At the end of each summer, loons from Lake Coboseecontee come together to form a phenomenon that experts call a “water dance.”
“How many can you count?” educator Maggie Stokes asked soon-to-be seventh graders Alex and Finn, holding binoculars to their eyes.
“Sixteen!” Alex yelled.
“It’s more than that,” Finn countered.
Mr. Stokes smiled and explained that the loons were gathering together because they all flew south during the cold winter months.
“I’ve never seen so many people at once,” Finn exclaimed, grinning like students do when they discover something new about the world around them.
Alex and Finn are two of more than a dozen students from central Maine who attended the Junior Watershed Scientist Camp run by Friends of the Cobosee Watershed this summer. The camp was created through the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative, one of two outdoor education programs developed by the Maine Department of Education (DOE) to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The other is Re Thinking Responsive Education Venture (RREV), established through the U.S. Department of Education’s Rethink K-12 Education Models grant, which is awarded to only 11 states nationwide.
Young scientists like Gardiner’s Finn learned how to use everyday items like wiffle balls and twine to create scientific instruments to track lake temperatures and collect water samples. . Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Education
“We’ve known for a long time that the human brain turns on in very different ways when we’re in nature, when we’re active, when we’re moving,” said Maine Department of Energy Secretary Pender Makin. said. “We have always known that learning outdoors is very good for children, but suddenly with COVID-19 it has become essential.”
The Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative and RREV benefit students across the state. From observing Kittery’s maritime heritage to completing hiking trips in Baxter State Park, participating students will learn about the great outdoors in the most extensive classroom that Maine has to offer.
Since its introduction in Maine, RREV has funded pilots in 42 schools and served more than 7,000 students last year alone. Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School in Brunswick used an RREV grant to help build a learning garden and nature-based play structure, including raised garden beds and a new greenhouse. This is a prime example of how Maine schools are leveraging nature-based learning to address the lasting effects of the pandemic.
“Spending time outdoors is a different way to engage with peers and learn. There’s a lot less structure. There’s a lot less sitting and sitting and more physical activity. COVID-19 I think kids missed out on a lot of opportunities because they had to sit down and do school in front of a screen,” explained Heather Blanchard, principal at Harriet Beecher Stowe. “Due to COVID-19, students were often alone and didn’t have many opportunities to build knowledge together. Now with the Learning Garden, they can actually do something together. I think that’s very important in developing the ability to collaborate with each other.”
When creating this space, the Harriet Beecher Stowe team prioritized accessibility. Walkways lined with rubber mats provide wheelchair access to both the learning garden and the nature-based play area. This nature-based play structure incorporates a unique, easy-to-access slide, and raised garden beds at various heights allow every student to plant seeds and watch them grow. It will be.
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s accessible slide, Dignity Landing, fans out at the bottom so it can be easily moved to the side if students need extra time to descend. Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Education
“One of the great things about garden spaces and outdoor learning like this is that it benefits all learners. Many children thrive in the classroom, but many do not. No,” explained Sarah Rogers, director of education and community engagement for the Topsham Brunswick Land Trust, which continues to work with Harriet Beecher Stowe on the outdoor space. Support your school’s outdoor curriculum. “Children are only free when they’re outside. It feels more natural. Behavioral problems often go away when they’re outside.”
Rogers said the most exciting thing about the new space is that it gives teachers the opportunity to actually do science with their students, instead of just reading books about it.
“For example, we have third graders who are in charge of seed saving,” Rogers said. “They look at sunflowers, beans and different plants in the garden and save those seeds for the winter. Students plant the seedlings in the spring, they grow over the summer, and the new third graders harvest them next year. So they understand the entire life cycle of the plant.”
Alex and Finn return to central Maine to finish their last summer as junior scientists. For Alex, the experience brought more than just new STEM skills. Through the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative, Alex learned that being outdoors improves the overall learning experience.
“I’m autistic and also have ADHD, so it’s hard for me to sit still in a small space,” Alex says. “It’s easier for me to walk outside and it’s a safer environment to express my feelings.”
Since the first season in 2022, thousands of students have directly benefited from the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative. (This summer alone, there were more than 116 programs available to students.) With the expansion of the Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative, the Maine DOE has made permanent space available to Maine students for outdoor learning for years to come. built.
“We are bringing everything full circle and building an outdoor learning pavilion on Mackworth Island, where the Governor first envisioned Maine’s outdoor learning program,” Secretary Makin revealed.
The outdoor learning pavilion is now complete and available for use by the school. In addition to a lighted covered pavilion and free parking, it also includes an indoor area accessible to schools with lab tables, bathrooms, portable projectors and screens. In November, Secretary Makin will officially open the space to the public and invite Maine schools and students to join him on a morning exploration of Mackworth Island.
To reserve the Maine Outdoor Learning Pavilion or for more information about the November unveiling event, please contact Page Nichols, Maine DOE Chief Innovation Officer.
The Maine Outdoor Learning Initiative and RREV program were created using federal emergency relief funds and are part of Maine’s all-student pandemic recovery effort. For more information, visit the Maine DOE website.
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