I’m a naturally competitive person. Whether it’s sports, business, or anything else, nothing brings out my competitive streak like an uneven playing field. Early in my education career, I worked with two groups: the students in my school day classes...
There’s a well-respected model in child development called the ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner 1979). It posits that child development is best understood in the context of the entire ecosystem in which children grow up and the forces that shape it....
(This article is the fourth in a series featuring the formation and progress of the coalition carrying out the California Campaign for Outdoor Learning. It is also the first in a new series exploring the connection between outdoor learning and...
Spotlight on the California STEAM Hub Network Connecting Educators. Inspiring Innovation. Expanding Opportunities. Across California, educators and community partners are coming together through the California STEAM Hub Initiative to strengthen learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM)....
The field is still damp from the morning marine layer when the first students step outside. Cones in brilliant orange and neon green stretch across the grass. Sapphire hoops glisten in the sunlight. Scarlet foam balls rest in baskets like...
It was a rare sunny winter day in Seattle when I visited a neighborhood playground with a child and their parent. This family wanted their child to be able to play outside with their sibling and friends. As a pediatric...
The final school bell doesn’t mean the learning stops. Expanded learning programs—whether after school or during the summer—provide students with fun and exciting ways to supplement what they have been learning in the classroom. One of the best parts about...
At Ten Strands, we act as a catalyst, transforming systems to bring high-quality environmental education to all students. Our Q&A this month features Seaberry Nachbar, whose twenty-five years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) perfectly embody this mission....
When buses stopped running at the start of the pandemic in 2020, so did many of the connections between California’s public school students and their public lands. But for some, the connection was never fully broken—because the pathway had already...
At the heart of Solano County Office of Education’s (SCOE) outdoor learning initiatives are California’s Environmental Principles & Concepts (EP&Cs). These five principles guide educators in connecting classroom content to real-world environmental systems and challenges. Through professional learning sessions and...
