the past eighty years. We will recap key contributions from the research, address some of the challenges encountered when conducting camp research, and provide suggestions for the future of camp research.

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.

From The Editor, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Jon Stewart's (et al) Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race is a humorous, yet very serious, attempt to describe the human condition and what alien visitors, in the future, might surmise if they came across evidence of our long extinct civilization. A riddle is posed on page thirty-five. Paraphrased, it goes as follows: It's 11:59 P.M. on New Year's Eve. The door swings open and in walks an upright, hairless, creature with a protruding frontal lobe on its head suggesting possession of a large brain. The strange creature moves in, redecorates the joint and eats half …

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 outdoor education field at time of publication. Some items highlighted include: "Outdoor Recreation: Enrichment for a Lifetime" and "Outdoor education at Timbertop."

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 include "New Report on Outdoor Recreation Participation" and the documentary "Play Again."

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 "The National Conference on Wilderness Medicine" and the "1st Annual Green Schools National Conference."

Interview With Peg Smith, Charles Yaple

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

By way of helping celebrate 150 years of organized camping. Taproot editor, Charles Yaple, interviewed Peg Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the American Camp Association (ACA) on November 2, 2010. Ms. Smith has been leading the ACA since 1998. No armchair administrator. Peg Smith has twety-six years ' experience working with children in various capacities. She has been widely recognized for her "entrepreneurial work style and organizational capacity. " Most importantly. Peg has the special gift of being able to move people and affect change.