Discover Nature Schools - Nature Unfolds & Nature Unleashed
Nature Unfolds:
This Discover Nature School (DNS) program, Nature Unfolds, is for Kindergarten through 2nd grade. It includes engaging, hands-on outdoor learning that focuses on season, weather, life cycles, and parent/offspring relationships. It has already been correlated to both the Missouri Learning Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards and are designed to work with teacher's needs and existing curriculum. Additionally, learning outdoors improves student physical and mental health and reduces behavioral issues.
During the training, teachers will become familiar with the teacher's guide, student guide, science note-booking, and the online Teacher Portal. Additionally, teachers will experience the activities and outdoor learning themselves. This will help prepare them to implement them and help with their comfort level. Teachers will also become certified to receive the DNS grant funds for learning materials, outdoor classroom materials, and field trips for their schools.
The program includes the following items:
• Full-color, illustrated student book: See How the Turkey Grows
• Student science notebook
• Teacher guide with outdoor activities and lesson plans
• Non-competitive grants for field trips, exploration equipment, and building outdoor classrooms
Participants should bring their lunch and appropriate clothing for the weather.
Nature Unleashed:
The Discover Nature Schools program, Nature Unleashed, is a program designed to allow elementary students hands-on interactions and understanding of Missouri habitats, food webs, predator/prey relationships, and adaptations. Not only does the program meet the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Missouri Learning Standards, but there are also big benefits for students. A recent study of the program shows that Nature Unleashed increased the amount of time students spent in activities and field experiences outside the classroom. Learning outdoors improves student physical and mental health, increases scores on standardized tests, and reduces attention-deficit problems.
Nature Unleashed inspires students in ways that other programs do not, and test scores prove it. During the last four school years, over a third of teachers reported a decrease in student behavior issues on the days they taught the unit. Even more impressive, students in Nature Unleashed classrooms increased their scores by an average of 28 percent (significantly more than non-participating students) during the 2014-2015 school year.
Nature Unleashed emphasizes hands-on learning, teaches problem-solving, and provides authentic and local contexts for learning.
The program includes the follow items:
• full-color, illustrated student book
• student science notebook
• teacher guides with outdoor activities and lesson plans
• grants for field trips and exploration equipment
Participants should bring their lunch and appropriate clothing for the weather.