Teacher Preparation

Overarching learning goals: Students refocus on the natural world in a multidisciplinary lesson utilising Science explorations as well as English communication techniques. They make detailed sketches outdoors of natural features in the schoolyard, develop a project plan to spend more time in nature and share what they have done with their school community.

Teacher content information: There is an emerging body of local and international research linking childhood contact with nature to a wide range of intellectual, physical and mental health benefits.

Intellectual benefits: Contact with nature can provide a wealth of learning opportunities and improve academic achievement.
Physical benefits: Research has shown a link between body mass index (BMI) scores in children and their access to “green” areas and levels of outdoor play. BMI is often used by health authorities and researchers to indicate healthy weight ranges. In addition, natural environments improve balance and coordination in children and can have a positive impact on eyesight.
Mental health benefits: Contact with nature helps reduce stress in children and provides calming and stabilising memories that they can draw on during stressful periods later in life

The Wild Child Enviroweek Action is designed for students to reconnect with the natural world around them. Young people are encouraged to switch off their appliances and spend time in nature - running, climbing trees, getting dirty or just sitting quietly in the natural world. By doing this Action, young people are taking action to improve their health and emotional well being through outdoor experiences and as a result improve indoor learning. Furthermore, switching off appliances and heading outside for some nature time also saves on carbon emissions and reduces our ecological footprint.

Part 1: Tune In – Learning to Look

Step 1.

Prior to the activity, have students collect appropriate materials and come to class prepared to spend 30 – 40 minutes outside sketching. During class, invite students to think through the process of making a drawing and imagine what they need in order to do it. Make a list and decide what things are essential and what are not. Some considerations:

How can you make the things you need smaller and lighter and more compact?
What you can carry will depend on how far you plan to walk, and whether or not you need to gather things up if you need to move.
What will you do if the weather turns bad? Is there an undercover place outside from which we can still observe nature?
·Do you think you would need all of the following items?
- pencil case with some regular pencils
- a pencil sharpener
- a good eraser
- some pre-separated paper towels in a baggie
- pre-torn-to-size sheets of paper in a large plastic bag
- a stiff piece of cardboard or foamcore as a working surface
- a case for carrying the above

Step 2.

Collect your materials and go to a good spot outside to start sketching. Students can be “on their own” but need to be within earshot of you so they can hear the beginning and end of the activity. Give them approximately 5 minutes to find a spot.

Step 3.

Sitting in their chosen spot, have students sketch various natural items around them. The aim is to observe still, natural objects (eg, not a bird that might fly away). For 10 minutes, sketch a variety of objects, looking for one on which you will focus your second 10 minutes of drawing time.

Step 4.

For 10 minutes, sketch one natural object in as much detail as you can.

Step 5.

Walk back to class.

(Steps 6 -8 may need to take place during another class period).

Step 6.

Individually, students can do a “Plus / Minus / Interesting” evaluation of the activity.

Step 7.

Discuss the following:

How did what you know about art help you in this activity?
How did what you know about science help you in this activity?
What did you find useful about this activity?
What did you find fun about this activity?
How does sketching outside help you think about connecting with nature?

Part 2: Act - Enviroweek Wild Child Project Action Planning

The aim of the Wild Child Action is for students to switch off and spend some time outdoors. There are many different activities that students can do to achieve this outcome. The fun part of Enviroweek is allowing your students to plan your school's activities. This places students in charge of their own learning and enables them to learn in a real-world context. Students will follow a project-based learning style that allows them to develop skills from a range of educational areas.

Step 1:

Introduce the Wild Child Action to students outlining the aims, the starting date of Enviroweek, and the specific environmental benefits of taking part.

Step 2:

Talk to your students about the many different activities that can be undertaken for this Action. Use the table below as a guide for students to select their desired activities. For this Challenge, the important thing is that students turn off electronic devices and spend some time in nature. As they plan their activities, encourage students to think outside the box, but ensure that the details are aligned with SMART goal planning principles: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound.

Students can plan their Enviroweek Challenge for their whole school, one year level, one class or just for their group. As students plan their activities, they can use the Student Worksheet to guide them.

Step 3:

Organise your students into small groups and encourage them to take on different roles that suit their strengths and learning styles. Set a timeline for their group's planning to be completed. Ensure that this is done well before the date of Enviroweek so you have time to seek approval, advertise the event and solve other organisational issues.

Ideas for Enviroweek

Play hide and seek in the most natural area in your school yard or nearby park.	Playing hide and seek sounds so old-fashioned that many of us forget how much fun it is. We tend to notice interesting things about where we are when we are hiding - as we get up close to trees and plants in a way we would not otherwise do.
Sit quietly in a “wild” area and make up a story about it. Imagine what happens there on a moonlit night…	There are many story starters you could use. People might want to start writing, sketching or outlining while sitting outdoors for inspiration.
Find some fallen leaves and flowers and make a pattern for a mandala.	Research what mandalas are, and see if people come up with stories about what their mandala means to them.
Lie on your back and watch the clouds. What shapes can you see?	This will only work when the weather is fine, but it’s a fun activity that puts everyone in a creative, reflective mood. Bring blankets to lie down on.
Find a pet rock and set up a rock picnic for it (using stones, leaves and twigs).	Put your creative juices to use!
Create your own stick sculpture from fallen sticks and branches.	Bring materials, such as string, to attach sticks to sticks. Please don’t disturb large logs, they are probably animals’ homes.
Hunt for animal droppings, burrows and diggings in a “wild” area.	Use field guides to work out what to look for.
Indoor or outdoor classrooms?	Do you perform better academically inside or outside? Devise and conduct an experiment to find out (e.g. take an English test outside.
Under and over obstacles	Build an obstacle course in your yard and time the students as they race through it.
Exercise outside	Where possible, take PE activities to someplace with a bit of nature.
Mindfulness in nature	Practice mindfulness and take it outdoors. Why mindfulness should be taught at schools.

Part 3: Share

Students will be asked to communicate the physical and emotional sensations they experienced to others in the school, as a means of encouraging them to switch off their electronic devices and head outdoors for their own adventures.

Organise the students into pairs and have them complete the following discussion activity:

Discussion

Discuss these questions with a partner, describing the colours of one main outdoor area you visited:

Does one specific colour feature repeatedly in the outdoor setting? If so, what colour is it?
Can the colours of the outdoor setting be classified in a specific group, such as dark, sombre colours or bright, cheerful colours? If so, describe the group of colours.
Could some colours featured in the outdoor setting be presented as symbolic of certain feelings? If so, what might the various colours represent?

Writing task

Direct students to return to their own seats and complete the similes and metaphors task described below -

Compose one simile and one metaphor to describe SIX of the following elements of the natural world and your connection with it:

the sky
the clouds
the wind
the sunlight
shadows
tall trees overhead
low bushes
garden plants
grass
sounds made by wildlife
appearance of a bird
sensation of an insect crawling on your skin
sense of peace
excitement at seeing something unexpected

Review the definitions of a simile and a metaphor as required.

Definitions:

A simile is a comparative description where one thing is described as being ‘like’ or ‘as’ another.

For example, 'The tree loomed above me like a giant ogre'. Another example, 'The rabbit ran as fast as the wind'.

A metaphor is a non-literal description where one thing is described as if it 'is' another. The word 'is' (or 'was') may not always be present, but the expression is still asking us to pretend that the thing being described is something else.

For example, 'The fire was a raging monster.' Another example, 'The marshmallow clouds glided over the blue curtain of the sky.'

Presentation

Students are to use their similes and metaphors as the basis of a PowerPoint presentation. They will need access to computers - this part of the task could be set for homework for those students with Internet access at home. Alternatively, a computer lab period may be needed to complete the task in a subsequent lesson. They will need to use Google Images to find appropriately 'atmospheric' pictures to illustrate their PowerPoints.

Remind students to include a slide that encourages students to switch off their devices and get back to Nature.

Ask your school's IT department to upload your PowerPoints as screen savers in the computer lab or library of your school.

Other ways to share

Feature an article in the school newsletter or local paper

Enviroweek - Nature Observations

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