Apps in the Woods

The forest is full.  Every inch of it is alive.  A single handful of sub-humus soil is so fecund, that it takes several specialists’ careers to study and understand the structures, cycles, and species found therein.   

With so much going on in those woods already, could a piece of technology possibly add to the nature experience?  It is an oft touted virtue of the forest, in fact, that all its diversity and scope can help to cure the ails of a culture too often plugged into our devices. So, why bring a screen into the forest? Just because they make “an app for that,” should we use it? I think, sometimes, we ought to.

In the classroom, tech can make all the difference in differentiation (adapting your classroom and curriculum to best serve all students).  In the forest, technology can serve the same purpose, pulling in students who would otherwise be, “left in the woods.”

Here at the Outdoor Education Center, we have a quiver full of targeted technologies available to our students, to augment their learning.

ipads are loaded with applications linking students to scientists around the world (inaturalist, Texas Nature, etc.).  Our tablets allow young learners to share their close observations of our local nature with other interested peoples in eco-regions around the world.  These apps help to paint a rich picture of global bio-diversity, or a lack thereof, co-constructed by experts and lay-naturalists alike. Other apps host volumes of information in formats like ibird pro, and skywalk that would take several backpacks worth of field guides to bring along on a hike. These apps are developed for learners of all strengths, mixing, very intentionally, attractive visual platforms with text, and sound (offering students avenues of participation that allow for abilities of all types.)

We have enrichment technologies that augment the experience of all comers: a “pro-scope,” linked in to ipads, that allows students to view magnified images of objects in real time; a “snake-light-camera,” that allows teachers to show students the hidden nooks and crannies of boroughs and hollows; and a bevy of “point-and-shoot” digital cameras, for capturing the action of our classes as they unfold.

These technologies allow our students to step into the role of expert, observer, and research scientist.

As an avid naturalist, and nature nerd, I am often an advocate for the eschewing of tech in the field.  Unplug those ear buds, dude; leave the phone in the car, and keep your laptop stowed tight as you venture onto the land.

This week, however, I was reminded, again, of the power of technology’s role in brining every student to the table. One of my students learned birdcalls and patterns as his peers wrote in their notebooks.  His dysgraphia made it difficult for him to put his best self forward via journaling, but he augmented our group’s global birding prowess, via ipad, as an avenue for self-expression.

“I’m going to be a scientist someday.” He said.

His teachers told me this was the first time they’d heard this.  They avowed a dedication to secure an adaptive technology grant as soon as they returned to their campus in Houston.

The woods are full.  They need nothing more, and can cure on their own, but with a wealth of tremendous technologies available to us, as naturalists, scientists, students and educators, we can leverage a wide range of apps and digital platforms to access the expertise of all of our collective perspectives.  Our screens can make bridges into the screen-less for students steeped in the techno-drenched realities of today’s world, and provide opportunities for every learner to best represent their knowledge.  Students with limited physical abilities can access the collective observations of their able-bodied peers, while adding their own acumen to our understandings.

Our technological platforms allow us to flatten the natural world: to provide access for all who chose to approach it.  Nature can cure screen-overexposure, and can be reveled through an ipad’s apps.   At the OEC, we hope to balance our technological offerings, with our opportunities to experience nature in the raw.

The forest is full, and with the right app, we can each record and engage in that fullness in new and meaningful ways.

What to do with a Weekend?

What to do on the weekend when you are an Outdoor Educator for your nine to five?  Easy, go outside.

On Saturday we celebrated, along with the National Park Service, by planting hundreds of Longleaf Pines.  The NPS is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, and the happiest to one of the greatest institutions the US has ever conceived; we helped them ring it in by restoring an ecosystem that the Caddo nation maintained through fire, and angloes decimated by the saw.  Yes, as soon as folks figured out the logistics of moving logs to Houston and Galvaston, past the mud and mires of the East Texas bayous, the Longleaf was doomed to fall.  It was speedily replaced by re plantings of Loblolly, a pulp-plant that grows more predictably than its willy, fire tolerant cousin.  Now, with Loblolly stands suffering in the stacked calamities of climate change, Longleaf is growing in attractivity.

With the thousands of seedlings we sunk into the ground we prayed the fruition of an ancient promise…if you plant it, it will come (back).

We envisioned a world defined by fire and life.  Cocketed woodpeckers, and Louisina pine snakes playing next to the black bear prints left by ursids wandering kaleidoscopic corridors linking Big Thicket National Park to Sam Houston and Davy Crockett National Forests…all managed by intelligent forest restoration, encouraging recreation and alive with regeneration. We prayed for grassy savannah like understories, and a Lazerine return of that better thing that used to be.

On the way home from our good work in the woods, we almost caused accidents breaking for interesting roadside plants and immature bald eagles.  We whipped a full U-turn for a stand slinging what was (ostensibly) the only swine BBQ slider in East Texas.  The sandwich was okay, but the man selling it dripped more pride in his meat than the juicy BBQ itself…my shirt bears the stains of his preparation and he gave out napkins, free of charge. May his family gospel band sound superb at the fundraiser to send a friend’s daughter to the national Mrs. Teen competition next week.

When we got home we bounced in various directions, but my feet found their way back into the forest…they always do!

Great horned owls and great blue herons formed a funky, momentary, riot-song as I snuck down a path looking for the grey fox I’d seen the tracks of earlier in the week. It got dark, and though I never saw that fox I crawled into my sleep-sack satisfied.

What do you do on the weekend when you spend your whole week in the woods?  You go to the woods.  Why? Because, once you spend an hour in the woods , you know nothing more than another hour will do the same for your soul.

-Mike Loots

Animal Evidence Hike

Frost dazzles the eyes as it reflects a cold sunlight cast about this beauteous East Texas morning.  The Pineywoods are all aflutter with the flit and dip of warblers, gnatcatchers, robins, cardinals and a dozen other small songbird species.  The anoles are tucked into the crevices beneath fallen logs, and piled stones.  Their skin is the deep, chestnut-brown every cold reptile must feel inside, regardless of outer chromatic display.

My students have counted 25 distinct signs of animals already this morning, and the sun is still low in the sky.

They record their data as field sketches and short descriptions in a mezcla of Spanish and English, little glyphs and onomatopoetic scribbles. They have wondered over oversized grubs, lichen and moss. They have marveled at mushrooms and the mycelial mats those fruiting bodies sprouted to spread. They took photos on an iPad too, mixing often strange worlds and expanding their techno-lexicons, while remembering words for aspects of nature many of their peers, and parents even, have forgotten matter.

My students have climbed through yaupon and over felled oaks to a little stream revealing the secrets of a decaying deer.  They piece together clues to its demise as we discuss topics that will prepare them for life in the science classroom, aye, but well beyond that too.

They use a device worth hundreds of dollars to dig into the scat of that decaying deer’s living likeness, following slowly behind a group of those grazers later in the day to affirm their hypothesis, based on the contents of the afore mentioned excrement, that deer eat grass!

My students are scientists, and as they make “snow angels” in the early morning frost, I am reminded that they are still children too.  Maybe that is something that all of us scientists could be encouraged to embrace a bit more often?

-Mike Loots

OEC Staff: E Pluribis Unum

“E Pluribis Unum” = “Out of many, one.”

I feel that this is the best way to describe our OEC staff. We have an incredibly diverse staff that comes from at least five different nationalities, and whose homes range across the United States and territories. We come with a variety of different experiences as well. Some, like myself, are recent college graduates, while others have worked in various positions within the OEC, the Houston ISD, and across the world. Yet we all came together under one premise: to give Houston 5^th graders an experience in the outdoors that they will never forget. This one goal serves to unify us. It allows us to give our students that first experience of seeing an owl at night, catching a fish, or hearing their own softly whispered “wow” when they get a clear view of the stars. So, we strive to combine the strengths that come from such a variety of backgrounds. While it may be difficult to live, work, eat, and play together 24/7, our courage to use what we know to find middle ground with one another brings out the best in our team, Team OEC.

“America’s strength is not our diversity; our strength is our ability to unite people of different backgrounds around common principles…” – Ernest Istook

-Michael Bruno

Songs of Nature

There’s something special about a circle, particularly when it involves musical instruments and sunsets. What better way to celebrate nature than to create music in honor of what makes it all possible: the sun. Recently, a fellow educator and I dusted off a box of instruments which were stored deep in the OEC cellars. Okay, maybe they were more accessible, but nonetheless, we were happy to make use of the box including the Irish bodhran, wooden frogs, bells, shakers, and hand drums. We lugged the container down to The Point, the revered peninsula that produces the most impeccable reflections off Lake Livingston, where an occasional migrating flock of pelicans or egrets paused the music with a sense of pure awe—a worthwhile distraction.

There is something quite miraculous that in just a matter of minutes, with a few basic instructions and tips about the fundamentals of music, a group of 20 or more fifth graders, many which attend different schools and come from myriad backgrounds, can begin speaking in another language. The music becomes amorphous and blends into the surroundings, and the connection with nature becomes intrinsic. New ways of expression begin to come through, and students find novel ways to understand the world around them.

Just like the melody of the natural world, the wind, birds chirping, the rhythmic gait of a deer running through the woods, we harness the power of sound within our own bodies. Some can clap, sing, hum, chant, and express themselves with their unique instrument. We remind students that wherever they go, they have a tool to not only communicate information, but to communicate feeling and stories.

          

As the sun sets and we reflect on all of our activities of the day while creating song, we give thanks to the place that teaches us—to the toads, snakes, birds, fish ,and trees that share their songs and make our experience memorable. As the earth rotates into night, we say goodbye to the lucidity of daylight and the welcome the mystery of space.

As we transition into our astronomy lesson, we study the fundamentals of what makes day and night possible—the rhythm of the Earth. These ideas of movement and melody and song are also apparent in the universe. The earth revolves around the sun, and just as we sit in a circle, at a cosmic level a similar design unfolds.

Many students have not seen the stars as vividly as they do tonight, and the Milky Way is altogether a new concept for some. We observe constellations and imagine new shapes. Meteors blaze through the night sky and eyes are widened by the anticipation and curiosity embedded in the cosmos.

We sleep well, knowing the owls and crickets will take over singing for the night, and the sun will be there to welcome us as we wake for a new day.

-Kyle McDermott

A Place of Legends

The campus is named Olympia, after the fabled home of the ancient Greek gods and protectors. Stepping off of a bus and into the Piney Woods of East Texas, it isn’t at all difficult to imagine yourself a citizen of some mythological realm.

This, after all, is a place you can run amongst pine and oak trees, with white-tailed deer at your side. On the working farm, you can watch hummingbirds flit between native flowers as you pluck figs from a tree that is alive with vibrantly colored anole lizards. Beneath every fallen log and in every corner of Lake Livingston’s backwater sloughs, a myriad of micro-worlds await your discovery!

This almost mythical place allows you, a student in one of the fastest growing cities in America, to experience another side of your state. It allows you to use your personal powers and prior knowledge of science, art, poetry, and athletics, like an ancient hero, to explore an area of the world containing unique species and ecosystem traits. As you master mathematic, scientific, linguistic, and social skills, you live and learn the literacies of the Outdoor Education Center (OEC). You become more proficient at caring for yourself, those around you, and, of course, the natural world in which we all live.

Students who visit the OEC demonstrate these new skill sets in a variety of ways: through keeping scientific journals, creating works of art, and even experimenting with nature photography on our new ipads (check out some of their work below)!

Students enjoy ever-expanding areas of study on our campus. From horsemanship to owl-calling, there are niches for every interest, beginning with the first morning class to the last astronomically inspired story at night.

Last week our students saw the cattle egrets on Rookery Island depart, and they welcomed a great number of hummingbirds as well as the year’s first pelicans! They caught gulf coast toads, a variety of turtles and fish, and learned that spiders’ eyes sparkle like diamonds as they reflect flashlight beams at night.

Our students returned home with the candles they crafted in our replica log cabin, but the brightest light they will share back in Houston is the knowledge they gained by applying academic and social skills. This knowledge is steeped in a sense of place that only the scent of pine, oak, and fresh air can impart. May they never stop exploring…

– Mr. Mike

Let’s kick off the new year!

We are so excited to get back in the swing of things here at the HISD Outdoor Education Center! With a new year in outdoor education comes new faces, new knowledge, and exciting new ideas to boot. Hailing from Florida to Washington state (and everywhere in between!), our OEC team welcomes nine new educators and naturalists.

After completing two weeks of training, we were thrilled to welcome our first students to the OEC: our neighbors from Trinity’s own Lansberry Elementary. Though our time was short together, we enjoyed hiking in the forest, fishing the tributaries of Lake Livingston, navigating through the woods with compasses, and participating in fun nighttime games and activities. One of our 5th grade students even set a new OEC record by catching our very first alligator gar during fishing class (see picture below)!

We cannot wait for what the rest of the year will bring, including cooler weather, fall leaves, and the many budding young naturalists that will be visiting us soon!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Spring has arrived and not a moment too soon! The Sun is shining bright, the flowers are in full blossom, and the animals are beginning to make their way out from their perspective Winter hideouts much like the 5th graders from Houston ISD who are returning from their much deserved Spring Breaks. Typically, some kids may struggle with transitioning back into their studies after such a signinficant amount of time off. However, for the students arriving at HISD’s Outdoor Education Center (OEC) this week, we hope to make that transition easier. Here at the OEC we have an exciting week planned for an equally exciting group of students from 12 different schools! This week we are offering our Special Education Program which everyone looks forward to all year long. Children will have the oppurtunity to take part in canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, and so many more hands-on educational experiences. All while making new friends and enjoying the camping atmosphere! We always look forward to every group of students that come through or program, but we highly value the strength and inspiration that our staff gains from these unique students by being apart of this incredible Special Education Program held once a year. The relationships and experiences created this upcoming week will be timeless.

Nate Miller, ACL

OWL PROWL!

I love OWL PROWL. It is one of hundreds of evening classes we offer here at the OEC, but I believe it is the best. The OEC forest is full of life, and with a little bit of patience and a decent speaker, we can get some of these nocturnal creatures to come say hello. The journey always begins well after the sun has gone to bed. The boys of Cabin Apollo and I find ourselves standing somewhere in the forest. A student holds the speaker up high as we play a number of owl calls. Most of the time we get a response, and sometimes and owl comes close enough for us to see it. Check out this video I took just last month!

– Mr. Dharma

https://vimeo.com/121723955

Phenology Phenomena!

As the season starts to change, we start to take an even closer look at the natural events taking place around us. Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and annual variations in climate, in other words it is the study of how the biological world times natural events.

To give you a little background information about me and why a I am writing about phenology, I am from Ohio and there are certain natural events that always remind me that spring is coming and winter may actually come to an end! Not only did I grow up in Ohio, but I have also had the opportunity to experience the seasons from all over the country so they have always captivated me.

In Ohio the return of the American Robin and their cheerily, cheer up song is a sure sign that spring has arrived. Today in the forest with my class, there was a flock of robins singing away in the trees above our heads. We stood there and watched them up at the tops of the trees and in the cypress mud flats in the forest. We had a really fun time discussing the possibilities of what they might be doing, coming up with ideas ranging from gathering insects to chatting about their migration routes.

We also heard HUGE flocks of Red-Winged Blackbirds, along the lake during our canoeing lesson. The coolest part of the blackbirds was how they would become almost completely silent as they flew from tree to tree, and as soon as the flock landed in adjacent trees the ruckus would resume!

Clearly, I am a bird nerd. Not only did we see all kinds of birds in the forest this week, but we saw some pretty crazy sights the past two weeks on our boat rides on Lake Livingston. Alligators, Vultures, Kingfishers, Egrets, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Herons, American White Pelicans, Cormorants, Coots, Gulls, and BALD EAGLES!

Thanks for reading and I hope you have some great bird nerd moments!

Anna Petterson, PL