Camp Creek Blog

the benefits of going outdoors

Lori — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:34:34 +0000

[T]he California-based State Education and Environmental Roundtable, a national effort to study environment-based education, found that schools that use outdoor classrooms, among other techniques, produce student gains in social studies, science, language arts and math; improved standardized test scores and grade-point averages; and enhanced skills in problem-solving, critical thinking and decision-making. In addition, anecdotal evidence suggests that time in natural surroundings also stimulates children's creativity. — Richard Louv

Art class this morning at a beautiful nature preserve/park. Cold, overcast, and 30% chance of rain. Not ideal? But who knows what we might see on this cloudy day. Pictures later today!

may is my favorite month

Lori — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:22:42 +0000

May is my month. Mothers Day, my birthday, and then my mom's birthday all in the space of two weeks. Plus, May has May baskets ... and the best weather.

We play it pretty cool on Mothers Day. Handmade cards. A joint present from my three guys — something for the garden.

Since my birthday quickly follows Mothers Day, and I lay claim to the whole month, I usually get a camping trip or a kayaking trip, too. My favorite present is a great memory.

So what are you guys doing this weekend?

reggio and kinesthetic learners

Lori — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:30:13 +0000

I got a great question in the comments to my interview at The Artful Parent, and I wanted to share it and my answer here.

Hi Lori,

What a wonderful interview! Thank you for the information. I have been doing some research on Reggio, homeschooling and other philosophies. I currently am a special education teacher in the public school system. For the most part I love my job; however, there are MANY things I don’t agree with. I have a almost 3 year old and 8 month old. I am reseraching my alternatives for them when it comes to education and I have a question for you. Everything I am reading seems to be art based, what if a child isn’t much into art? My daughter for example will paint, color, playdough, etc.f or about 10 minutes tops, but when it comes to running outside, dribbling a ball, or playing on a playground I can’t get her in! I guess I am wondering how she would fit into such models? Thank Eileen

Hi, Eileen - and thank you! While many people focus on the visual arts aspect of the Reggio approach, the Hundred Languages actually embrace kinesthetic learners - children do learn in different ways and can engage with a subject and express their knowledge by building, dancing, performing skits, dramatic play, and in many other active ways.
And while the visual arts (e.g., drawing, painting, collage) are important, an active child might be more engaged with building models, sculpting clay, creating large-scale dramatic play structures (e.g., child-size vehicles, buildings, rooms), etc.
The idea isn't to try to funnel a child toward visual arts, but rather give them a whole smorgasbord of choices - books about buildings and bridges and other structures *with* a fantastic array of blocks and other building materials, a great dress-up trunk *with* a stage to dance and perform on, an art studio with a quiet nook to draw in *and* an array of exciting things to build and scupt with. And when a child shows a particular interest, paying attention and providing them with what they need to take the work further.
If you are interested in the Reggio approach specifically, if you delve a little deeper you will find wonderful garden- and park-centered projects to read about.
Since you already know your child has a strong desire to be outside, you can meet her halfway and provide her with tools for learning outdoors - magnifying glass, binoculars, bug box, field guides, sandbox, outdoor building materials (rocks, shells, pinecones, etc.), a work area outdoors (perhaps a small table), scarves for running and dancing, a garden... We set up easels outdoors with pencils, oil pastels, and paint so that children can paint and play and draw and play - and there are so many exciting things to learn about outside!

You can read the whole interview and all of the comments here.

play station

Lori — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:16:34 +0000

Really enjoyed this. Shirt by Wire & Twine.

Have a great weekend!

take a hike

Lori — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:41:59 +0000

Today's art class and picnic had to be canceled due to thunderstorms.

Yesterday, we took a little hike. The woods were filled with bluebells.

moving and reorganizing

Lori — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:13:28 +0000

Anyone else in the throes of intense spring cleaning?

We are doing an enormous space switch that involves me moving my office, my 11-year-old moving up to the loft to his very own bedroom where my office used to be, and my 8-year-old spreading out in his former shared space to get his own room and the whole desk to himself. (The latter of which is requiring a lot of Ikea construction.)

Remember those cheap plastic games where you would move the little tiles up, down, sideways trying to get them in numerical order? That's what I feel like right now. Except the little plastic tiles are heavy pieces of furniture, boxes of books, endless bins of LEGOs, and all my craft supplies.

We are all experiencing some intense emotions about this shift as well.

I am feeling just a tiny bit sad about losing my office under the eaves, especially since I had a tiny balcony with a view.

Younger son is feeling just a tiny bit sad about not sharing a room with his big brother anymore.

Older son is experiencing joy and exultation on getting his own space.

So, not only are there clouds of dust in the air, the arguments over what should stay and what should be donated, the constant background hum of vacuuming, but also a heightened emotional state. Sigh.

I know a couple people are likewise occupied. Anyone else have a big spring project under way?

when does your homeschool year end?

Lori — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:35:00 +0000

As the weather turns warm and the green starts to emerge, we are putting down our books and moving outside — to play catch, read on the deck, draw in the woods behind our house.

We start living outdoors again. We may take sledding and snowball breaks in the winter, but it’s nothing like the wholesale move to outside that happens in the spring.

Public and private schools in our area start getting out around the middle of May (for those who have no spring break and a very short winter break) and some are still in session in June.

The biggest change for us when school lets out is that our school-attending friends are suddenly free to play during the day, during the week.

We like to schedule vacations for either the last few weeks of public school in the spring or the first few weeks in the fall. It’s such a luxury to visit popular places when the weather is beautiful but there are no crowds.

When are you “done” for the year? If you are unschooling, do you pay any attention at all to the “school” year?

interview: my eleven-year-old

Lori — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:46:49 +0000

Me: How long have you been doing project work?

Dominic: Since I was three.

Me: How do you study a topic by doing a project?

Dominic: Instead of just reading a book, you actually do something with it. Like, when the preschoolers studied space, they didn't just read books about it. They built a rocket ship and helmets. When we were studying frogs, we made a giant frog and we made his joints move the way we learned how their joints move.

Me: So you build models? What other kinds of things do you do?

Dominic: All kinds of things. Also when we were studying frogs, we brought in frogs. We went to see frogs. We studied them.

Now I’m working on my geology project and I’ve been writing down everything I’ve learned and I’m making plans to make it into a book and hopefully sell it for lots of moola.

Me: So, some of the things you’ve mentioned include

- making models

- studying live specimens

- dramatic play

- reading books

- writing books

- taking field trips

Also, when you guys did that frog project, you had an expert come talk to you, right?

Dominic: A professor came from the university and he brought some frogs to show us. One got loose! It was hilarious.

Me: So, tell me about your geology project.

Dominic: Basically, I just get out my journal and a geology book and I read half a page and then write down in my journal what I learned that day. Also, usually most of the pages have pictures and I draw those in my journal, too.

Me: What made you interested in geology in the first place?

Dominic: We were on vacation and we were visiting the Badlands and at one of the tourist centers I got a book on geology and started reading it.

Me: What do you find interesting about geology?

Dominic: A lot of different stuff. It’s just interesting to find out how everything was made and the different processes — how volcanos are made, how rocks are made. What I was reading about yesterday was how a river will go around a convex bend and hit a block of rock and wash that rock away and then the river will slowly migrate sideways.

Me: When you’re done with your geology project, what do you think you might study next?

Dominic: I don't know. I’ll study whatever I think is interesting.

happy earth day!

Lori — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:05:32 +0000

Happy Earth Day!

Are you doing anything to celebrate the day?

We’ve been celebrating our planet with our nature journals and visiting the local nature center.

We made that great field bag from a worn-out pair of pants.

We make lots of art out of recyclables and free things from around the house.

I hope you all get out to touch a bit of the Earth today with your kids.

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike. — John Muir

nature journals: observational painting

Lori — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:49:52 +0000

Along the same lines as observational drawing, we will concentrate on looking closely, noticing details, and doing our best to paint what we see.

We will try to paint the colors exactly as we see them.

First we do an observational pencil sketch. (If you want to try ink, make sure it is waterproof.)

Then we add details in color using the watercolor techniques we have practiced.

Because we're working in our sketchbooks and the pages are not as heavy as watercolor paper, we’re careful about using too much water — and we use an extra piece of paper under the page we are painting on to absorb any wetness that soaks through.

Things to do while making observational drawings and paintings in nature:

• Talk about what we see.

• Ask questions about what we see — and remember them, so we can look up the answers later.

• Talk about what has changed since we were here last.

• Write descriptive words in our journals.

• Pay attention to everything around us — not just what we can see, but also what we can hear, what we can feel.

• Make sure we take everything with us when we leave.

See also: the complete list of nature journal lessons (as it grows!)

You may also be interested in the complete list of art activities.