A most unfortunate day for the fish!

It was a typical morning here at the OEC. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and deer were meandering. My instructional group was poised at the edge of the water giving our usual talk about how to properly manage a canoe to our ever so eager group of students. The students were standing close by in two shoulder-to-shoulder lines with their personal flotation devices strapped onto their bodies. The anticipation was building as the students got ready to launch their canoes. All of a sudden something in the sky caught my attention. It was brown with a sizable yellow beak and it was coming directly in over the water. The mighty bird was flying in from our left and descending closer to the water. His talons were presented to us as he hovered over the water. Finally, he dove down and lashed out at the water but came up empty taloned. He zoomed at eye level directly in front of us before circling around for another shot at it. His talons were let down as he grasped at the water but the poor bird came up short again. This powerful predator, however, was determined. He came back around and snatched up a fish as quick as lightening! The fish was flaying around uncontrollably in the grips of the bird. When from stage right another colossal bird with a dark brown body and white head flew right up next to our champion causing him to drop his meal. The birds exchanged some words as the new bird proceeded to steal the fish out of the water. I don’t recall where the fish ended up but I did watch as the two birds took off together over our heads. They made two circles before they vanished.

If you do not know yet what type of bird we saw they were eagles! The first one we saw was an adolescent eagle we assumed was practicing fishing. The adult eagle that entered the scene we guessed was the parent perhaps trying to teach the adolescent how to fish. I had never heard eagles communicate with each other. I can say one thing, it does not sound like the eagles in the movies. I was elated to get to have this experience with my students. Everyday that I work here I find little bits of joy sprinkled throughout my day. Whether it’s two bald eagles communicating with each other or a student smiling because they saw a deer for the first time, it’s always a great day to be an Outdoor Educator!

Rachel Krzton-Presson

Eco- Schools USA

While attending the Outdoor Education Center, our fifth grade students have the opportunity to be a part of our Eco-Schools initiative. Eco-schools is a nationwide program which, “strives to model environmentally sound practices, provide support for greening the curriculum and enhance science and academic achievement. Additionally, it works to foster a greater sense of environmental stewardship among youth.”

Our Eco-Action team, which includes four of the teachers here (Hannah Saunders, Betsey York, Bubba Brownley, and Sam Brubaker) have decided to make an attempt to achieve the green flag for our school. In order to achieve the green flag, we must choose three “pathways” to follow. These pathways are different areas of concentration that our school can focus on to increase sustainability and lessen our environmental impact. The three pathways that our Eco-Action team has selected are:

1. Energy- We are trying to lessen our energy impact by making our energy use a competition. Each week, we read the electricity meters by the cabins and in our main buildings at the beginning and end of the week. By subtracting the end from the beginning we find our total energy usage. The four clusters of cabins can see how they compare with one another and it has become a fun friendly competition of who can use the least by shutting off lights and fans when they aren’t there.
2. Consumption and Waste- A few years ago we established a recycling program at our facility. Everyone is highly encouraged to recycle everything possible. This year we established an e-waste recycling program and at meal times we encourage the cabins of students to compost their left over food. By doing this we are creating less trash to send to the landfills in our surrounding area.
3. Biodiversity- In order to study biodiversity we ask the students to be part of activities which highlight native plants and animals they see here. A conservation project that we partake in is removing invasive species from our forest ecosystem. Also, during night hikes students study the diversity of frog, owl and spider species in the woods. A favorite activity of both the teachers and the students is to take the boat out on Lake Livingston and study the birds and alligators in the open lake and side creeks. For our Amphibian Watch in particular, students collect data and this data is submitted to Texas Parks and Wildlife. The students are asked to be citizen scientists and assess the health of the ecosystem based on the data they take.

By being a part of our Eco-Action goals we hope that the students have a more fulfilling experience while attending the Outdoor Education Center. We have developed a bulletin board to explain the three pathways to the students and we have asked them the question “What can you do to help reduce energy use, reduce waste, and study biodiversity?” The answers that they come up with are awesome. One response a student wrote was, “I can use a reusable water bottle”.

Our motto of the eco action team is: THINK GREEN. LIVE GREEN. It is our wish that by introducing the students to these topics while here, they can begin to see the importance. If they understand the importance and see how simple it can be to implement simple practices to be more environmentally aware then hopefully they will take that back with them to Houston and live in a more green and environmentally conscious way.

For more information you can visit the Eco-Schools USA website through the National Wildlife Federation:

http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA.aspx

-Betsey and Hannah

The Sun is Shining

A recap from last week:

The rain didn’t slow down our spirits; the students were excited and eager to participate in our rainy day activities. Mary Ann’s instructional group held an indoor version of Farm class while it down poured.  Our students had the opportunity to bake homemade pretzels in our log cabin, groom our horses, learn how we use worms to compost, and explored our animal barn.  All in all, our students had smiles on their faces and didn’t let the storm ruin their experience!

Dharma Jones’ class hiked out to Burrito Island during forest class and they found a baby garter snake!  Dharma, who is also our animal curator, decided to keep the snake on display in our science room for a few weeks.  The snake will not be handled by students, but can be used as an educational tool.  What do you think the snake will eat?  Comment below with your ideas!

Later in the week, I took my students on a night hike in the forest.  We went spider sniffing.  To “sniff” out spiders, it takes a lot of practice, a flashlight, and a keen eye.  At just the right angle, light will reflect off the abdomen of the spider, looking like a piece of glitter!  My girls found the largest wolf spider I have ever seen!

We welcome McNamara, Emerson, Briarmeadow this week!!  Are you ready for beautiful weather this week?  We sure are!  The staff was excited during our planning sessions yesterday.  We’ve got a fun filled week planned, and am excited for kids to arrive!

What am I most excited for this week? The beautiful weather and all of the wildlife that comes with it!

Until next time, keep exploring! Adventure is out there!

Kayleigh Medeiros, ACL

2015: Week One!

Week one of 2015 at the Outdoor Education Center was full of laughter, fun, and learning! Three excellent schools visited us: Longfellow, Patterson, and Barrick. The week began with chilly temperatures, so students warmly bundled up in caps, scarves, and jackets. However, this did not deter the staff from providing a great first day in the woods for our students. Mr. Bubba’s Instructional Group started the week off on Lake Livingston with a canoeing class. Each student partnered up with a student from another school and worked together to maneuver the way around the lake. Here at the OEC, we believe in challenge by choice where students are encouraged to try new things, but allowed to make their own decisions regarding participation. Many common fears students have include falling in the water, getting wet, or getting lost while canoeing. However, under the careful eye and instruction of the teachers, as well as good listening by our students, a great experience was had by all. Many students afterward rated the experience as a five on a 1-5 scale.

After their first class session, students retired to the chow hall where they ate chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes with pink cake! Then, the night activities began. Many staff at the OEC say night activities are one of the best aspects of the job. Students have a chance to look at the amazing stars and hike through the woods, which oftentimes is the first time students have experienced wonders like that! Other night activities include: campfires with cabin mates, archery, “spider sniffing,” bat calling, night fishing, astronomy lessons, star lab and telescope, arts and crafts, owl prowls, and bottle rockets. Our students jumped right in, and many shouts of discovery, peels of laughter, and excited conversations were heard throughout the night. This was a great start to an awesome and interactive week. Stay tuned for more news from the Outdoor Education Center!

Brian McDaniel

Semester Kick Off!

Here at the OEC, December marked another semester in the books.  As we gear up for the upcoming semester, we have made a few changes.  We have hired a new female assistant cabin leader (ACL), Samantha Millerd.  Anna Petterson, a former ACL for five semesters was recently promoted to Program Leader (PL). Congrats to Anna, we know she’ll be amazing and continue her hard work.

Amy Blonn, Instructional Group leader, is excited for “The red buds blooming, blue birds nesting and the changes of Spring.”  When asked what he was excited for about this semester, IG leader Bubba Brownley replied, “Special Education week!” This week allows students with disabilities to explore the woods, interact and make new friends, and learn about everything nature has to offer.  Brian, one of our ACL’s is looking forward to cookouts at the point and educational hikes through the woods.  Sally, a new ACL this year, anticipates warmer days and warmer weather.  Karl, a PL for 7 semesters, is looking forward to teaching alongside the returning staff and is eager to see what our new members will bring to the table.

We get our first students of the semester on Wednesday, January 14^th. Like many of my coworkers, I am ready to hit the ground running, and will be thrilled to have the sound of students filling camp with life again.

Until next time, keep exploring.  Adventure is out there!

Kayleigh Medeiros, ACL

Astronomy Comes to Life in a 3D Constellation Model

               One of the Outdoor Education Center’s greatest resources is a clear, starry night sky. Our students come from the bright city lights of Houston that block the natural light of stars, so many of them have never been able to see constellations, planets, and other celestial objects. At the OEC, students accompany their cabin teachers to stargaze, learn the three R’s of astronomy (reflection, rotation, and revolution), and search the sky for meteors.

                Unfortunately, every night at the OEC does not come with a clear, star-filled sky. Sometimes, there are rainy and cloudy nights here. For those nights, the OEC has found new ways to make sure all of our students experience astronomy firsthand. Last year, the OEC obtained a StarLab, a planetarium dome where students are able to have a hands-on, minds-on activity of observing a clear, unspoiled night sky. There are numerous slides that depict constellations from different cultures including ancient Greece, Native American, and African tribes.

                Another new astronomy activity is a 3-D model of the constellation, Orion. In the night sky, constellations look two dimensional, so the idea that the stars that make up that constellation are different distances from the Earth is one that is hard for most adults to fully wrap their heads around, yet alone eleven year olds.  So, with this model, students learn that the brightness that a star appears to have depends on a combination of things—its distance from Earth, its size, and its intrinsic brightness. They also learn the relative distance between the stars of the constellation Orion—a constellation that Houstonians might actually be able to see through the city lights, especially in the winter, when it is highest in the sky.

                Our Orion model, developed by Mr. Nic, can be set up in front of our horse barn. Below is a picture of the model in the daytime.

 

                When the sun goes down, the model has a totally different look, as you can see in the picture below.

                Cabin teachers can touch on some very interesting astronomy topics. They ask, are the closest stars also the brightest and largest, and why? With the model, the students are able to understand that the answer is “No,” because the brightness that a star appears to us on Earth depends on its distance from Earth and its brightness. For example, a faint star that is very close to Earth may appear brighter than an intrinsically brighter star that is very far away—kind of like a flashlight close by can be brighter than a car’s headlights several hundred yards away.

                Other questions that can be touched on are: Why do you think stars in the night sky appear to be at the same distance, even though from the model you can see that they are not? Why do some stars have different colors? Would Orion look the same from another planet? 

In the picture below, you can see exactly what the constellation of Orion would look like on another planet. The white light furthest to the left is Earth, and the three stars furthest to the right are about 1300 centimeters away from Earth in the model, modeling that the farthest stars in Orion are 1300 light years away from Earth!

                So, no matter the weather, the OEC gives its students the chance for some astronomy activities unlike any they’ve seen before, whether it’s under a clear night sky or not!

Written by Joan Williams

Thank you for the Thank Yous!

   Last semester at the OEC , Park Place Elementary students visited our camp the week of October 22-24. A few weeks later, we received a wonderful surprise: A collage of thank you letters from Park Place students to OEC teachers! Here is a picture below of the whole collage, which we keep on display in our Muir Room, a classroom used for anything from wind turbine building to four-cabin evening games to our weekly all-staff meetings.

In just the few months we’ve had it, the staff has grown fond of these examples of what our students take back to Houston with them from the OEC: lots of great memories! Pictured below are some images of the collage, some individual letters depicting special memories of our students. There is a letter to Mr. Paul, one letter thanking the OEC for our horseback riding program, and one to Miss Elisa.

“Paul,

  Thanks for taking us to the woods to play Owls and Mice. It was really fun playing that game. You were a good owl and we were at being mice. You’re really cool.

William”

“Thank you for giving me classes of horseback riding. I had an amazing experience with the horses, especially with General.

Daniela”

“To: Ms. Elisa

From: Quynh

Thank you for taking us on a night hike. I really enjoyed it. But most of all I enjoyed the part when you laid the blanket in the grass and we made a circle with our heads. Then you told us a story about the constellations. It was really interesting.”

Are you a Houston ISD 5th grader coming to the OEC this semester? What will your OEC memories be? One can only wonder!

New Year, New Faces at the OEC

The beginning of the 2013-2014 school year has brought several new faces to the staff of the Outdoor Education Center! The staff is full of diverse backgrounds, intellects, and experiences and the four new members bring even more to offer.

Bubba Brownley is an addition to the staff this year, but he is not new to the OEC. Bubba worked at the OEC for nine years in both the Associate Camp Leader and Program Leader positions, and then left to work at a school in Houston for two years, 2011-2013. He was a science lab teacher for pre-K through 5^th graders. He said that the time was right to come back to the OEC, and that he is ready to focus on unobstructed teaching and bringing new experiences to his students.

Bubba is from Conyers, Georgia, or as he calls it, “the Sticks.” He remembers his own outdoor education experiences in 4^th and 5^th grade at Camp Wasiga near his hometown, and how meaningful they were; they’re a big reason why he is so passionate about outdoor education now, though he didn’t always see it as his career. He wanted to be a lawyer, but then decided that he wouldn’t be able to stand being inside all the time.

Bubba’s fondest memories of working at the OEC were as a cabin leader, watching the boys from different schools become integrated. In the first few meals and activities of the week, the boys would stick with their friends and the boys they knew from school, but as the week went on, they would end up mixing up and by the last day, they would end up all being friends, no matter what schools they were from.

“It’s good to be here,” he says.

Ashley is a new Associate Camp Leader (ACL) this year. She is from Puerto Rico, and graduated this past spring from Iowa State with a B.S. in Animal Ecology. She has always been interested in animals, and thinks it stems back to her grandmother, who was always bringing in stray dogs and cats, and she also raised cockatiels. Ashley started college thinking she wanted to be a veterinarian, but changed her mind after enjoying working with kids. She added Interpretation of Natural Resources as a focus to her major, and hasn’t looked back.

Growing up, Ashley did not do any outdoor education, but she thinks that is one reason why she is driven towards it, because through the absence of it, she sees the significance. Ashley had her first camping experience in Iowa, being part of trail crew with AmeriCorps and the Department of Natural Resources at Big Creek State Parks.

The OEC seems to be the ideal job for Ashley, for she didn’t see herself being a full-time classroom teacher. She likes the idea of not having to focus on a curriculum, and her background has been in short-length programs—perfect for our three or four day program! “I like being able to move and keeping it fun,” she says.

When asked if the OEC has so far been what she expected, she said no, it’s been more! For Ashley, the facility is amazing, there are well structured classes, and the staff is welcoming.  She loves the communal feel, having different people to rely for different things, and the feedback and communication of the staff. Ashley says that the view of the sunset over Lake Livingston and the sweetheart girls in her cabin have been the best parts of the job so far, and she’s excited to continue growing every single day.

Julia Farmer is an Associate Camp Leader (ACL) and a Texas native, growing up in Fort Worth. This past May, she graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos. She is a Resource and Environmental Studies major and has a minor in Biology.

Julia grew up hunting, fishing, boating, and camping, and is excited to be able to share what she’s learned about the natural world with others. She says, “I learned so much cool stuff in college, and then I realized that it doesn’t mean anything if I am the only one who knows.”

Though Julia has only been here for a few weeks, she’s already had memorable experiences with her students. On one of her first night hikes, she brought her cabin of eleven girls into the forest and sat them down for an activity. Of course, some of the girls were not totally comfortable being out in the forest in the darkness. So, Julia had the girls all hold hands and look up at the starry night sky. There were gasps and “Wow!”s, and the girls instantly became entranced by the moon, the stars, and how the trees looked against the night sky. They forgot their fears. “I was proud of them for stepping out of their comfort zone,” Julia said.

Betsey York is our last addition to the OEC staff this year, filling in as an ACL and leading Cabin Iris in the evenings.  Betsey is from Geneva, IL, outside of Chicago, and a graduate from Truman State University in Missouri. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and minored in Environmental Studies.

Since graduating in 2012, Betsey has had some hands-on internships working outdoors all over the country. She was a cactus monitoring intern in Capitol Reef National Monument in Utah and most recently working on an internship in Ely, Minnesota, studying climate change in forests.

When asked why she is pursuing outdoor education, Betsey said that she really loves nature and working with kids. She wants to help them discover cools things about nature. She remembers her own outdoor education experience from when she was in 5^th grade, and how much she loved it! It was a program very similar to ours, including overnights. Betsey grew up in the suburbs and felt surrounded by the city, so the experience of going out to western Illinois was a way for her to get away from the city; this is very similar to our Houston students’ experiences in coming to the piney woods of Trinity from the city lights of Houston.

Betsey is most excited about getting kids more comfortable with nature, like spiders and other things that typically scare them, to the point where they’re actually excited about those things! “I want to see the transformation of their comfort level,” she says.

Our new staff members will certainly bring a plethora of new knowledge to our students visiting the OEC this year!

— Written by Joan Williams

Wildflowers

The diversity of blooming wildflowers on FM3188 during the last 6 weeks has captivated me on my daily runs and bike rides.  As time marches on, I am continually delighted by seeing yet another “new” flower for the season.  This past week’s firsts were pale lobelia, passionflower vine, butterfly pea, and wild potato.  But yet, at the same time, I am amazed that some of the same species blooming in April are still putting on a show.  These include spiderworts, black eyed Susans. coreopsis, and Drummond Phlox.

 

I was happy to see old friends in places where I usually see them.  The very tall and stately clasping coneflowers were down at the far end of FM3188 and the delicate sky blue larkspurs added to the rainbow of colors on ice cream hill.  Take time to get to know the wonders of the natural world in your part of the planet.  The diversity, beauty, and interconnectedness is a source of learning and inspiration. 

 

-Carol Miserlian

An OEC Book Review!

In our forest study class, I often utilize the book The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer. It tells the story of Brian, a young boy who finds a little orange salamander in the forest and wants to take it home to live with him. His mother asks him questions about how Brian will take care of the salamander: “Where will he sleep?” “What will he eat?” Brian has an answer for every question until his room is a forest of its own, complete with more salamander friends, no roof to let the trees grow for the birds who eat the extra insects, and boulders and pools of water for the salamanders to play in.

I read the story to my class while sitting on logs or benches on the forest floor. For most of my students, this is one of their first experiences being out in the woods. Sometimes, it is hard to keep their attention because they are so curious about everything they’re seeing, from the swaying loblolly pine trees to the scurrying anoles and insects. For that reason, though, it is the perfect setting to read The Salamander Room because it’s like the book is coming alive around them. I introduce the book and ask my students to pay attention to how much Brian needs to do in order to have a salamander in his room. After reading the story, we discuss what Brian’s room ended up looking like, and why. The concept I introduce to them is habitat. We discuss what Brian’s salamander needs to survive in his room: water, food, shelter, and space. The book very clearly illustrates this concept, and my class is able to relate it to the organisms we see around us in our own forest.

After discussing to book and the concept of habitat, we have an activity making a “web of life.” Each person picks an organism or a part of our surroundings–the soil, the creek, a tree, deer, or woodpecker. Then, we stand in a circle and throw the yarn with each person holding onto it as they throw. I ask each student to explain a connection between his or her object and the object of the person who they are throwing the yarn to. For example, if one student’s is “ant,” and he throws to a students whose word is “log,” then he would explain that an ant sometimes lives in a log or under a log, so he uses it as his shelter. When everyone’s turn is finished, there is a “web of life.” I ask one student to let go, and ask someone to explain what this symbolizes in our web of life. Something has changed the web so that it’s not as strong anymore. We eventually come to the conclusion that everything in nature is connected to everything else, discussing interdependency and the concept of ecosystem–living and non-living things interacting with each other. I then relate this back to Brian’s salamander’s home, and how at the end of his story, his bedroom wasn’t just the salamander’s home, but home to all the creatures that the salamander needed as well. He created an ecosystem.

The Salamander Room is an excellent resource to introduce many key concepts of natural science, including habitat, ecosystem, and interdependency, and I love reading it aloud to students in a natural setting so they can see the habitats and ecosystem that are right in front of their eyes!

-Joan Williams