It’s the night before students again arrive at the OEC, the eve to another semester of the amazing outdoor experiential learning that happens here. As an ACL, or associate camp leader, I should be packing a bag of clothes and toiletries to bring over to my cabin, charging batteries, and reviewing lesson plans. I should be relaxing with roommates/co-workers/friends. Instead, I’m mulling over the past five months, the time I have been lucky enough to be a member of the OEC community. Instead, I am writing this blog post.
I wanted to contribute to the Piney Woods Press weeks ago, but couldn’t quite narrow down my thoughts into one topic. I wanted to incorporate everything! Some things I’ve learned so far at the OEC, though, have been so huge. I’ve learned themes of lives and new perspectives, not just rigging a fishing pole (though I’ve learned how to do that too). I came up with the perfect solution to my massive problem: a list! With a list, I didn’t really have to narrow anything down. I also asked fellow new staff members to contribute what they’ve learned as well, a collaborative effort to share our insights. Let us share our pearls of wisdom gained in the first semester here at the OEC.
Don’t let moments of awe and natural wonder pass in the company of children. Those small moments matter.
What is simple or mundane to you could mean the world of difference to a kid who has never taken a walk in the woods before. Take those moments to invoke/inspire wonder. Always.
Show kids it’s cool to be curious.
Don’t forget to play.
Kids like gross stuff. Poop, vomit, and dead stuff are great attention-getters.
– Taniya F.
Maturity
– Brian McD.
The true beauty of nature is not always found in the woods.
Unstructured play time in nature is just as beneficial as structured learning.
Even the kid who doesn’t seem to be paying attention is actively learning.
CP’s are extremely necessary.
You can learn a lot about life by watching the horses; they eat, drink, stick together and are strong enough to walk through “the poop” and come out with their heads held high.
A tennis ball is a versatile teaching tool.
To a guy from Ohio, deer are pests that threaten to damage your car. To a child from Houston, they are magical forest creatures!
The imaginations of 5th graders never cease to amaze me.
– Andy K.
There is a place for everyone in a new community full of diverse backgrounds, interests, intellects, and emotions.
If you walk into the bathhouse once and it smells like poop, that’s fine. But walk in an hour later to that same bathhouse and it still smells that same degree of poopiness, check the floor for brown spots, and grab the Simple Green.
As much as the students are learning at the OEC, I know that I am learning more through looking at nature through their eyes. It is an amazing place of discovery, including self-discovery.
The most important thing to get across to students is the feeling of gaining knowledge or discovery. The feeling when finding something out is a feeling worth chasing down, and I want all the OEC students to leave wanting to chase down more discoveries.
I LOVE reading aloud to children.
Nap time is very necessary.
Teaching is a cumulative skill. That being said, there is no finish line in teaching, and there is no such thing as being over-prepared. And I am so glad Carol is there to flood me with resources.
– Joan W.
With the past semester behind me, and the looming future of the OEC being flooded by Houston city 5th graders in front of me, I can now finish this post, and continue to enjoy every moment of discovery, learning, self-reflection, and awe of the natural world that the HISD Outdoor Education Center has to offer.
Piney Woods Press 