HOW TO BECOME A NATURAL MAKER IN 5 EASY STEPS What if emotional connection is the door to authentic learning? What if young natural makers unknowingly hold the key to serious social and environmental problems? What if the time spent in nature was directly related to the well-being of the person, the community? What if outdoors learning was facilitated? This is the mandate of Brilliant Labs' Natural Maker program. Inspired by several great nature educators and our own experiences, here are five practical tips that we hope will help you find pleasure and comfort in your outdoors learning initiatives with your students. 1- We go out but where do we go? Learning in nature happens as soon as you set foot outside... If your school has a door, you have an integrated Natural Maker Space. It could be in the schoolyard, on a nearby trail, in a municipal park, near a watercourse or on a neighbor's farm... All natural spaces near your school are worth exploring. Pack your equipment and that of the students in buckets that will be used for transportation but also for benches, tables and 68
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whiteboards, and set off on an adventure. The first step is to observe the spaces near the school using software such as Google map and then walk around the area. No infrastructure is necessary, buckets are often enough but students might see possibilities to build shelters, benches, games... These are great learning opportunities as long as it is done in an environmentally friendly way. 2- Plan according to the weather All temperatures are conducive to learning in nature... But if you want to have fun while learning outdoors, I suggest you do as Mr. Kevin, teacher at the Centre d'Apprentissage du Haut-Madawaska, does and plan your outdoor outings according to the weather. It is Mr. Kevin's Grade 6 students who analyze the weather forecast on Monday mornings in order to place at least one day of outdoors learning in their weekly schedule. This winning plan has ensured that Mr. Kevin's students have had outdoor experiences every week since the beginning of the school year, sometimes even two or three outings, they will tell you. So, put "Natural Makerspace" on your schedule but choose the day with your students to allow everyone to have a positive experience.