Nature Walks are a wonderful (and easy!) way for students to engage with not only their learning environment, but with the curriculum! For my busy EAK class I thought it would be fun and worthwhile to get them outside and expose them to learning that exists right outside in nature.
Throughout the last few weeks I've been introducing my class to the RIASEC codes from our World of Work initiative within my district. These codes help expose my students to the skills and interests that make up who they are; from Realistic "doers" to Artistic "creators", my students have a unique opportunity to learn more about themselves and apply what they're interested in in more meaningful ways.
Investigative "Thinkers"
The I in RIASEC stands for Investigative who are the kinds of people who enjoy activities that involve thinking, problem solving, observing, and analyzing. Investigative "thinkers" also enjoy using science and math to solve such problems! So, what better way to learn about what these thinkers enjoy doing than a Nature Walk?!
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| photo credit: Cajon Valley USD |
I had a couple of parent volunteers assist me on our Nature Walk, which was about 10 minutes or so of walking around and selecting 4 items from nature to bring back to class to observe. I created these simple observation forms for the kids to use (drawing is a type of early writing for this age group) and I was excited to see what they'd find!
Some students found some really interesting and diverse pieces of nature to analyze. Some found seeds, leaves were the most popular, and others found grass, rocks, and sticks. I was surprised to see that none of them thought to bring in dirt or even a bug! Perhaps next time, haha.
When we returned to class I had my students lay their items in the boxes on their papers. I modeled for them how to analyze and look at the details of their nature items and begin drawing them exactly as they see them. Of course, at this point my EAK students mostly drew lines or just outlined their items, but it was fun to walk around and see how each of my kids interpreted their items.
Through this activity I was able to see who really embraced the activity and could quite possibly have an Investigative mind. I had a few students who really enjoyed looking at their sticks or leaves and I spoke with the class about how each leaf that students picked were slightly different from another. I also shared that within their drawings they could include details like the colors they used.
Even though wrangling 20 four year olds on a Nature Walk was quite the adventure, seeing them engage and be excited about making observations about nature was fulfilling for me as their teacher. It was exciting to see the language they were using and how each of their drawings represented their understanding of the world around them. I am always in awe of their thinking and it's been a privilege to expose them to such learning!
