Summer Learning Camps by Kate Fox
engage in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities. Long summer days offer a chance to spend an afternoon exploring and experiential learning can abound. Nature camps can help facilitate those opportunities.
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The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is offering webinars, on-line resources, and student-made videos about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning outdoors. For more information, visit
Eeweek.org/greening_stem). At camp, children work in groups,
spend time in lengthy investigations and develop collaborative skills. The lack of time constraints and the natural outdoor setting allow kids to deeply engage and make discoveries, a key component of quality STEM learning. It encourages children to think critically and recog- nize connections. Additional benefits of connecting children to the outdoor world include preventing obesity and increasing respect for other creatures. Although you might not think of nature camp as a traditional place of
natural awakenings March 2012 23
ummertime, when kids are out of the classroom and the weather is beautiful, is a great time for kids to
STEM learning, it is a rich opportunity for relevant real-world, project-based experiences. The complex intercon- nectedness of nature provides a vi- brant, boundless laboratory for STEM learning outcomes. Experiences such as designing and building functional shelters from natural materials they find outdoors or creating friction fires, the ancient art of creating fire by rub- bing sticks, are great opportunities for children to develop a variety of skills. For instance, campers naturally com- municate and work together to discover and test materials and designs for the shelters or they learn about the conver- sion of matter with tools found in nature when creating friction fires. First hand observation of insects and wildlife offer glimpses into the workings of complex systems and an appreciation for the necessity of all of the individual parts.
Educators are realizing that
experiences in nature help students develop a better grasp of the essential complexities of natural, technological and scientific systems. The National Environmental Education Foundation’s (NEEF) 2012 theme for environmental education week is Greening STEM: The Environment as Inspiration for 21st Century Learning. It focuses attention on the outdoors as a compelling con- text for STEM learning across multiple disciplines. Nature camps are an ideal portal for this and for fun for your chil- dren this summer.
Kate Fox is an environmental educator and director of Free Spirit Nature Camp in Westtown. She can be reached at
Kate@FreeSpiritNatureCamp.com or 361-2267. For more information, visit
FreeSpiritNatureCamp.com.
Photo © stock.xchng
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