2023-2024 Mini Grants For Outdoor Learning Report

Mini-Grants for Outdoor Learning

2023-2024

Over the course of the 2023-2024 school year, MEEA received $147K from donors to distribute to over 126 schools in all 16 counties to advance outdoor learning efforts for 38,000 students

The Mini-Grants for Outdoor Learning Program supports a wide variety of projects and types of outdoor learning. In the past four years, 555 applications have been funded, totaling $631,214 going directly to teachers! By funding teachers invested in outdoor learning across the state, we’ve reached over 107K students in four years. Some of the outdoor learning projects this year include building outdoor learning spaces, ice fishing and snowshoeing, and developing new outdoor curriculum.

In this report, we share snapshots of the 140 mini-grant funded projects across schools in Maine.

Clockwise from top left: Casco Bay High School, Portland Public Schools, South Bristol School, Camden Hills Regional High School.

Adaptive Gear

PISCATAQUIS COMMUNITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Wendy Lorigan

“We love being able to learn outside. It is fun and there is a lot to look at.”

- 4th Grade Student

PCES is proud to take learning outdoors. Students and teachers enjoy time together that celebrate an outdoor learning environment. We agree that our students are able to foster curiosity, work as a team and thrive when given the chance to work with their hands.

Our fifth and sixth graders have the opportunity each week to sign up for a choice activity, an alternative to traditional recess. We have offered an array of options, but have truly been able to expand our outdoor opportunities with this grant. We have offered shelter building, hiking & drawing and gardening/ landscaping, just to name a few. Our students really took to the garden projects. They were able to transform six garden beds from drab to gorgeous with a little bit of imagination and a whole lot of elbow grease.

As the school’s art teacher, I am honored to be able to merge my love of the outdoors with art education to create opportunities for students to work collaboratively. This May we created a Spring Fling day to reinforce teamwork and creative play. This was a fantastic opportunity for the students to pair with others from a different grade to create beautiful chalk murals.

Art Outdoors

MACHIAS MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

Becky Lee

Life is interdisciplinary, but in school we tend to teach subjects by discipline. This can make it challenging for students to connect knowledge across subject areas. Art is a wonderful subject to explore in an interdisciplinary way as art exists in harmony with math and science and history. The indigo dye project will allow students to explore one plant and the impact that it has had on the world. The project begins in spring with seeds which will grow through the summer. In the fall, students will explore the rich history of indigo and will harvest and process the plant into dye that they will use to explore traditional shibori techniques. Principal Nicole Case shared her thoughts on the project, “MMHS art teacher, Becky Lee, is transforming the way our school and community look at art. Her indigo project connects students with nature, pulls in the science of creating a sustainable product, and culminates in artwork that students have grown, literally and figuratively. We are so fortunate to be part of this exciting experience.”

MOUNT DESERT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Shannon Westphal

Thank you so much for this mini grant. It allowed us to buy two new cameras for our school that students will be able to use for years to come. With our funds we also paid Katheryn Emory to come in and work with four of our grade level classrooms, first, second, fifth and sixth grade. We learned about using the cameras and traveled to the Azalea Gardens in Northeast Harbor to take photos. We talked a lot about seeing and students were challenged to notice “big and small” and to take micro and macro style photography to create a diptych that juxtaposes size in nature. Students started out by doing some nature drawing to ensure that they were looking deeply and moved on to using cameras. Many of the students have never been to the Azalea Gardens and this was a great opportunity to get them outdoors enjoying and looking deeply at nature.

Art Outdoors

MT. ARARAT HIGH SCHOOL

Will Cogswell

The students who take our school’s Environmental Literature course spend a semester studying environmental writers, trends in environmental thinking, and environmental issues both local and global. At the end of the semester, students try their own hand at writing an environmental narrative in one of the genres that we study: essay, poetry, and short story. This year, my colleague Walter Gregg and I wanted to frame this narrative as a place-based piece of writing, especially one that encourages students to closely observe the natural world in the towns that make up our district and to think critically about our relationship with that world. We wanted to practice this type of observing, thinking, and writing with students and provide them with a collective experience in our local environment that could inspire their narratives, so we applied for funding to take the students in our two sections of Environmental Literature on two half-day field trips to the Cathance Preserve not far from our school in Topsham.

Over the course of these two visits students used the resources in the preserve’s Ecology Center to gather notes about the animals, plants, and minerals found in the preserve; they explored the trail system to create descriptions and sketches of different places and ecosystems within the preserve; and they experimented in writing about this place through the form of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Many students chose to incorporate their thoughts and observations from the field trips into their final environmental narratives, which ranged from a series of interlocking poems about local wildlife to a short story that anthropomorphizes a tree and the mosses growing on it. Ultimately, the field trips that this grant funded inspired our students to produce a collection of place-based narratives that demonstrate care, creativity, and critical thinking about the natural world around us.

PRESUMPSCOT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Natasha Vandegrift Martinez

Presumpscot’s outdoor spaces were outgrown, in disarray, or completely destroyed due to construction. The goal was to revamp the spaces and to encourage the use of outdoor spaces in learning. To do this, we worked as an entire school. Pre-K worked to build up their garden beds and helped move dirt from destroyed gardens. K worked on the gardens and helped design spaces. 1st grade designed birdhouses and planted sunflowers and milkweed in the front area of the school. 2nd grade worked on the main garden area, completely weeding it out, putting it to bed, waking it up, planting and tending to it. They also redesigned some areas and added on. 3rd grade helped work in the experimental garden beds and designed little libraries for the school. 4th grade helped with designing the forest classroom. 5th grade brought composting and are working on recycling at our school. The entire school collaborated on creating a learning walk on the hiking trail in the schoolyard. Students created artwork and signs were designed using that artwork to post along the trail. They were printed by Bayview Signworks. Portland Trails collaborated with us to start the process of bringing the Presumpscot School Trail back to life. They came and helped with a schoolwide event where the entire school came and worked on the trail. Portland Trails also installed the learning walk signs and the Little Libraries that were designed by 3rd grade and built by PATHS students. The work done with this money is amazing. (These funds were used in addition to another grant to get all this done).

Art Outdoors

SOUTH PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL

Justin Fell

This mural is called “GROW.” Each letter represents a different season in Maine and the various flora and fauna found in found or associated with that season. The boarder represents the colors of the ocean. The mural was created 100 percent by students during the last two months of school. Over 30 students participated in the creation of the mural during their art classes.

This project promoted creativity, belonging, school pride, artistic freedom and environmental awareness. While students were working on the project, onlookers would pass by and be inspired and amazed. The entire school was surprised at how well and fast the project came together. This was the first mural ever created in the school and it will most certainly inspire other large scale projects in the future. When the mural is hung in the courtyard it will create a sense of pride in the school. Thanks so much for the funding to make this incredible project happen!

Curriculum & Professional Development

FAYETTE CENTRAL

SCHOOL

Melissa Savage

The Fayette Central School is so grateful to have been awarded a MEEA mini-grant for the 2023-2024 school year. With the funding from the mini grant, items were purchased to create individual explorer bags for all the 1st and 2nd graders. These items have been and will be used to explore the surrounding areas of the school. The explorer bags have been personalized for each student, and will be sent home at the end of the year. This is to allow the students to be able to use the items at the school and continue the exploring over the summer at their homes. Within the explore bags are items such as magnifying glasses, bug catchers, nets, and compasses. These materials are provided so that students are able to explore within the woods, ponds and around the school facilities. For our weather lessons we purchased an anemometer, thermometer, rain gauge, weather vane, and many books based on the outdoors. Laminating sheets were used to make tree, cloud, bug, bird, butterfly identification cards that can be utilized within all types of weather.

While all of these items are used to help build on the 1st and 2nd grade science lessons and exploration however have been put up or available for all of the school to utilize.

The items purchased and lessons provided during our outdoor exploration will be provided to all the 1st and 2nd graders to take home and continue their exploration with their families. A outdoor learning journal is used to observe and document what is seen, and what it is that they learned.

I have been able to see the joy within my students when they can access outdoor exploration with the items purchased with this mini grant. Every day at school, I hear, “Can we use our exploring bags today?”

Curriculum & Professional Development

FOXCROFT ACADEMY

Erin Boyer

Recently, the State of Maine introduced a new classification called Trip Leader Certification. Although the original intent of the certification was a credential that could be quickly attained by summer camp counselors and Allagash canoe trip helpers, the State has used it to require that all teachers leading any sort of outdoor activity must have either the full Maine Guide or Trip Leader certification. I first encountered this requirement at a youth fishing event, but as I learned more, Guide licensing or the lesser equivalent is necessary for anyone leading: cross-country skiing/snowshoeing, foraging of wild foods, observing wildlife, hiking, overnight camping, any activity conducted on water, or more. Since I do many of those things regularly with students in the course of teaching science curriculum, I faced a dilemma. Maine’s Guide certification process is the most rigorous in the nation, consisting of a graded navigation course by map & compass and GPS; an oral examination covering emergency response, client booking and business management, wildlife identification, cooking, canoe paddling, and other diverse skills; and a 90-minute multiple choice test on laws and regulations of the State of Maine (in each classification). The examination is conducted by a panel of Master Maine Guides, Maine Game Wardens, and other professionals in the field. Despite having fished since the age of four and having hunted since the age of eight, I was intimidated by the process. However, with the encouragement of this grant, I have completed the Wilderness First Aid, 32-hour Registered Guide Course, and background check elements. As well, I have sent my Guide’s exam applications into the state, and will hopefully complete the examinations this summer. I feel tremendously more confident already after rehearsing what to do in a wilderness emergency situation or after practicing communication with law enforcement or medical professionals. I’m glad I challenged myself to do the higher Maine Guide credential. Some day the information and training I received might make a difference in a scenario including myself or my students!

MSAD 15: GRAY/NEW GLOUCESTER MIDDLE SCHOOL

Todd Mercer

Recently the Maine Legislature passed a law requiring schools to either hire a Registered Maine Guide, or have staff certified as Educational Trip Leaders for all paddling outings and overnight staying in remote campsites. This ruling was passed to create a layer of training and certification for the many Outing Club Trips and Outdoor Classrooms the students of Maine attend. To qualify for training all applicants must be certified in Wilderness First Aid.

Most schools were not prepared for this ruling, and had not allocated funds for training staff to meet these new requirements. And we at SAD 15 were in a position where we were not able to utilize our kayaking gear or take our students on outdoor learning experiences.

During this tight budget season, if left to the district to allocate the funds required for training, it may have been a long time before SAD 15 was able to provide the necessary training. Fortunately SAD 15 received a grant from MEEA which provided our staff with training needed to get our students back outside.

Thanks to the MEEA, our students are headed into the wilderness to learn once again.

Curriculum & Professional Development

GRAY NEW GLOUCESTER HIGH SCHOOL

Todd Mercer

For many schools this has been a very difficult budget season. When schools are struggling for money, as they are now, finding funds to maintain and purchase outdoor equipment an outdoor education would consider essential becomes challenging.

MEEA affords outdoor educators the opportunity to purchase much needed gear and equipment essential to our programming. At SAD 15 our snowshoes are showing their age, and the rubber in the bindings is beginning to fail. With no funds budgeted for this expense, we were looking at cancelling our snowshoeing unit, and informing the teaching staff that the snow shoes would not be available for classroom use.

With the help of the MEEA, SAD 15 was able to purchase enough replacement snowshoes to get through another Maine winter. Our students enjoyed tromping about on the Libby Hill Trail system, behind the school.

KATAHDIN MIDDLE/ HIGH SCHOOL

Carilyn Hanson

These materials were used to help students learn about the every day aspects of the outdoors. They were used in order to learn about the particular units that were being studied as well as able to implement them. The fishing pamphlet came in handy when the students took a field trip and were able to use the information there as well as the ruler to check their catch.

There was a tracking unit in which students learned to track and then looked for tracks on their walk. Students were very excited to use the materials because they were small and easy to navigate. The pamphlets were great for all age levels.

MIDCOAST SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY/REGION 8

Seth Walton

This project, attending foraging and skills workshops at Maine Primitive Skills School, has enabled me to expand my curriculum and provide instruction on local ecology and sustainable plant gathering to students in my Outdoor Leadership Program. Foraging has been of specific interest to many of my students and they repeatedly request more opportunities to learn about useful and practical ways to interact with the outdoors. These workshops enable my program to provide seasonal lessons dealing with ecology and the interconnectedness of humans and the environment. I also will be able to provide some guidance and instruction on sustainably foraging and cooking wild local foods with our culinary program.

This content will help my students become more in-tune with the natural world and raise their awareness of the connectedness of all living things in the environment. Using sustainable foraging will help them connect with and find their place in the natural order of things. Too often, the “look but do not touch” approach to nature reinforces the disconnection of the modern human to the environment. Responsible foraging allows humans to regain their connectivity to the environment in impactful and meaningful ways. Students learn to tend and care for their ecosystem through direct experience. Ideally, through these lessons and experiences, my students will be more apt to value, protect, and respect outdoor spaces

along with the wild plants and animals that occupy them. Along with a stronger environmental ethic, students will learn how to locate, identify, harvest, and prepare food, medicine and fibers. This will help make them more resilient and will enable them to pass on their new knowledge to others. Finally, this content will help my students pass the general knowledge portion of the Registered Maine Guide’s test. This is a certification they pursue at the end of our two-year program.

Curriculum & Professional Development

PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Katie West

Teachers in PPS have been learning about the practice of phenology- the study of cycles and seasonal changes in nature through the Wabanaki/Life Science/Experiential Learning Units K-2. To aid with teacher confidence and joy, we used the funds to purchase copies of Naturally Curious, a fabulous and detailed phenology book which shows what is happening each month in the natural world. It is an invaluable local resource and has helped teachers feel more confident to take their students outside and to engage each moment outside as a moment for connection and learning. Helping teachers transition from the schoolyard as a place for recreation into one of relationship and learning, directly impacts student experience into a Living Schoolyard. By creating more equitable access for students, we increase the diversity of learners who are experiencing the outdoors and the earth as part of their growth, development, and learning. This is turn can create more equitable access to green employment and the kinds of careers we will be seeing in the future. From curiously seeing a robin in the schoolyard today to learning about the specific habitat and behavior of a robin tomorrow to becoming citizens who care passionately about the future well-being of all birds and beings is the real aim of how we used these funds. And a happy, curious teacher leads to a student mirroring those same qualities.

Curriculum & Professional Development

ROBERTS FARM / OXFORD HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT

Sarah Kearsley

This MEEA Mini Grant for Outdoor Learning made it possible for MSAD 17’s Outdoor Learning Coach (Sarah Timm) and Experiential STEM Teacher at Roberts Farm (Sarah Kearsley) to host a paid after school professional development opportunity for 11 staff. This Outdoor and Experiential Learning Professional Development opportunity focused on integrating Wabanaki Studies into participants’ curriculum. These teachers met once a week for an hour and a half for structured time focused on resource sharing and unit creation.

Our first session took place at Roberts Farm Experiential Learning, a local land trust property that is used as an outdoor learning site for the Oxford Hills School District. Teachers got to experience a Roberts Farm 5th grade lesson that served as an example of integrating Wabanaki Studies into science curriculum, focusing on Tree Identification, Passamaquoddy language, and the cultural significance of different tree species.

During our second and third sessions we welcomed guest experts to share resources and funding opportunities: Bri Lolar shared lessons and advice related to Wabanaki Studies and Anna Sommo discussed outdoor and experiential learning resources.

Throughout these sessions, teachers were given time to make progress on developing their own unit that integrated Wabanaki Studies with outdoor and experiential practices.

Our final session was dedicated to giving teachers time to make progress, ask questions, and search for resources. The units that teachers developed are being collected with plans to make them available to MSAD 17 staff.

In reflecting on this experience, all responding teachers said they are feeling more energized about integrating Wabanaki Studies into their curriculum after this experience, and most said that they are feeling more confident about bringing their classroom outdoors.

One teacher shared, “I so appreciate you both putting this committee together and I can’t wait to share my progress with my lessons next year.”

Field Trips

BROWNVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Rebecca Burgess

This grant allowed the fourth grade students at Brownville Elementary to experience new learning related to the environment.

Students participated in a stream study at the Williamsburg Forest and learned about macro invertebrates and their presence in relation to stream health. They turned over rocks in a stream and collected specimens in a safe way and the facilitator from the Appalachian Mountain Club identified the creatures and discussed indicator species. Also at the Williamsburg Forest, students learned about invasive species through a presentation about the Emerald Ash Borer and the Asian Long-horned Beetle, complete with artifacts and specimens.

They learned about natural resources and forest products while attending a tour of Pleasant River Lumber and saw a state-of-the-art lumber mill in action! This followed our studies during Maine Forest Products Week, and our in class lessons on natural resources, tree health, Students learned how to measure and determine the age of trees using a biltmore stick from a licensed Maine Forester.

Without this grant, our students would not have been able to travel to Bradley to the Maine Forest and Logging Museum due to the costs of travel and the cost of admission. This opportunity was an amazing experience for students to not only learn about the environment, but also to witness life in Maine in the 1790s. Students caught alewives in nets and transported them to a fish ladder, rode in a horse-drawn wagon and saw a waterwheel powered sawmill in action. Students also learned about the resources trees need for survival and discussed scarcity of resources. There were many artifacts on display, including steam and gas powered Lombard Log Haulers and log driving equipment. Students learned about animal furs and adaptations from a trapper through hands-on examination of preserved animal furs.

This grant gave the fourth graders at Brownville Elementary so many new learning experiences that would have been impossible without the provided funding. Thank you!

Field Trips

CASCO BAY HIGH SCHOOL

Elizabeth Hampton

One of the most important things we have learned in creating our Junior Journey experiences is preparation. Through these funds we expanded our orientation to the water, by providing our immigrant students and others for whom hiking and aquaculture/citizen science work may be too far outside their comfort zone - a space to learn about new aspects of nature/ water and become more comfortable with the outdoors. We were able to work the National Park Service and Friends of Acadia to provide structure for the experience. It is our hope that in turn, this gets more of our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students excited about the outdoors, post-secondary pursuits in STEM and land management related fields as well as increasing attendance in future outdoor programming.

DEERING HIGH SCHOOL

Lucy Sommo

This project took students who are newcomers to the United States and Maine out onto the ocean in kayaks to experience their natural world. Many students had never been on the Atlantic Ocean and none had ever been in a kayak. This grant allowed us to provide an opportunity for students (some of whom are quite afraid of the water and have not spent time outside of Portland) to safely enjoy the water. We saw some beautiful wildlife, including a bald eagle and its chick that spent most of the morning flying all around us. Our hope is that students will use this initial experience to try another experience in their new environment, for example with the high school outing club. What a joy to see students have fun in the outdoors, try something that seemed daunting at first, and explore their new natural environment.

Field Trips

DIRIGO HIGH SCHOOL

Kaitlyn O’Connor

Not only did these students get to experience something new and exciting, but it was educational as well! Funds from the Maine Environmental Education Association were used to cover the cost of all student tickets and transportation round trip from our school to Bar Harbor. All students were a part of Dirigo High School’s Marine Biology class for the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year. This class included learning about the different marine habitats, flora, fauna, and threats. They did this through lecture, dissection, handson activities, research, and real world experiences too thanks to MEEA! This experience was a first for many students in the class, including the students that had never even been on a boat before. Learning about marine biology in our rural school, 2 hours from the coast, the ocean can seem like a far off and foreign place. Going on this trip showed students that it is not as far away as we may think sometimes. As a teacher, I am extremely grateful for this grant allowing me to bring my classroom and students outside, and see how happy and excited they all were because of this opportunity. Students were able to see harbor and grey seals with their pups, porpoises, puffins, terns, razorbills, bald eagles, guillemots, eiders, various intertidal organisms on nearby beaches, and many more bird species. I believe that this experience is one the students will hold on to for many years and remember as a very positive memory from high school. The days following our Wildlife Tour, students reported many of their peers asking them about their field trip, and how it caused a sharp increase in interest among the student body. Hopefully this also results in more students having an interest in learning about and protecting our ocean - hopefully through the class we offer at our school! All of the students and staff at Dirigo High School are extremely grateful to have been given this opportunity and we all hope to continue making memories together through education with the help of the Maine Environmental Education Association!

MONMOUTH MEMORIAL SCHOOL

Autumn Houck

When a colleague mentioned, “It was nice to see all the parents that came along to the Whittier Woods field trip and how involved they were in our outdoor learning,” it made me realize that the students are not just excited about outdoor learning, but the parents are also involved and supportive. When a student mentioned during a Forest Friday, “This is the best day ever at school,” I realized how important it is to do outdoor learning activities with the students. They were so engaged and it made them want to come to school every day. They always asked, “What are we doing for Forest Friday this week?” It was something they looked forward to every week. I watched a lot of students become leaders through our outdoor learning. This grant allowed the students to become problem solvers and learn how to work together as a team. Using the materials we bought from the grant allowed us to really dive into outdoor learning and made our class and grade level grow closer together. I saw the kids working together the most when we were reading outside this Spring. The ground was still a little wet so we brought the tarp and foam sit spots out. They all worked together as a team to lay the tarp down and came up with ideas on how to make sure it didn’t blow away. They all were so excited to still be able to lay down and read their book. Another time that really stuck out to me was when we went to Whittier Woods and we were playing iSpy. The students then started noticing very small things about the outdoors and sharing them with each other. It was great to see them so excited about the pieces of nature that they had found and tell them to a classmate.

Field Trips

OCEANSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

Jennifer Cross

The Annual Academy Learning Retreat to Hurricane Island centered around the theme of “Industry’s Impact on Nature and Nature’s Impact on Industry.” The retreat aimed to deepen students’ understanding of the island’s history, particularly focusing on the transformation brought by the granite industry and the subsequent interaction between human activity and natural reclamation.

Students engaged in a series of structured activities designed to achieve our educational goals. The first morning was dedicated to exploring remnants of the granite industry town, where students examined historical artifacts and used period images to reconstruct historical landscapes.

In the afternoon, students participated in a marine debris cleanup, collecting materials that were subsequently used in artistic installations. Guided by Alexis, an artist-in-residence, students formed groups and selected historical sites on the island for their installations. Each installation creatively incorporated marine debris, polaroids, photographic transfers, cyanotypes, and natural elements to reflect both the past and present significance of their chosen site.

Four unique installations were created, each offering a distinct perspective on the island’s history and environment. For instance, one group focused on the former school site, now an island garden, symbolizing the transition from a place that once “grew humans” to one sustaining plant life for human use. Another group chose the church foundation and created an installation portraying the life cycle of a church member—from

baptism to marriage and death. They used local flowers and symbolic backgrounds to evoke connections to the site’s history.

Students reported significant personal and educational insights from their experiences. One student remarked, “I feel like I know the town’s people so much better after spending time in the remains of the church thinking about how this was probably so important to their life and now all that is left is the foundation and a tree that has grown up in the middle of it.”

This sentiment underscores the retreat’s success in fostering empathy and historical understanding among participants.

The retreat successfully achieved its objectives of integrating history, environmental awareness, and artistic expression. Participants gained a deeper appreciation for the island’s heritage and the intricate relationship between human activity and natural processes.

Field Trips

RSU 14: KATAHDIN PROGRAM PEMBROKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Debbie McPhail

Pembroke Elementary School’s 7th & 8th grade students attended a day of outdoor learning at Greenland Point Outdoor Learning Center. The students learned to canoe following safety guidelines and were able to fish for several hours on the lake. Next, they learned proper bow arrow skills as they all practiced shooting at a target.

The 7th & 8th students and 3rd & 4th grades students each traveled to Downeast Institute on Beals Island twice to learn about marine biology and the impact of invasive species.

All grades Pre-K-8 searched for animal prints and signs of wildlife at Sipp’s Bay in the month of April. At Sipp’s Bay they learned about local wildlife, habitats, ecosystems, and how to be good stewards of the land.

7th and 8th students traveled to the University of Maine in Orono and participated in a challenging ropes course where they learned to problem solve as a team and also push individual limits.

All students in grades K-8 received nature journals to help them notice and document the outdoor world around them.

The students worked on being descriptive writers and using strong word choices to paint pictures in the readers’ minds.

Christine Fredette

The Katahdin program believes strongly in the power of experiences for young disenfranchised students. We work hard to show our students how to access the outdoors through meaningful, well supported adventures. These opportunities build confidence, change perspectives and hopefully help students make positive changes for themselves and their families. Our staff is passionate about the outdoors and its impact on overall well-being. Teaching students to be stewards of the Earth and value its resources is one of our primary goals.

When asked about the recent kayaking trip one of our students said, “I didn’t think I would be able to do it - But I’m so glad I went. We saw seals, crabs, mussels, snails, sea urchins and starfish. I have never seen a sea urchin with all its spines! It was really awesome. I would definitely go again.”

Whitewater rafting is another cost prohibitive trip that we take our students on. Having whitewater raft guides as staff members gives us a unique ability to take students on these trips that they might never have the opportunity to be a part of.

Thanks to the help and support that MEEA provides, we can keep providing these high quality experiences!

Field Trips

SANFORD HIGH SCHOOL

Lindsay Strout

I was fortunate enough to take my high school wildlife biology students on two separate field trips this school year with funding from the MEEA mini grant! We studied various kinds of animals throughout the year in class. For some of the students, they had never seen a moose in-person, or met some of the nonreleasable animal ambassadors at the Center for Wildlife , like Lucy the Screech Owl, Pisces the Red-tailed Hawk and Poppy the Porcupine. My students and I felt like kids again on these field trips with our bagged lunches and our nature journals in our backpacks. The smiles and stories they all shared were the exact reason why field trips need to happen, no matter how old the students are. As their teacher, I loved it when students ran up to me to show me a picture or tell me something they had just learned, and then list out facts that I had taught them in class! The students also really appreciated learning about the care that the center gives animals and learning about the reasons they are not able to be back in the wild, for example, car accidents, human imprinting, or other injuries. I cannot thank MEEA enough for this grant. With your help, my students had two fantastic days observing animals they might have never seen!

Foul-Weather Gear

Monica Wright RSU1: BATH MIDDLE SCHOOL

The tide pools are a wonderful place to explore and learn! As part of a long-standing project on the intertidal zone, all of the 7th graders at Bath Middle School venture outdoors for field work in the water. All students investigate and measure the populations of invasive crabs as their ecosystems research project. The MEEA grant is essential to providing a warm, safe, and equitable experience for all students. The grant provided the means to purchase waterproof boots, boot rack, and foot spray to create an in-house borrowing system for water-proof boots. This system is also run by the science teachers instead of our social worker so that it is easier to loan out the boots for a specific purpose.

Middle school students are growing so quickly, that purchasing boots for only a year is a financial burden on families. However, the borrowing boot rack solves that problem. All the boots are gender-neutral and are ready to use. Multiple teachers will be able to access the borrowing system so that all students feel ready for the field work for the future years, including ecosystems, or orchard work that is next to the school.

This year, my students have many stories to tell about our field work in the intertidal zone. During the exploring part of the day, students walked as far as they were allowed to a zone with multiple tide pools. Boys and girls were standing right in the water, flipping over boulders to find juvenile lobsters, shrimp, and even eels. Many crabs were picked up and examined, but the joy of discovery was their favorite. I had loaned used boots from the social worker earlier in the year for a particular student, but I didn’t realize the boots had a hole in them until the water was pouring out of my student’s socks. With the MEEA grant money, all our students will have dry feet… well, except for the ones that chose to fall into the water!

RSU71: BCOPE (BELFAST)

Lindsey Schortz & Emma Witham

In the words of one of our students, “any outdoor learning experience is much more enjoyable if we (the students) have the proper attire and equipment.”

BCOPE is the alternative program for Belfast Area High School and we approach learning a little differently here. Our program has a garden/agriculture program that is embedded in our curriculum. We are outside almost everyday throughout the school year, weather permitting. Our garden and grounds will once again be the base camp for our high school’s MOLI bridge program this summer for incoming at-risk 9th grade students. We are members of the Maine School Garden Network, work with Maine Ag in the Classroom, the Waldo County Cooperative Extension and partner with the Belfast Garden Club. We also partner with the Belfast Marine Institute, Fish Friends, Belfast Bay Watershed and are participants in the Coastal Tracers iTest Grant for place based learning. All of these groups collaborate with us with advice, instruction, volunteers, curriculum, special guests, seeds and/or financial support. Getting our students outside more often, in rain or shine, warm or cold weather has given us more opportunities to work with all of these folks who support us year round.

Due to a supplier error we received our gear a bit late in the school year but, having these funds has allowed and will continue to allow us to outfit our students in high quality, made to last, waterproof gear and warm layers so that we can be outside in the garden or exploring the shoreline or watersheds, engaging in place based learning comfortably in any weather.

Foul-Weather Gear

EASTON JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL

Hogan Marquis

Easton Junior Senior High School in Easton, ME, used grant money to buy BOGS boots for their students. These boots helped overcome barriers like cold, water, and mud, making it easier for students to learn outdoors. With these boots, students comfortably walked in the woods, played in the snow, and went through mud and water. They also tapped maple trees. This footwear allowed many students to participate in outdoor activities year-round.

During lunch period, the buckets were overflowing with sap. Every drop that came from the trees dropped in our collection pails and then dripped on the ground. You would have thought that were losing gold, the students were almost panicked. “This is a GOOD problem to have, guys” I reassured them. The group of students sprung into action. We strapped on the BOGs, grabbed our sap buckets, and ran around the campus emptying the buckets. Eventually, our sap was turned into real liquid gold (maple syrup) to share with our entire school at a big Winter Carnival breakfast.

HALL-DALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Terri Pelletier

Hall-Dale Elementary School is dedicated to providing outdoor opportunities for our students. Two outdoor classrooms and several hiking trails are located right behind the school. Teachers have access to outdoor lesson plans and materials to provide outdoor learning experiences for their students. The classrooms and hiking trails are utilized extensively in the fall, spring and winter. The ground during some of the seasons is wet and muddy.

I was very excited to open the boxes when they were delivered. I was able to present the grant during a staff meeting and teachers were so thrilled to be able to have some warm footwear for their students. Everyone cheered when I told them about the sixteen pairs of boots. Teachers said that these boots would allow our students to explore the woods even during times when the trails are wet and muddy.

Students like the easy access to the boots. They often show up at my classroom door and ask if they can borrow a pair. Students are always so thankful and have told me they love the boots because they don’t have to ruin the shoes that they wore to school. There have even been occasions that students prefer to wear the LLBean Bog boots instead of the boots they wore to school. It also has helped students who do not have a warm pair of boots for the winter. Being appropriately dressed while learning in the outdoor classroom improves student’s mental health, reducing stress and anxiety.

It has truly been a wonderful year for our outdoor learning. It has extended the times that we can explore the woods, hiking trails and classrooms.

Foul-Weather Gear

HARRINGTON

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Ashley Cirone

Our ideas for outdoor learning blossomed in ways we could never have imagined. We worked with Maine Outdoor School so that our students could explore native plants and animals. The excitement of identifying animals tracks in the woods found its way into our inside classroom, and this generated even more interest in learning outside. While identifying rabbit tracks in nature, students connected the learning to our reading of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s On the Banks of Plum Creek where Laura and Mary are in awe of the rabbit paws. They began talking about what it might be like to have rabbits at our school.

Just as we identified plants and animals native to Maine, we chose a school wide read aloud Because of the Rabbit by Maine author Cynthia Lord. These school pets allowed our students to spend time with animals and much more time in nature. In On the Banks of Plum Creek much attention is given to birds like the waterthrush and wester willet, thus fostering a entirely unexpected unit on bird songs and hatching birds. When Laura gathers irises and blue bonnets for Ma, it inspired our students to search the woods and nature trails for our own native flowers.

Our students embarked on an exciting pumpkin unit that blended literacy and science and so much time outdoors. Students compared modern ways of food preparation with the natural harvest of green pumpkins as described in The Long Winter. This idea of nature and food was the perfect context for late winter/ early spring weather learning at a local farm where we made maple syrup candy.

We could go on and on about the many hours of time spent outside this year, but most exciting is the way so much was student driven. We had no plan of rabbits, chickens, or pumpkins until the students were delightfully infected with an appreciation for the animals and plants in our local woods. Even more, with each hour outside we noticed a decrease in student behavioral challenges. This grant was so instrumental (fiddle included) in allowing this incredible outdoor learning to evolve.

Foul-Weather Gear

HELEN THOMPSON SCHOOL

Sarah Lucas

This year my class has spent every Tuesday afternoon in the woods behind our school. This grant provided the opportunity for my school to purchase 47 pairs of rain pants in a variety of sizes. This foul weather gear made it possible for us to be out there in all types of weather- never missing a week the whole year. This winter and spring we have extended our range to include the nearby stream and the pants have kept us dry and warm even in the wettest and muddiest of conditions. Having the foul weather gear allows the students to focus on the world around them instead of the discomfort of cold wet clothing. They work very well to keep the ticks off as well.

This is my first year spending weekly scheduled time in the woods with my class. Over the course of the year I have seen my students connect with the environment right outside their door. They have learned the calls and appearance of our local birds. They have become expert animal trackers and are learning so much as the woods and stream come alive again this spring.

They have become caretakers of the environment- always leaving the woods and the stream better than they found it. Finding plastic garbage in the stream has prompted these seven and eight year olds to become activists who are determined to reduce the amount of plastic being used at our school.

They have also had a chance to let their imaginations soar as different parts of the woods have become their playground. The students built taco stands and ice cream shops, beaver dams and fairy houses, using nothing but nature and their imaginations.

My hope is that having the gear to make the outside accessible in any weather will prompt more teachers to come outside and explore so all children can have the experience of being a kid outdoors in Maine!

Foul-Weather Gear

KATAHDIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Brittany Arbo & Alicia Rodgerson

Katahdin Elementary School educators and staff recognize the importance of outdoor education in developing the whole child and providing authentic learning experiences for our students. A barrier to fully realizing the benefits of outdoor learning has been the lack of appropriate gear, particularly for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. With the generous support of MEEA, we addressed this challenge by enhancing our gear library to ensure that all students have access to quality outdoor clothing regardless of their financial circumstances.

Over 60% of our students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, and many face challenges in accessing appropriate outdoor clothing, especially during inclement weather. Knowing this, a team at KES conducted an inventory of our gear library and consulted with teachers to identify specific gear needs. It became clear that a lack of properly fitting raincoats, rain pants, snow pants, and warm mittens hindered our students’ ability to engage comfortably in outdoor activities.

With our MEEA funds, we purchased high-quality outdoor clothing tailored to the diverse needs of our student body. This investment enabled us to expand our gear library, ensuring every child can access clothing that fits them comfortably and keeps them dry and warm in all weather conditions.

Our collaboration with the After-School Program Coordinator, Our Katahdin Cubs After-Care Facilitator, Katahdin Learning Project, and Katahdin Children and Families Foundation has further facilitated the integration of outdoor education into our extended learning opportunities. By spreading awareness about the availability of outdoor gear, we ensure that all students have equitable access to outdoor learning experiences. Children utilized the outdoor gear during the school day, after school, and on field trips.

We thank MEEA for supporting outdoor education at Katahdin Elementary School. Your funding has filled a critical gap in our gear library and supported us in providing authentic learning experiences for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background. As we continue to provide authentic learning opportunities by including outdoor education as an integral part of our curriculum, we remain committed to fostering a nurturing and inclusive learning environment where every child can thrive.

Foul-Weather Gear

KATAHDIN MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL

Kelly Birmingham

The funding from Maine Environmental Education Association has greatly helped to get more students outdoors and doing more activities and learning in a different environment. We have been able to give more students access to the materials that they would need such as jackets, boots, water bottles, waders, hiking/water shoes, and mess kits. The students were very excited as the packages came in because some of them realized that they would be able to do more outdoor activities with the materials that we had purchased.

Other classrooms have also been able to use the materials so that they can also take students outside to do more experiments and discussions outside. This funding has helped us to reach more students and give more educators a chance to see the benefits of taking students outdoors. This has led to more and more people taking students out and using the materials that were purchased.

The jackets and boots were the biggest part of our purchase, but also the most crucial because this was the one thing that

most students were lacking or always forgetting when they came to school. This has led to them being able to join their classmates in outdoor classrooms and activities so as not have to sit in the office or conference room and miss out on outdoor activities.

I have had ed techs and teachers also use the materials that we purchased and when they return them, they often come back in and say that they see the benefit of taking students out, but also how it effects them. They often say that they feel refreshed after their time outside as well. Students are found to better able to sit down and concentrate on in class work after being outside, so our materials have helped with their focus by giving them the means to go outside.

Some of the other materials are ones that will be used for Spring activities, but the students are already planning a fishing and a hiking trip to use the materials that were purchased for those purposes.

Foul-Weather Gear

MARCIA BUKER

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MONTELLO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Jennifer Merrill

First graders at MBES were able to spend more time in our forest space on cold and snowy days thanks to having warm gloves. They could use the gloves to pick up branches and sticks when building and to make snow sculptures. Students in grades K-2 were able to borrow a pair of these when their own mittens were wet from recess.

“I can wear these today? Yay! My hands will not turn red!”

“Can I borrow a pair of gloves? My mittens are wet and my fingers are freezing!”

I labeled and numbered the pairs of gloves and distributed 5 sets to each teacher. They kept them in their classroom for kids to use when needed. They were kept at school and were washed when needed. This spring (after the April storm!) I collected them, washed and stored them away for next year. We will be able to use them for several years to come because we ordered several pairs and are keeping them at school. Our Forest program and curriculum is expanding to include kindergarten and second grade next year so having these gloves will be imperative to our outdooe learning activities in the winter months. We often skip outdooe lessons because it’s too cold and students don’t have the right clothing and gear. Having 60 pairs of gloves has made it so much easier to try those lessons in the snow and ice! We appreciate the MEEA and its support of teachers who believe nature based education is worthwhile in all seasons.

Aiden Saulnier

No matter how many times you tell a child not to jump in a rain puddle, you know they are going to want to do it anyways.

It’s a fun way of connecting with the elements, and they don’t think about the consequences of having soaked socks and shoes, until they’re sitting bare foot in the classroom a half hour later.

Would it be nice if every kid brought extra socks and shoes to school with them everyday? Sure, but how realistic is that? Even the most well-prepared student is bound to forget things some days. And, some of our low-income or un-housed students already rely on the school to provide them with their socks and sneakers.

There have been days at school when outside recess has been cancelled, because the adults didn’t want the children to soak their only pair of shoes.

All the while, such a simple solution; providing the kids with a waterproof barrier to keep their feet dry. This Grant enabled us to say to our kids, go ahead, go outside, jump in that puddle, dance around in it. And when you come inside, and take off your rain gear, you’ll still be warm and dry.

This Grant has opened up our students to a whole new mode of learning, that does not compromise their physical comfort or mental well-being.

In the above photos, you can see sixth grade Montello Elementary School students joyfully dancing around in the rain after having spent their morning observing tapped maple trees, and checking the buckets for sap (which the Science Exploration teacher would later cook down into maple syrup and use for a pancake making lesson).

Foul-Weather Gear

OAK HILL MIDDLE SCHOOL OLD TOWN HIGH SCHOOL

Lori A Clark

Grant money was used to purchase 20 folding camp chairs students can use outside or use inside. Students were pretty excited to think we could learn outside just as we do inside. We’ve also taken the time to sit and be. I like to teach students to be in the moment and be mindful of all the happenings around them. Ironically many students do not just sit and think without having some sort of entertainment with them. Over the course of the last 4 months we’ve had several opportunities to “just be” outside. I ask them to hear what they hear, see what they see and notice what they notice. Students have expressed never sitting in the woods before and said they planned on doing this more. We talked about the emotions associated with being in the woods. Not surprisingly, they said they felt calm and relaxed surrounded by trees and listening to birds. The chairs are only a small piece of outdoor exploration, but a huge part of being settled and comfortable in a space children don’t seem to explore as much as children years ago. My favorite quote this winter, “This is my favorite class and this is the best day ever.” -there was a slight blizzard and students were using their chairs to keep their heads dry from the snow.

We’ve also used the chairs inside. We’ve hatched chickens in the classroom. The students were able to hold chickens during a class period while the teacher read to them. Connections to safe, responsible and feeling like a parent were expressed while quietly sitting on the floor holding their “babies.”

Christopher Gilbert

Thanks to MEEA, the Old Town High School science department was able to purchase a class set of rain jackets and chest waders. The school is adjacent to the UMaine experimental forest and many science classes that the school offers tries to make use of the outdoor learning opportunities right outside our doors. However, many of the students do not have the necessary gear to take part in a number of outdoor research projects. That access and at times weather have been big obstacles to getting consistent outdoor leanring experiences into our curriculum. Ever since purchasing both the rain jackets and chest waders, numerous science classes have taken advantage of the equipment. One our of science teachers stated, “I have had a number of aquatic based surveys I have wanted to do surrounding water quality and amphibian spawning, but I never felt I could easily take a class out and collect the data I wanted seeing how we didn’t have the needed equipment”.

Our department has had success in launching a number of new research projects and our students have had the opporunity to do some really amazing outdoor based research. An Old Town High School senior stated, “I like science but up until this year, I felt we were indoors a lot and it was kinda boring. This year, the science classes I have taken spend a lot of time outside doing research. It’s been my most fun year of taking classes here because of that and I feel I have learned a lot too!”. Next year, given our new equipment, we at Old Town High School are planning even more outdoor-based research projects to offer our students and we couldn’t be more exicted!

Foul-Weather Gear

OTISFIELD COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Jessika Sheldrick

There is so much research about the critical role the outdoors play in the development of children. There is also a lot of research about the importance of people having the opportunity to be part of a creative process. So I decided to use the funding to purchase art materials with the purpose of creating an art club that has the capability of taking part in outdoor art activities. The first purchase was portable art easels that can also hold materials. These boxes proved instrumental as students could easily carry most materials back and forth from inside to outside the building. During the winter months, I did not host any outdoor art activities, but during the spring 3-4 classes were offered a week for groups of students. Art was used as an activity to help process through their different feelings. Students participated in activities like “Circle of Feelings”, “Line of Feelings”, “Mimicking an artist”, and “Musical Art”, and more to learn strategies to use art to process through feelings. By the end of the 8 week session, students could choose which strategies they wanted to activate. It was such a popular session that other students were then wanting to join Art Club (students renamed it Kindness Club). We were able to offer several other shorter sessions for other students. Looking forward to see how this program grows as we have the excitement, but we need to figure out how to maintain this program, as there is a cost associated with the program. I also want to be brave and include a few winter sessions next year, but didn’t quite feel comfortable with that adventure YET. We also offered an Outdoor Family Night that included a forest art station that was a really big hit with families, too. Being able to offer students an outdoor art experience really has been a gift for the students. They seem happier and lighter and left wanting more. Until next year.... can’t wait for what happens next.

PARIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Brittany Hoffman

In the past, students didn’t look forward to rainy days because we usually had to stay inside due to lack of appropriate rain gear. This spring children have been asking when the next rainy day is going to be or if it will rain when they go outside today. Being able to purchase rain gear has broken that barrier of being able to get outside on those wetter days. We have had great support from families about the rain gear. They are happy to see that their children are able to get outside. Families have said, “AMAZING WORK! The students are lucky to have you.” and “I love the rain suits! They are awesome!”. One family even reached out for more information to pass along to their younger child’s daycare program.

One of life’s greatest joys as a child is jumping into a huge puddle and seeing the water splash about. We are now able to give our children that experience at school. The funds have not only reached the students in my classroom but the other Pre-K classroom in our building. These outdoor learning experiences are fostering a love for the outdoors. Children are able to play freely without having to worry about getting messy/ wet. Utilizing the rainsuits is going to continue to provide children with opportunities to learn about the world around them. We look forward to continuing to explore and learn in natural environments. The children in our program are equally as excited. “I wish it would rain everyday!”

Over the last few years our district has provided multiple opportunities for staff to learn about outdoor learning experiences and how it can benefit our students. This is a model that we as Pre-K teachers are embracing and expanding our curriculum with. Seeing children outside in the rain has further grown my excitement for learning outdoors. Teachers in our school have even said, “It’s great that the little ones are able to play in the rain.” We are grateful for the opportunity to receive the funds provided by the MEEA.

Foul-Weather Gear

PRINCETON ELEMENTARY

Melanie Cochran

Receiving a grant from the Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA) for foul weather gear for our Pre-K classroom in has been a transformative experience. The journey began with a vision to provide our young learners with the opportunity to explore the outdoors, regardless of the rainy weather. Living in Maine, where the climate can be unpredictable and harsh, it was essential to ensure our students could safely and comfortably engage with nature throughout the year.

The application process for the grant was thorough and required us to articulate the importance of outdoor education in early childhood development. We highlighted how exposure to nature supports physical health, enhances cognitive skills, and fosters emotional well-being. Our aim was to create an inclusive environment where every child could benefit from outdoor learning, irrespective of wet weather conditions.

When we received the news that our grant application had been approved, the excitement was remarkable. The funds from MEEA allowed us to purchase high-quality rain gear, including waterproof one-piece suits and boots for ten young learners. This gear is essential in keeping our little adventurers warm and dry during rainy, and windy days.

Equipped with their new foul weather gear, our students can embark on daily outdoor explorations with a newfound sense of adventure and confidence. Rainy days have become opportunities to study puddles, observe the water cycle in action, and splash around in muddy play.

Thank you for the generous grant for rain gear. Your support enables our Pre-K students to explore and learn outdoors in all weather, enriching their education and connection to nature.

SCHOOL

“On days that we used to be inside talking about what being out playing and learning in the rain might feel like, we are experiencing hands on what it feels like. This project will benefit our youngest learners in our school for years to come!”

`-Mrs. Cochran (Pre-K Teacher)

Foul-Weather Gear

ST. GEORGE MUNICIPAL SCHOOL UNIT

Kimberly Watson

Having this gear has made going outside so much more enjoyable for the children and teachers (and parents who were having to wash very muddy clothes). Some students have their own suits, but most of them do not, so it has allowed each child to have access to mud and water play. They can be fully engaged in this type of play without having to worry about their clothing.

It also makes it easier to come inside and be able to easily take off our gear and transition into the rest of our day, because children do not need to change wet/dirty clothes. It also allows us to go outside even though it is indoor recess and other students have to stay inside.

One student asks, “I can sit down in the mud puddle?” and the answer is, “YES.” Another student remarks, “my clothes are dry!” after coming inside from the pouring rain.

A teacher says, “wow, it is really nice to have these mud suits today, Mrs. Watson,” as we are outside playing after it has rained.

Foul-Weather Gear

VEAZIE COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Loyann Worster

The Mini Grant for outdoor gear awarded to Veazie Community School’s Pre-K program has transformed our approach to outdoor learning. With the support of this grant, we were able to acquire high-quality, weatherproof gear, enhancing the educational experiences of our students while ensuring their comfort and safety.

One of the most significant impacts of this grant has been the elimination of barriers to outdoor exploration. In the past, concerns about cold, wet weather often limited our outdoor activities. However, with the waterproof bibs and mittens for each child, these worries have dissipated. Now, our students can freely engage in outdoor learning regardless of the weather, fostering a deeper connection with nature and facilitating hands-on, experiential learning opportunities.

The waterproof gear has opened up a world of possibilities for our outdoor curriculum. Students can now explore vernal pools, engage in sensory activities, and participate in imaginative play in the mud kitchen without the fear of getting their clothes dirty or wet. This freedom to explore and experiment has sparked curiosity and creativity in our forest play, leading to many sink and float experiments in the stream. With the weatherproof gear children are able to step right in, following the trail of the pinecones as they flow down the stream. When fully dressed, the children often exclaim “Look at me- I’m waterproof!”.

Overall, the Mini Grant for outdoor gear has been instrumental in enhancing the quality and effectiveness of our outdoor learning program at Veazie Community School. By providing essential gear that supports all-weather outdoor exploration, this grant has empowered our students to embrace the wonders of nature and fostered a lifelong love of learning. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited about the continued growth and development of our outdoor education initiatives.

Foul-Weather Gear

WASHINGTON ACADEMY

WISCASSET MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOL

Alyson Graham Carol Coryea

The project aimed to explore the connections between traditional Wabanaki basket making and the threat posed by the invasive emerald ash borer in Washington County. Through research, fieldwork, and engagement with local communities, students investigated the presence of the emerald ash borer and its potential impact on the Wabanaki basket making traditions.

Students conducted research on invasive species in Maine, specifically the emerald ash borer. Equipped with Rite in the Rain notebooks and foul weather gear, students recorded field observations irrespective of weather conditions. Use of ARC GIS Story Maps facilitated the understanding of ash tree habitats and potential emerald ash borer infections. Link for story map.

Students studied the cultural significance of basket making in the Wabanaki community, including traditions associated with sweet grass and the use of ash trees. Students studied the life cycle of the emerald ash borer and its ecological impact.

The provision of rain gear and field equipment significantly enhanced students’ readiness for outdoor learning, regardless of weather conditions. Students displayed enthusiasm for outdoor learning, eagerly gearing up for fieldwork.

The project successfully fostered interdisciplinary learning, combining environmental science with cultural studies. By investigating the intersection of ecological threats and cultural traditions, students gained a deeper understanding of environmental stewardship and cultural preservation. Our classroom is now well equipped with outdoor gear that keeps our classes on the move and outside! Learning is so much better outdoors! I am delighted as a teacher to see the kids gear up the moment they arrived in the class and look forward to field work. Students also felt warmer and protected from the wind. The project will extend into the fall, involving further engagement with basket makers in Washington County and continued data collection on the presence of the emerald ash borer.

Wiscasset Middle High School has a new goal to become a placed based, experiential education focused institution. We aim to incorporate our academic curriculum with the many opportunities Maine has to offer in the great outdoors. Forming a well rounded relationship with our waterfront, forests and community as a whole. We aim to steer away from the cloistered days of Covid and reintroduce our students to the world beyond the screen. One of first components of this endeavor is the formation of our Outing Club.

Even though this development is at its infancy, there is already a noted positive impact on our school community. Higher student attendance, greater sense of camaraderie, growing independence and a new wealth of excitement about the future for the many students who have joined the club.

Our participating students are from all social groups and grade levels, together they are trying new things, taking risks and exploring their state in ways they felt apprehensive about. In these settings, they are also allowed the space to really get to know each other and be themselves outside the classroom walls.

Many of our students are now looking toward exploring a career that involves the outdoors and environmental stewardship. They have been exploring various internships and summer jobs they would prepare them for such future opportunities. Exciting stuff!

Garden & Greenhouse

AMES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Ellie Bridgers

The greenhouse serves as a space not just for growing but for playing too. When it was being constructed this spring, many kids were curious about helping, and asked if they could hangout in the half-constructed structure at recess. This expanded the perimeter of the field, which the garden is being built in the back corner of. Once the greenhouse structure was completed this spring, we decided to wait to put plastic on until the fall, so it could be used as a space for kids to hangout in, without it being overheated. I have been so happy to see this spring more kids are drawn to the garden space outside of class time, which consists of 6 raised beds, 12 trees, and this new greenhouse structure. At end of year celebrations I laid down a rug in the greenhouse for kids to play in.

One of the last weeks of school a group of 4th graders and I dragged out the 4 picnic tables that the school has that are under utilized, to set beside the garden space. This small act has transformed the feeling of the garden corner, and has brought more play and attention to this space. In the last week of school, there have been multiple different celebrations in this space. First, there was a 4th grade class celebration of learning that was immediately before the Garden Party to celebrate the end of year and construction of the new garden. The greenhouse was a central element to both these, as a place for lots of potential growing, and for now is a space of gathering.

Then, we had a school wide assembly, with all 120 kids and staff members, out in the garden space.

The greenhouse served as a central point of this assembly, and is giving structure and permanence to this garden space. It is a structure that is solidified in the ground and will be available for kids to design as their own for years to come.

Gardens & Greenhouses

ASHLAND DISTRICT SCHOOL

Anna Belanger

Thanks to a grant from the MEEA, fourth grade students from Ashland District School worked to create raised beds for our new school garden. The students got to be a part of the complete process, minus cutting the wood. We determined we would build four 4 by 8 beds. Students got to use drills and hammers to assemble the beds in the school’s shop. Students used tamarack lumber to build the beds and added hardware cloth to the bottom to help protect the gardens from animals. We even had the high praise from one of the fourth-grade boys of “this is so much fun… it’s even better than extra recess!” with his classmates agreeing.

We added the beds to the area that is in the middle of our bus loop. We chose this location because ADS students would be able to see the progress of the beds each day as they rode in on the bus. Each of the beds were filled with compost material, loam donated by Rafford Construction and Coast of Maine Castine mix.

On June 5th, Garden Day of our ABC countdown, the elementary students, grades Pre-K to fifth grade transplanted plants that had been started in their classrooms. Additional rows were filled with carrots, cucumbers and other vegetables along with flowers to help with pollination. Each class also made something to help support pollinators in our community – butterfly feeders, bee watering stations and mason bee hotels. The kindergarten class raised butterflies this spring and released them into our garden. Everyone involved agreed it was a GREAT day!

Our school garden project is all about creating a space for students to learn how to care for a garden and to give them the chance to explore new foods. We are excited for the future of our school garden and cannot wait to come back this fall to see how the garden has grown. We look forward to using the vegetables in our school cafeteria. This fall will be a busy one for the future fourth grade students as they work to harvest their items.

Gardens & Greenhouses

BUXTON CENTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Amanda Blunda

This year, we were awarded MEEA mini-grant funds that allowed us to further establish and care for the sensory pollinator garden, which was created with past MEEA minigrant funds. This project was a multi-year student created project which MEEA’s support allowed to happen. We were able to purchase the supplies needed to care for the garden. We also are working with a community member to build a shed to further establish the garden space and support our outdoor learning. This project will allow students to learn through realworld experience, apply a variety of skills authentically, and will also further connect them to their outdoor space.

Deanna Fahey

This year at CHS, students from all grades collaborated on a fantastic project to transform an under-developed green area on school grounds into a beautiful and functional space. They aimed to create a native habitat, complete with seating for an outdoor classroom and a wellness area. As part of their ecosystem studies, the students researched the local area and designed the space with native plants that thrive in the existing soil and light conditions.

The result is a multi-purpose area that not only offers snackable food and a peaceful resting place for students but also serves as an accessible nature-based learning environment for teachers. This means educators can incorporate outdoor lessons into their curriculum without needing to leave the school grounds. “The AP Computer Science class created digital media and an iNaturalist webpage for the CHS Green Classroom. Our hope is to add a digital component with this free app that students and teachers can use to help identify plants, pollinators, and other animal visitors.”

The project was enriched by the involvement of a representative from JustME for JustUS. This collaboration included discussions on land acknowledgement and the crucial role of native plants in the environment. This initiative not only enhanced the school’s physical landscape but also deepened students’ understanding of local ecology and cultural significance.

Thanks to the grant from MEEA, students have been able to create a special area where faculty and students of RSU 64 can connect with nature, observe local plants and animals, and enjoy a unique learning space for many years to come.

Gardens & Greenhouses

CHELSEA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Rosanna Gargiulo

MEEA’s Mini-Grant for Outdoor Learning provided needed funding to engage students in project-based learning with the goal of certifying our school grounds as a SchoolYard Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation. These projects included providing shelter and places to raise young by building birdhouses, constructing a brush pile, and leaving leaves; providing water by constructing a bird bath and making bee and butterfly watering stations; providing food by planting native plants; and implementing sustainable practices by banning synthetic pesticide use on school grounds and conserving water by installing drip irrigation.

Many of these projects, which were undertaken primarily by 1st graders, 5th graders, and Life Skills students, were located on a disused habitat trail that students began rehabilitating. They mapped the SchoolYard habitat area and created signage to inform our school community about the importance of caring for our shared habitat. Located near the playground, the entire student body has had the opportunity to watch our habitat project grow. They’ve particularly enjoyed watching the birdhouses, which are now occupied by families of bluebirds, song sparrows, and tree swallows. Students learned about the habitat needs and lifecycles of some common, native birds.

In the fall, they planned where to locate the birdhouses in the habitat area and we installed t-posts. Then students learned about the housing preferences of bluebirds and tree swallows, which often occupy adjacent housing. They built birdhouses from wood donated by a local business and from a kit donated by a teacher at school and installed the birdhouses in late winter when bluebirds returned from their migration. This spring they enjoyed watching the birds build nests and listened nearby to hear baby chicks chirping while their parents collected caterpillars and more from our habitat. Students have even approached me and asked if they could spend recess time in the habitat area, watching the birds, looking for frogs in the vernal pool, and exploring the forest margins.

I hope this joyful practice will become more commonplace in the coming year.

Gardens & Greenhouses

EAST END COMMUNITY SCHOOL & OCEAN AVENUE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Nicole Grace

This grant funded the creation of a schoolyard map with permanent signage for staff and families to understand what tree species exist in the schoolyard . This made visible how our school grounds are being used, and leveraged that newfound comprehension to amplify students’ education through outdoor experiential learning opportunities. In addition the signage also supports our districts Wabanaki curriculum, in which some of the tree species are featured in anchor texts and phenological studies that students participate in.

GERALD E. TALBOT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Anna Franceschetti

This spring we replaced the Pre K garden beds at our school with new wooden beds. We are thrilled to have a freshly enhanced garden space for some of our youngest learners. While working with another teacher to start the project, kids at recess were curious to ask what we were doing. They offered to hold pieces of lumber in place as we fastened them, pull weeds and move soil about. They were fascinated by bugs that had been unearthed as we underwent the construction and were excited to ask questions about the garden and what the space would be used for. It was so joyful to engage students in the process of building something for our school. We couldn’t have invested in this project with out the help of MEEA. Thank you!

Gardens & Greenhouses

HOWARD C. REICHE COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Leigha Hart

With the recent full implementation of the Wabanaki Studies and Life Science Curriculum in the Portland Public Schools, Howard C. Reiche Community School continued its efforts to teach students about environmental stewardship and the flora and fauna of Maine during 23-24 SY.

As the most urban elementary school in the district, Reiche values efforts to bring students into the schoolyard to observe how the trees, birds, bugs and plants change throughout the year. The MEEA funds were focused on rebuilding all the garden boxes in the space beautifully maintained by a robust group of neighborhood volunteers called the Green Team. With the old boxes falling apart, the MEEA mini-grant allowed us to purchase enough lumber to create sturdy new boxes for the children to learn amongst for many years to come. The Green Team and volunteers from Knickerbocker will work together on June 15th to bring these new garden beds into reality. Additionally, the MEEA funds were used to bolster outdoor education at the school, both through the Wabanaki Studies Curriculum and outdoor classes led by the Environmental Literacy Teacher. Supplies for art, potting soil, seeds, notebooks, cooking supplies, towers to grow vegetable sprouts in the early spring and much more, which allow for more engaging experiences for our students. Overall, 300 students had outdoor experiences this year. Preschool, Kindergarten, First and Third grades were the

students learning outdoors the most this year. One small group of twelve 5th ESOL grade students engaged every few weeks with outdoor activities. They grew a love for being in the garden, a love for cooking and exploring what foods are growing. These students gained confidence, knowledge and joy during their time in Reiche’s outdoor classes. Another success story is about a 3rd grade class who regularly went outside to observe the changing seasons. They used nature journals purchased with MEEA grant money. These journals now have documentation about the changes that happened in the garden over the year, their feelings, poetry and art.

Thank you MEEA for helping us make this type of learning more fun and accessible to all students!

Gardens & Greenhouses

MARCIA BUKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Tina Wood

“I love being a Garden Keeper!” we hear from our students as they care for the 8 garden beds at Marcia Buker School. These 14 students carry out the weekly tasks of watering, weeding, planting, harvesting, taste testing and putting our vegetable, flower and welcome bulb gardens to bed. These activities link with their learning goals in numeracy, literacy, science and writing giving the students decision making opportunities about what is grown, eaten and donated. An increased sense of pride and connection to their school and community was evident.

Through the MEEA grant students were able to wear warm waterproof boots to complete their morning outdoor work. The boots caused a ripple of excitement as students felt a sense of purpose, importance and care as they set about their time outdoors in comfort and joy!

With the new grow light and seeds that were purchased from this generous grant, students were able to expand their knowledge of how plants grow, taste test new vegetables and also donate vegetable seedlings to the Richmond Area Food Pantry. The grow light gave students the ability to plant and harvest through the winter months. These experiential experiences brought vital learning alive and developed a sense of stewardship!

Gardens & Greenhouses

RSU40: MILLER SCHOOL

Andrea Hamalainen

Miller School in Waldoboro recently worked alongside the Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District to bring a high-quality outdoor learning experience for second graders at Miller School. On May 29, 2024, students participated in a Pollinator Party on the school grounds that incorporated science curriculum into outdoor learning. In preparation for this event, students engaged in science lessons that taught them about pollinators and the importance of pollination. The Pollinator Party included six science-based stations that all students could rotate through. The Courtyard at Miller School is an outdoor space surrounded by the school building. During the Pollinator Party, students were able to help transform this space into an outdoor classroom for more grades to use throughout the year, in the sciences and beyond. At this station, students helped to plant native and pollinator-friendly plants. Planting was a firsttime experience for many children who took their learning from the classroom and then used this knowledge to plant. Some of the other learning stations that students experienced were Insect Catch and Release, Nature Observation and Journaling, Taste Testing Maine Crops like blueberries and apples, Live Bee Hive Demonstration, and Read-Aloud and Bookmark Making.

Students and staff have commented on how much more welcoming the courtyard is and are looking forward to using this space for more outdoor learning. Place-based outdoor learning is relatively new to Miller School and students are excited that the Pollinator Party program has helped them to demonstrate how outdoor learning can be integrated into the curriculum to help them achieve science standards and other learning goals.

Johnny was excited to find an insect in the Catch and Release station and he was heard saying, “I can’t believe I caught it!” Other students who have not had the experience of planting, commented about how the dirt feels cool and that they want a garden at home.

This Pollinator Party was a great success and the goal for students to have real-life experiences in an outdoor setting was achieved and will help to inspire life-long interest in nature.

MARSHWOOD GREAT WORKS SCHOOL

Wendy Shaw

The funds awarded by MEEA were allocated to the establishment of a sensory garden at Marshwood Great Works School. The outdoors is a place of natural differentiation. A sensory garden that considers both the infrastructure, as well as, the plants ensures that all students benefit from time spend outside.

Careful consideration was taken regarding plant selection. They were chosen to be appealing to the senses of young people. Plants to stimulate an individual via smell, taste, touch, sight and hearing were all incorporated. Native species were sought to the best of our capacity.

Another component of the space was the inclusion of a handicapped accessible garden bed. A portion of funds from the MEEA award were combined with funds from our PTO secondary to the significant cost of accessible equipment. Green Circle Accessible Gardens provide a sturdy, functional system that will endure New England winters and provide a space for kids of all motor abilities to enjoy together.

According to Sara Allis, a teacher at MGWS, “This MEEA award provided the seed from which the sensory garden at MGWS has been able to grow. The project is not only sustainable but will evolve as the space requires. Additional components such as seating options, a water chain, and sensory chimes are all components that we hope to add over time. This will be a space in which all students can get their hands dirty, collaborate, breathe deeply and observe natural changes.

Gardens & Greenhouses

NORTH HAVEN COMMUNITY SCHOOL

The “classroom” this year for North Haven Community School field studies students took many forms - a rockweed covered granite slab at low tide, a pebble beach crawling with crabs, a windswept grassy meadow, a chilly pond, and a town dock. Hidden in those places we found not only sea urchins, periwinkles, rock gunners and other creatures but also pieces of knowledge and wisdom that arise when we open ourselves to what the outside world has to teach us. When students are given opportunities for “unscripted” learning and interacting with the natural world, they surprise you with the depth and wonder that they uncover in themselves and the world around them. They even surprise themselves with how fun it can be.

This year, NHCS used the funding we received from the MEEA Mini-Grants for Outdoor Learning to help fund a culminating overnight field trip to Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership for our middle and high school field studies classes. Throughout the year, students in these classes had worked with Kyle Amergian, assistant education director at Hurricane Island, on projects involving aquaculture and marine studies - building and setting our own scallop spat bags in the fall and hauling in and sorting the spat in the spring. Our trip to Hurricane deepened those learning experiences and also provided the space and the time fore more student-led exploration on the

Samantha Taggart

island. Students loved exploring the intertidal zone - picking up and identifying different organisms hiding amongst the various species of seaweed.

Gardens & Greenhouses

OLD TOWN ELEMENTARY

Jessica Gilbert

At Old Town Elementary School, the funds from the MEEA Mini Grant were used to extend learning about carnivorous plants for our third graders. We were able to add a spring visit to the Orono Bog Walk to observe the changes in carnivorous plants native to our area. We also set up a more appropriate planter and two pitcher plants to observe in our own garden alongside informational signs designed by our students.

The class set up our new, improved, and bigger planter for our pitcher plants. They worked on setting up the planter to mimic the natural bog environment, so that the pitcher plants will be as healthy as possible. With the new planter, the pitcher plants should be able to overwinter outside, as they do naturally

SCHOOL

in Maine. This grant will help extend the learning experience for classes in the future as well, now that the pitcher plants are in a more permanent and appropriate environment. The class also drew up designs for informative signs that will hang in our garden, teaching others about the adaptations of carnivorous plants in Maine.

Our school garden at Old Town Elementary School is really a community garden, not just a school garden. We welcome community members to visit the garden outside of school hours. This grant has allowed us to add a new dimension to the garden. We now grow vegetables, a sensory garden, flowers, and carnivorous plants. This grant supported a garden the whole community can benefit from and enjoy.

Gardens & Greenhouses

RAYMOND A. GEIGER ELEMENTARY

Madelyn Herzog

This funding allowed us to stock our tool shed with all our basic gardening supply and equipment needs. This was the first year where we implemented hands-on food and gardening programming, which included a significant expansion of our educational garden area. This equipment was absolutely critical to make our garden work accessible, safe, and structured for all of our students. We hosted a large volunteer day to build our new garden, and about 50 of our students and their family members showed up.It would not have been possible to engage all those people in the meaningful work of constructing and filling garden beds without all the tools that we were able to purchase with this grant.

We’ve learned throughout the year that our students really love working outside and getting their whole bodies moving. They worked together so wonderfully to fill our new garden beds with soil and compost, and they stepped up to share the responsibilities of filling buckets, dumping soil, and raking it smoothly and evenly.

We will be planting an orchard of fruit trees at the start of the next school year, and these tools will allow our students to move and spread more compost that will prep the sites for the trees. And in the fall, our students will be able to dig the holes and spread compost and wood chips.

Further, the indoor/outdoor teaching cart was a big investment from this funding. It has been so useful in making our garden classes more organized. It allows our garden teacher to store supplies in the garden, while also being mobile and aesthetically pleasing.

Gardens & Greenhouses

SEDOMOCHA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Elizabeth Bisson

Nature based learning has been a passion of mine for years and each year we have tried to build upon resources and materials to make this a possibility. Allowing children to immerse themselves into nature has always felt for a natural way for young children to learn about the world around them. They can be leaders in their learning and guide us as adults as to what to offer next!

The MEEA grant made it reality by adding numerous pieces all at once that benefit my early learners along with our 4th and 8th grade buddies who come in monthly. We will now be able to offer nature based learning through all four seasons with amazing lessons built upon resources purchased with funding available through the MEEA grant. Children will have the opportunity to investigate on our nature trail in the fall using magnifying glasses, binoculars and charts that share information on local trees, animals and insects. In the winter, children will be able to learn to snowshoe and look for animal tracks as part of our animals in winter unit. And during the spring, children will dig deep into the life cycle of plants, butterflies and ladybugs in the spring!

At the beginning of the year, our older buddies were playing simple games with younger students and assisting with turn taking and basic games. By the end of the year, our 4th grade buddies have become natural leaders that were capable of assisting our Pre-k children in investigation and learning. It was a phenomenal transition to watch as all age levels were learning together and from each other at the same time! We were able to use a common love of the outdoors and nature to bring different age groups together.

“I had fun helping the pre-k children learn more about insects and use the magnifying glasses to search! I learned something I didn’t know ladybugs, too!”

-H.S., 4th grade buddy

Outdoor Recreation Gardens & Greenhouses

SOUTH BRISTOL SCHOOL

Deb Thibodeau

South Bristol’s School’s Garden Program is celebrating it’s 5th year! Our garden has so many facets--gardening, composting and the apiary. Students are very enthusiastic to plan, plant, tend to, harvest and share our produce. This year has not been without a few stumbling blocks, as we cannot water plants with the well water, and we are in the process of installing a new leach field. Students took this challenge in stride and started problem solving.

Our students moved the raised beds and some of the soil, only to be told that we could not continue building and install a fence until we received confirmation that we are not in the way of the big equipment that needs to be brought back to the former area. Our 6/7 students designed the new area, and we will continue this project through the summer during the Summer Garden Club. We will construct the beds with a 8th gr parent volunteer and fill with soil. Our thought is to plant fall crops that our cafeteria can utilize.

We have also planted many pots of veggies, have fully planted our greenhouse, and our outdoor raised bed. The students have really enjoyed planning the crops and are excited to work with Lincoln County Gleaners this summer. The students are so excited when they see our bees on the flowers of the plants!

We expect to be done our expansion before the school year starts in September.

Gardens & Greenhouses

SOUTH PORTLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL

Sarah Somes

Thanks to the MEEA Mini-Grant, the South Portland Middle School has established a school garden on its brand new campus. In addition to community donations including six built raised beds, labor and expertise on irrigation installation, and wood chips to fill the base of the beds, the mini-grant covered garden costs for this pilot growing season. These costs included soil, seedlings, irrigation equipment, and gardening tools such as shovels, trowels, weeding tools, and gloves. Our school obtained a generous supply of beginning garden supplies by stretching the mini-grant funding and purchasing items at discounted prices from our generous neighborhood businesses.

During the winter, interested stakeholders from the school community met to discuss goals for the garden and implementing strategies. An online survey indicated that for this first year, the highest priority for the garden was to function as an educational space. With that in mind, we started with a combination of donated seeds and seedlings and seedlings purchased from local organizations. One class incorporated the garden into their spring curriculum by starting seedlings inside and transplanting them into the raised beds during school. The garden team plans to complete a second round of planting later in June in order to have a robust harvest into the fall months when students are back and ready to learn.

The SPMS Civil Rights Team took an active role in planning the design of a few beds. They brainstormed ideas to incorporate inclusivity by planting a rainbow of flowers to honor Pride, and by planting culturally relevant crops to represent the diverse student population. As the garden grows, it will become a fixture of SPMS where students can take an active role in their environment and food system and feel represented by the variety of crops sprouting each spring.

WALDO T. SKILLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Kristin Racine

A student saw me during our school’s Spring’s Greening Day and said “Hi, I remember you as the lady from Fall Clean Up, when we planted tulip bulbs!” The students are beginning to count on the fall and spring days when we spend time cleaning up the gardens, planting, and engaging in projects like painting birdhouses/rocks for the gardens. This past year, with the help of the grant funds, we were able to step up our game and ensure that we have all of the tools available at any time (whether the school is open or not) to work in the gardens. Many of the students have never engaged in any gardening activities, and this is the first time they have pulled out weeds, raked leaves, or planted a seed!

Many of the teachers and staff expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to be outside with their students, helping to beautify the grounds around the school. A teacher expressed that they thought it was so important that students have the opportunity to be a part of the effort to work on the outside of the school because they will take pride in the results and learn to take care of their surroundings. Many students were excited to grow the seed pots they took home into seedlings and then plant them in their own yard! The students finishing 4th grade took pride in planting pumpkin seeds that would be harvested by the rising grades. It was a true school community effort that spanned from kindergarten to 4th grade, and solidified an annual tradition that we hope will continue for many years to come.

Gardens & Greenhouses

WESTBROOK MIDDLE SCHOOL & WESTBROOK HIGH SCHOOL

Austin Mehlhorn

The tools we got with this grant have been a huge boost to our outdoor programming. The two main projects that the tools have been used for are in our growing garden and on our network of nature trails behind the school. We received approval from the town to create additional trails.

The tools have been used in the garden this year to plant a 20 tree orchard, build garden beds, and all the moving materials, digging, planting, etc. The fact that we have enough tools for many students to work at the same time and not need to rely on the garden tools that staff bring from home, makes things run smoother and makes it easier for more staff to make use of the outdoor spaces. We are also in the process of building a greenhouse and a garden shed. These tools have been helpful in this continued expansion of the garden spaces.

The other main project has been the trail expansion. Prior to this project, all the trails behind the school did not connect back to the school. We have now created additional trails that connect back to the school. Students have been a part of all aspects of the trail building. They helped mark the new trail and then have been working on clearing new trail and cleaning up existing trail. Many different students have been involved in these projects. Approximately 100 students were involved in the orchard planting.

Stephanie Macdonald

Leona Oak, a senior at WHS and member of the Sustainability Club and Dual Enrollment Environmental Science class spearheaded this project. She researched native plants through the Wild Seed project and UMaine Cooperative extensions and then ultimately reached out to Dena at Wild Gardner for more concrete advice. Dena suggested a multitier approach to our planting. So we have put in some larger native plants like Black Haw, Elderberry, Black Chockcherry, Hazelnut, and Red twig. Then layered in some medium sized native plants like joe pye weed, culvers root, oat grass, and hairy mountain mint. The final layer is smaller plants like aster, dwarf iris, and thimble weed. Dena was so helpful- she came out to teacher the kids about each plant and help find the right placement for each species. She educated the students on how to plant and how to care for them this first year (they should be self sustaining after the first year). The next stage will be to put up signage to educate the greater community about native plants.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

AMANDA C. ROWE ELEMENTARY

Leigha Hart

Amanda C. Rowe School continued its efforts to teach students about nature, environmental stewardship and the flora and fauna of Maine during 23-24 SY through a variety of activities. With the recent full implementation of the Wabanaki Studies and Life Science Curriculum in the Portland schools, students were outside to learn about the great outdoors through the seasons. This year’s outdoor classes were focused primarily

on the phenology studies, though included additional classes having to do with the creatures and plants of Maine.

The MEEA grant money aided in supporting all teaching efforts outside, including but not limited to natural journals and important tools for more regenerative agriculture practices, like a broadfork for soil aeration. With a huge outdoor space for learning, the new outdoor classroom establishes a space for more formal classes. As of right now, the school has moveable cushions that are moved from place to place to create a learning circle. Though these will still be used in the coming years, the new outdoor classroom learning space will be an established spot that students can expect to formally learn about the great outdoors. A community needs assessment was sent out the staff and teachers at Rowe. Of the 24 responded, 100% said an outdoor classroom is a good idea. Fifty four percent of respondents said the would regularly use the outdoor classroom year- around and 38% said they would use it in the warmer months. From these responses, it is likely that more than one outdoor classroom will be built in the coming months. Rowe is lucky to have a vast and diverse outdoor space, so there is a lot of potential to expand upon this first outdoor learning space funded by MEEA. This funding will help continue to create a school culture of outdoor learning at PPS!

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

BROWNFIELD DENMARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Pamela Watson

Kindergarten students benefitted greatly from having the opportunity to learn outside through all four seasons. Having tables outside allowed students a chance to create and complete projects in a different learning environment. Having a place to sit, draw, write and color enhanced the learning experience. Students had a table to sort, count and add objects that they collected on the trails outside our school. The benches provided a space for students to sit and observe all that they can see, hear, smell and touch during our 5 senses unit. They were able to listen to stories while sitting on the benches. Students were ecstatic when they saw animals and people that appeared on the game camera. The animals provide topics for the class to research and to learn about.

Our school is in a rural area with trails, a bog and woods surrounding the property. I taught units on life cycles and living and non-living things. A game camera with a memory card enhanced our ability to learn about the animals that live in the area surrounding our school. I took pictures of living, nonliving and no longer living things our school property and the woods and bog that surround it. Students then sorted the pictures and described the characteristics of each thing.

Due to the funding, students in my K class benefitted from a chance to expand their learning by having the “classroom” outside. We are fortunate that our school is located where outdoor learning opportunities are at a premium. Outdoor learning provided my students a chance to acquire deeper meaning, and an increased motivation to learn in all subject areas.

I collaborated with a colleague who has attended Maine’s Outdoor Learning workshop for educators. We worked together to make outdoor learning happen at our school. I am very excited to further explore outdoor learning next school year.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

BRUCE M. WHITTIER MIDDLE SCHOOL

Holly Patenaude

The funding for our mobile outdoor classroom encourages teachers at our middle school to integrate outdoor learning into a variety of classroom settings. The mobile classrooms can be signed out to create a flexible outdoor reading and writing space in English and Language Arts. In Social Studies, the mobile classroom can allow students to utilize the mobile classroom for mapping and geography lessons. In Math, students can utilize the outdoor classrooms for projects with ratios, proportions, and scale drawings. In Art, students can use the outdoor classroom for perspective drawings, or other techniques. In Science, students would have direct access to experiences in ecology, biology, and environmental studies. The sun shelters will offer cover in inclement weather, as well as shade during warmer times during the school year. The buckets allow for additional raised seating and specimen collection, and the cushioned seating allows an alternative to sitting on the ground. In addition to the alternative seating, students will have access to hammocks that can be moved around the campus for seating while reading, writing, and just enjoying the outdoors.

The funding for our project helped to kickstart our district’s “GEO” (Get Everyone Outdoors) initiative at the middle school level. Due to zoning restrictions, the middle school has had to seek alternative solutions to outdoor classrooms. To allow learning to take place anywhere on our campus, we used our funds to create a mobile outdoor classroom that can be set up virtually anywhere. The goal in providing these opportunities for students is that we can provide a model for our secondary schools for additional outdoor learning opportunities for students in our middle and high schools.

CASCADE BROOK SCHOOL

Amy Graham

This project stemmed from the thought: how can we get students outside more during the school day without losing precious instructional time?

We have this beautiful trail, perfect for movement breaks, forest bathing, and nature observation behind our school. The calls of oven birds ring out through the air. Deer and turkey leave tracks in the mud. The ash trees carpet the trail with their bright yellow leaves in the fall. And yet…time and time again, students just want to run full speed as soon as they hit the trail, as iif around a racetrack. We were looking for a way to slow the hike down, to give kids a landmark (Run to the next sign and wait there!) that allowed them to yes, move their bodies, but also to slow down, use their senses, and be fully present in the woods.

Thanks to a MEAA mini grant In 2021, we worked with Mt. Blue Foster Tech pre-engineering students to install wooden StoryWalk signs along the trail behind our school. However, the books we purchased at the time, despite lamination, were not sturdy enough to withstand the elements and were ruined after a few weeks of being outside.

The funds from 2023-2024 allowed us to buy five new weatherproof StoryWalks from Islandport Press, each with a Maine theme or connection. The selection of titles allows us to rotate them out frequently and provide new experiences for our classes.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

DRESDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Gabrielle LaPerriere

Dresden Elementary values opportunities for children to engage in purposeful play. With this in mind we gave thought to materials that would align with this model and encourage the development of critical prosocial skills. As a result, we moved forward in purchasing a mud kitchen and outdoor fort kits for our Pre-K & K students. The hope was that these materials would create opportunity for complex problem solving, teamwork, imagination, and develop pathways for further connection.

Miss Delallo, the Pre-K teacher at Dresden Elementary, remarked that students were enthusiastic when seeing the items for the first time. Students quickly went to work with the mud kitchen and made a pretend bakery! Within minutes students were making mud pies and mud cakes. One student even made a connection to their wooden classroom kitchen, drawing upon experiences during dramatic play. Further, Miss Delallo stated, “Students were so excited about the new outdoor learning materials. The materials provided new opportunities for students to be creative and imaginative while engaging in outdoor play.” Our sincere hope is to continue this work and identify additional opportunities to enhance experiences with purposeful play across early childhood settings.

This grant opportunity has provided such a wealth of experiences for our students across the years. The MEEA grants have created space for gardening, bird watching, along with creative play using the fort materials and mud kitchen. We are so thankful, and look forward to continuing these initiatives in the coming years!

EDMUNDS CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL

Molly Calder

Funds for outdoor learning opened up a new world for many students this year. In the Fall, students grabbed their bright orange packs (purchased from the grant funds) and took to the outdoors to learn. In the fall, they scouted and marked trails in the woods with the smells of fir all around. Then they cleared and raked brush and debris from their previously tagged path while the colored leaves rained down. With the help of the Downeast Coastal Conservancy, they built bridges for a few locations that were mucky and hard to cross efficiently. Which opened up doors for small tool use.

Throughout the school year, students continued to access this outdoor learning space and trail weekly by walking a short distance. They used the field guides purchase from the grant for tree identification and during snowy times, animal tracks. Students also used their five senses and wrote poems using figurative language from being in the elements. Sometimes we just went and read books outside for fun.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

In the spring, students observed and collected samples using purchased nets and their magnifying glasses to study samples from vernal pools and ponds. They learned about the importance of these special places for many different types of animals and plants and how we should protect them. They also had a Zoom workshop with Gulf of Maine Research Institute to learn more.

Being awarded the Maine Environmental Education Association’s 2023-2024 Mini-Grant for Outdoor Learning changed the way my students learned this year. It created opportunities for them to interact with their local environment and to get outside. These activities really boosted the enjoyment of learning and students would ask repeatedly when we would be going outside again.

ELM STREET SCHOOL

Jessica Harvey

As a co-founder of the G.E.O. Initiative (Get Everyone Outside), a group of RSU16 educators who are passionate about getting kids outside for learning and supporting other educators in getting outside, I knew the first step toward getting more people outside was to purchase comfortable seating options. Since purchasing additional seats and a storage container, the outdoor classroom is equipped for the first time with necessary outdoor learning supplies in an easily accessible location. Previously, all materials were locked in an inside closet, on the other side of the school, making it inaccessible to educators and students. Since purchasing the storage box and seating options, more educators are bringing their students outside for learning. Our goal is to continue to expand it’s use next school year.

“This is positive because it helps me learn and helped me be comfy while sitting on the ground outside or on the stumps.”

“It’s so fun to go outside because we get to have a bunch of fresh air. And also, when you sit on the seats, they’re super comfy. They help when it has just rained and the tar is wet, so you don’t have to be wet.”

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

FIDDLEHEAD SCHOOL

Jacinda Cotton-Castro

Having heat in our YURT helps us to extend our outdoor class time and connection with nature because of this grant and our ability to purchase a gas stove.

Fiddlehead uses a placed-based approach to education.

What: Place-based education (PBE) uses the local community and environment as a starting point to teach concepts across the curriculum.

Why: PBE encourages imaginative teaching, coalition building, strategic thinking, and community oriented, handson learning. This type of learning naturally creates a culture of reciprocity (to learn from and give back to). Students learn from the community, and the community supports the students. Project and problem-based learning, citizen science, and civic engagement are emphasized.

How: At Fiddlehead we teach and learn indoors and out, in classrooms and in the greater community, individually, in small groups, in classes and as a whole school. We achieve this through collaboration with local places like Thompson’s Orchard in New Gloucester where we were able to turn our classroom from a 3 season to a 4 season opportunity with heat now in the YURT on site.

Using Climate Studies as a focusing lens encompasses all the different scientific and mathematical disciplines and connects them to our literacy and social studies standards and place based work.

At Fiddlehead we do developmentally appropriate integrated math, science, social studies and literacy work grounded in the relationship between humans and the world we inhabit.

HALL-DALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Stephanie Barker

Students have thoroughly enjoyed curling up in the hammocks with a book while getting fresh air under a canopy of trees. They have reported loving “being hugged” by the hammocks while they read; enjoying the sounds of nature; and looking up through the bright green leaves on the trees. They have gone out with their classroom teachers, the librarian, and with their ELA teachers.

Teachers have reported that after visiting the hammocks to read, their students were more calm and relaxed. The students were excited at first, but as they slipped into their own cocoons, they were focused and ready to read.

The hammock oasis has helped expose them to more positive experiences in our different outdoor education areas. By introducing the students to various enjoyable activities in nature, we hope to continually add to their bank of positive memories of being outside. With a variety of learning, play, and relaxation activities, we are hopeful that students will also find comfort in their natural environment. With this level of comfort, we also hope that students will start to choose to spend more of their free time outside. In doing so, we hope to have a positive impact on the students’ mental health.

The hammocks were easy to hang; are durable; and very versatile for different age groups. We are excited to have the opportunity to offer this experience to students for years to come!

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

LINCOLN SCHOOL

Virginia Thom

Lincoln School was a recipient of the MEEA mini grant for the 2023-2024 school year. Our school is located in the center of our capital city, limiting the exposure students have to nature and agriculture. We wanted the students to be able to use their hands to help cultivate food in hopes that this would encourage them to start garden boxes at home, or at least, plant a seed of curiosity for agriculture. We used these funds to purchase raised garden bed boxes and wildlife feeders for birds and squirrels. This allows our students to study city wildlife in our area and grow some simple plants to harvest or enjoy visually.

The wildlife feeders were hung in the trees and on the fence along the perimeter of the school yard. The students helped to put the feeders up and maintain filling them. We purchased a few pairs of binoculars so they could log the different birds and small rodents that frequented the feeders.

Garden boxes have been a great addition to our outdoor classroom space. The students are maintaining a butterfly themed garden, a perennial bed, and a bed that contains herbs they can harvest and eat early in the season (mint, chives, spinach) and a blueberry bush to study the cycle of flower to fruit. The butterfly themed garden bed holds a variety of flowering plants, including milkweed. This garden will allow our primary classrooms a place to release their butterflies when they mature and encourage pollinators to circulate the grounds around the school. This will be an extension to the plant life cycle that is part of the curriculum in our primary classrooms.

Receiving the grant has helped us to add wonderful outdoor activities for our urban students and staff, encouraging more outside lessons and studies.

MADISON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Jennifer Swain

Madison Elementary School is a rural Pre-K-2 school. Our outdoor education programing has continued to grow over the last several years. This year’s growth included work on the trail closest to the school to make it universally accessible. The construction required us to seek alternate spaces on our school grounds for use on Woods Wednesdays and Forest Fridays.

Walking ropes were used at the beginning of the year by preschoolers to introduce and visually reinforce safe walking expectations while in nature. Carts and sleds made movement of supplies to these more remote natural environments easier while the vests helped children to remain visible at all times. Vests also were a tangible concrete representation of safety for students. One child with limited outdoor experiences, apprehensive about safety when attending Forest Friday activities with his class, was empowered to engage when he put on his “magical safety vest”. Electronic whistles gave staff the ability to allow children more freedom to explore while still ensuring that safety expectations would be followed in correlation to specific tones. Walkie talkies allow multiple teachers to be outside learning with their classes at the same time and communicate with each other.

As our school year came to an end, we reflected on the changes made to our outdoor spaces and the learning experiences that our MEEA grant afforded our staff and students. Kindergarten students, with their vests on, were able to close out their year observing and documenting the construction of a new outdoor learning space on our pond. They have already started imagining the possibilities awaiting them in the fall when they return.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

MONMOUTH MEMORIAL SCHOOL

Judy Macomber

When a colleague mentioned “It looks like your kids are engaged in learning and have built a community of hard workers using teamwork”, it boosted my perspective of the value of planning and preparing for hands-on and outdoor learning. The opportunities of field trips and agriculturally based lessons have provided a variety of opportunities within our community.

Our field trip to Whittier Woods supported literacy with a story walk that is implemented with our local library, Cumston Library here in Monmouth. We visited the conservation area twice, fall and spring. Our students started with an understanding of trail etiquette and caring for nature. Additionally, they observed signs of the seasons while walking and reading the placards that were placed along the mile-long trail. The Milkhouse Dairy Farm visit culminated a year-long study of our adopted cow, from the Discover Dairy program. Students learned about dairy farm operations from products to caring for animals. At the farm, they were guided through the calf area, feeding barn, and milking station. We concluded the unit with ice cream, one of the most popular dairy products.

Each month second-grade students have learned about a different agricultural topic with lessons from Maine Agricultural in the classroom. Once a month students were involved with preparing and tasting a variety of products from potatoes, maple syrup, butter, ice cream, root vegetables, apples, and pumpkins. For example, the students worked together to drill the taps for the sap collection. They visited the trees 2 to 3 times a week to collect the sap. Then they would deliver the sap to staff members who boil sap in the community. Finally, a taste test with pancakes ended the unit in March. Students were also invited to explore the community resources for Maine Maple Sunday the following weekend. These experiences have long-lasting impressions on students as evidenced by former students sharing their favorite Farm memories. Finally, a student will wear a favorite t-shirt entitled “Not all classrooms have four walls” on the days we are exploring Farm or Forest topics.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

MT. ARARAT MIDDLE SCHOOL

John Hawley

This project will support the renovation of the roof on an existing outdoor classroom. This outdoor classroom is located in the wooded area neighboring Mt. Ararat Middle School. This allows easy access to ponds, a stream, and a forest environment. This project will support student access to a site with the opportunity to access natural elements.

We have assessed the condition of the gazebo roof by removing the deteriorating roofing material. This has revealed the need to replace plywood and shingles. It is estimated that we have committed approximately 10 hours to this project. We expect to budget another 15 hours for the final removal of rotten material and installing new roof sheathing and shingles.

The impact of this project has been recognized by multiple groups at Mt. Ararat Middle School. The Sheepscot team engaged in the project as the primary participants. Our students have cleared a pathway through the woods for vehicles to access the site. Sheepscot students have removed the rotten roofing material and collected it in a trailer for disposal. The MAMS Outdoor Club, an after school group of students, have contributed to this project by cleaning debris from the gazebo area and building fire pits near the gazebo.

The projected impact of this project is to provide a learning environment for all MAMS students with immediate access to natural ecosystems found in the woods, streams, and ponds around our building. Once completed, all MAMS students will be able to use the gazebo as an outdoor classroom.

The pictures included are examples of the work our students have done thus far for this project. You will see students working collaboratively to blaze the pathway from the gazebo to open areas for debris removal and transporting materials. In addition, you will see the students removing the old rotten roofing material.

Although this project is incomplete at this time, I assure you that the funds will be appropriately used to purchase needed plywood sheathing, roofing materials, and fasteners. The Sheepscot Team at MAMS is grateful for your generosity and committed to meeting your satisfaction upon completion of this project.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

NEXT STEP HIGH SCHOOL (LEWISTON)

Julie McCabe

Applying for the Maine Environmental Education Association grant was an incredible experience for the students and staff at Next Step High School. In the fall, our school’s Leadership Club decided to focus on revitalizing the garden that was in a state of disrepair. They also wanted to build new picnic tables so students could eat lunch outside and so teachers could hold classes outdoors. Working with teacher, Julie McCabe, the club created an initial budget for the garden and also solicited donations from Hammond Lumber to provide additional lumber for the tables.

In the second semester, the Leadership Club evolved into the Community Service class led by teachers Katie Howe and McCabe. Students researched the issue of food insecurity and the role of community gardens before undertaking their own revitalization efforts.

Senior Simba Ali reflects on his experiences working in the garden, “As I arrived at the garden, I could see the plant beds were overgrown and it was just a complete mess and needed work. I am digging, pulling weeds out, creating space for the plants beds. I’ve discovered I have a knack for gardening and it really calms me down…We will make sure the garden will stay maintained and cared for even though our time at Next Step is limited. This took a lot of time and patience but beautiful things take time.”

Aliza Padilla explains that she hopes to take this gardening experience beyond the classroom, “I personally never gardened before so the experience was fun. My mom also wants to start a garden in front of our house so I feel like that experience helped me for the future. And I don’t know if my mom knows how to plant either so I could teach her and my little sister.”

We are so appreciative of the MEEA grant for their support of outdoor learning at our school and elsewhere across the state!

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

OAK HILL HIGH SCHOOL

Timothy Farrar

Our Outdoor Projects Class worked on trails throughout the year, providing a recreational area for our entire population. We have had students that aren’t in PE go out and walk the trails. I have also seen families that are on campus for an event checking out our trails.

Our Outdoor PE Class student Brandon has loved getting on our bikes to ride our new trails. He has come down on study hall and after school to ride. “I love our trails”. We have a growing group of students who are using our trails for an activity break to get some exercise and fresh air, recreating responsibly.

We have a couple of students who struggle with behavior issues and their room is close to our trail system. I have seen our counselors taking some of these students for walks on our trails. A quick respite from the building and the ability to have a conversation or just get away. I have also seen some students given permission to go for a quick walk on their own because of the close proximity to school this has worked well.

The biggest impact was felt by those who did the work. They “enjoyed the independence and ability to do some work with their hands.” The days when I felt it was too cold to work were not excepted, and most of the group would still go outside and work.

Our trail system is in its infancy stages, we are proud of the progress that was made through the support of this funding. We got a lot accomplished this year.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

OTISFIELD COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Jenn Sumner & Laura Waite

Otisfield Community School Pre-K is thankful for the minigrant that enhances our outdoor classroom. The grant was used to create benches. When the benches arrived, my students were so excited. They went over to them and sat right down. Then asked, “Can we read on them?” I brought a bin of books outdoors for them to explore and they sat on the benches while they explored their books.

We aim to get students outdoors as much as possible to learn about their natural environment through all their senses. These benches provided an organized area that was functional and accessible for students to use writing materials, and listen to read-alouds. We all know that outdoor learning helps support students in all content areas and with students who have a hard time within the indoor classroom. I have a lot of wigglers and students that need help with focusing. These benches provided a space for them to sit and look up at the trees and notice the beauty in nature.

MSAD17 Outdoor Learning Coach, Sarah Timm has shared her passion for creating outdoor learning classrooms. We are so fortunate to have her and support our schools district wide. During our Professional Development monthly meetings, district Pre-K teachers focused on outdoor learning and took turns hosting them at their school. We saw each space and what

they created for a classroom. When they visited my classroom, I shared the materials I was awarded from the MEEA mini-grant and gave them information on how to apply for the grant. They loved my benches, tables, and mud kitchen purchased through MEEA mini-grants.

Our school had an outdoor learning event where families came together and teachers taught them activities they could do outside with their families. It was a success and students showed pride in their outdoor classrooms. Thank you so much MEEA, for your continued generosity and support towards outdoor education. My students love their new benches and use them daily for reading, writing, communicating, and observing the world around them.

This project focused mostly on helping teachers get storage for their outdoor projects. This makes it much easier for the teachers to get outside and not have to worry about lugging equipment and materials back and forth, as many of the outdoor spaces used as a bit of a walk from the school. I had hoped this would encourage teachers to want to get outside more with their students, if the process was made easier for them. I also wanted to bring bird feeders back to the school, as they had been taken down before. I placed them in strategic location so children would hopefully be able to observe some wildlife during their time outdoors learning. This could also spark some learning conversations. The metal play kitchen equipment was to replace and replenish old equipment that was used regularly in children’s play and encouraged children to create these wonderful and elaborate scenarios and games.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

PARIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Wanda McCormick

At Paris Elementary School we used our MEEA Grant to create an outdoor hammock grove where students of all ages and abilities can learn. Once they have been released for active engagement, they will experience the joy and comfort of exploring the adventures in their books, while relaxing peacefully in a hammock among the trees. What child wouldn’t love reading if they could curl up in a cozy hammock and let their imaginations soar as the boughs gently sway in the breeze?

“I used to HATE reading, but reading is fun in a hammock in the woods!”

-Luke, 6th Grade

POLAND COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Deborah Conley

We became an outdoor learning spot, it started with an idea and just one picnic table. We went to the Ecology School and formed a committee from all the schools in the district, we called it GEO, Get Everyone Outside. Although the schools are all unique we shared the same vision to enrich our students learning in nature and foster growth for outdoor learning.

This year at Poland community School students read with reading partners, did science experiments, played math games, made fairy houses, made bee houses, seed balls and planted pollinator gardens.Everyyear more ideas expand and we create more unique outdoor learning spaces for students. We worked with our towns land trust to do themed weekly hikes.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

SACCARAPPA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Kari Emery

Thanks to the MEEA, I was able to purchase stools for our students to use outdoors all year long. s excited to announce the recent purchase of new chairs for outdoor learning spaces, providing students with a more comfortable and engaging learning environment. The addition of these new chairs has greatly enhanced the outdoor learning experience for students, allowing them to immerse themselves in nature while still receiving a quality education. Whether participating in a science experiment, reading a book, or engaging in a group discussion, students are now able to comfortably collaborate and learn in the fresh air.

Students have already noticed the positive impact of the new chairs on their learning experience. The investment in outdoor learning spaces aligns with Saccarappa’s commitment to providing a well-rounded education that fosters creativity and critical thinking skills. The school looks forward to continuing to enhance outdoor learning opportunities for students in the future.

SOUTH PORTLAND HIGH SCHOOL

Tania Ferrante

This year the SPHS Courtyard had some significant renovations thanks to the collaboration of teachers, students, administrators, and a grant from the MEAA.

During the COVID years, the courtyard was significantly neglected due to staffing, access to the space, and many other factors. This fall, the space was overgrown to the point that it was not usable for the SPHS community.

This fall, ecology students with funding from the MEAA grant used an electric lawn mower to clear the overgrown courtyard. As students continued to take care of the space they started to care about the space and really wanted all students to have access to it. This past spring, we were able to secure funding for an outdoor patio space, thanks to a letter of support from MEAA. Students worked alongside a mason and installed a 20X20 patio with a labyrinth design from start to finish using the pythagorean theorem. The design represents a pathway to foster contemplation. After the patio was completed, we were able to use funding to install a shade structure. Again this was all driven by students. Ecology students also met with the administration to develop a process for student and staff to use the courtyard. They were able to use a sign up process that increased use from zero this fall to over 240 students this past spring.

It is exciting to see so much collaborative energy from SPHS students and staff. Student voice, hard work, and dedication transformed this space into a place that the entire SPHS community can now access.

Outdoor Classroom Solutions

WOODSTOCK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Beth Clarke

Woodstock Elementary School offers learning settings that increase engagement, which leads to academic success while building resiliency. We support children in developing the skills to recover from setbacks and bounce back from adversity. At WES, we provide supportive and caring relationships, high expectations, and opportunities for students to connect with their natural surroundings. Our outdoor classroom focus embodies many hopes and dreams for our students and their families. The snowshoes MEEA provided through the minigrant became integral to our work and happiness this winter. Our outdoor education program is not just about physical activity and health; it’s about community. It connects our students and staff to local people and our neighborhood’s beautiful hiking/snowshoe trails. This program is a testament to our shared love for our community and our commitment to its well-being.

Snowshoeing activates engagement and forges connections. The sport provides opportunities for students to engage in activities that foster competence, confidence, character, and coping. It encourages a sense of land stewardship and improves the balance between screen time and physical engagement with the outdoors. Snowshoeing increases problem-solving skills and expands the strategies needed to self-regulate behavior.

Every WES student experienced strapping on a pair of snowshoes to discover what our backyard had to offer this winter. Most of our youngest children participated in this activity for the first time. A true testament to the happiness these snowshoes provided was when families asked to borrow pairs to hike together on weekends.

Outdoor Recreation

BONNY EAGLE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Brett Levin

To date we have built three low ropes elements, and are working on two others. The first one that was constructed was “The Injured Hiker.” There are eight ropes that students use to guide the pickup block, and they have to work together to get the ambulance to the injured hiker, and then to the hospital. Kids have to communicate and work as a team to be successful here. The second element that we built was the “Spider Web.” During this challenge, the group must pass themselves through a giant web without touching any part of it. Students must learn to trust and be trustworthy to carefully move everyone to the other side. The third element that was constructed were four platforms for the “All Aboard” element. Platforms are square and were built in the sizes or 30”, 24”, 18” and the very difficult 12”. In this element students must fit their entire group onto the platform. You start on the 30” platform, and move down to the next size once you get your entire group on to the platform. Students have to think creatively and be comfortable with

the rest of your team. There are two low ropes elements that are still in construction. One is “Nitro Crossing” and the other is two versions of the “TP Shuffle.” For the Nitro Crossing, we secured three plastic pallets and added treated lumber to the top of them to be the platforms in the activity. We are currently digging the holes to cement the four 6”x6”x12’ treated lumber posts in the ground that will house the ropes to swing from one platform to the other. We expect that that will be completed by the first week of June. The other element that is still under construction are the two versions of the TP Shuffle. We secured two old telephone poles, and students have hauled them to the activity sight, and all that is left is to secure some 6”x6” pieces of treated lumber to the bottoms of the poles to prevent them from rolling. Students have greatly enjoyed using these elements.

Outdoor Recreation

CARRABEC HIGH SCHOOL

Tammy Long

With the Mini Grant (as well as a few other grants) our Outdoor Leadership students were able to spend three days ice fishing Moosehead Lake and hiking Kineo Mountain in March. Five students from Carrabec high school learned to drill holes, set traps, start a fire and cook over an open flame, clean a fish, and jig over an open hole. The ice was thick, the weather ideal and we even caught fish!

“I

never thought I would walk across a frozen lake to hike a mountain!”

“Setting

a trap in a hole in the ice, catching a lake trout, cleaning it myself, and cooking it over a fire…the best fish ever.”

“Sitting

on a bucket on Moosehead Lake, watching the sun rise, my dad would be jealous.”

“I don’t know how anybody wouldn’t like smelling like a campfire.”

“Can

we do this every year?”

- Student Testimonials

DAY MT. REGIONAL MIDDLE

Jodi Badershall

The day that Region 9 came and I unveiled the fly rods to students was the highlight of my year! I have some students who struggle both academically and behaviorally in the classroom/ school setting. Behavior issues were anticipated for this event as well. My first session included a handful of these students. It was amazing to see how polite and engaged these students were. Fishing seemed to give them an outlet. They were focused on learning a new skill that they could be successful at. Many wanted to do Maine outdoor sports like hunting or fishing but didn’t have a teacher at home like some of their peers. This gave them a chance to have that experience. Mr. Rainey had the same reaction I did, expressing to me that they were, “polite, engaged, and respectful”. We had students come back out during their recess times to practice more and they all were very excited to continue during class. It warmed my heart to know that we were giving these kids an experience that they might not have gotten any other way. I had taken for granted that I grew up in a home where I had a dad that taught me outdoor skills and sports, I now realize that many kids today do not have that opportunity. The grant funds allowed me to do that.

Outdoor Recreation

CENTER DRIVE SCHOOL & DEDHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL

Alexander Maxwell

This was an experimental unit in Outdoor Education to give the students an opportunity to tie classroom learning into their team building work in Outdoor Education. The students started in the winter by learning about the physics and chemistry of fire. Then they spent a couple of classes experimenting with different methods of building a survival fire including bow drills and flint and steel. This unit transitioned into the outdoor cooking unit. The students learned some basics in food chemistry, safety and nutrition in the classroom and then put the 2 units together by cooking their own breakfast or lunch depending the time of day they had Outdoor Education class. Breakfasts included eggs, pancakes, fruit (pineapple and strawberries) and hash browns. The students learned basic knife skills, food safety (sanitation) and cooking techniques. They used many methods to cook the food such as campfires, propane stoves and dutch ovens. The lunch classes cooked was dependent on the class level. For instance, the 5th grade cooked pizza burritos wrapped in tinfoil over the fire, while the 8th grade made fried rice, bbq chicken and fresh sauted green beans. All of the students were engaged in the program and loved cooking their own meal with their friends. Many students claimed they didn’t eat certain foods like green beans, but when they were engaged in the preparation of the food, they changed their mind about the food. For weeks after I was begged to allow them to do it again!

Outdoor Recreation

ECOLOGY LEARNING CENTER

MEEAs mini grants for outdoor learning in Maine are essential for the growth and development of Maine youth.

MEEA mini grants were used to support the Ecology Learning Center’s (ELC) Outdoor Programs for Junior and Senior Expeditions. Two student groups paddled the St Croix River from Vanceboro to Loon Bay on a 4 day trip for May 2831st. MEEA grant funds allowed the ELC to secure rentals and transport of canoes for this expedition.

This program is actively and effectively creating Maine’s new environmental stewards and is aligned with the Ecology Learning Center’s mission to prepare students to be resilient leaders who can face the challenges they will confront.

FRANK I. BROWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Brown School Skates & Monica Malcomson

This was our 3rd season of Brown School Skates, a free after school program founded and directed by South Portland 2nd grade teacher, Monica Malcomson and supported by teachers Alexa Liquori and Kelsey Green. The funds from this MEEA mini grant helped our program grow and connect with local organizations in new and improved ways! Over the course of this season, these funds helped support about 60 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders and at times their families and siblings. We engaged and collaborated with South Portland Parks and Rec., Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, Cape Arena and the Cape Elizabeth Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee, as well as many local businesses including Nunsuch Books.

It was an absolute joy for our skaters to try new things, make friends, enjoy our local park and the outdoors, learn new skills, and get their bodies moving in the winter months here in Maine. We enjoyed 2 days of skating on the pond and lots of outdoor winter fun! Additionally, we learned about the importance of community collaboration and partnership as well as the impact of climate change on our local and global communities. This group of students completed the program with so many positive things to say about Brown School Skates!

The power of an idea and a community that is willing to support it is truly an incredible gift that offers countless lessons for our Brown School Skates participants and their families. It has become a beloved tradition and will continue thanks to the support of organizations like the Maine Environmental Education Association! On behalf of the Brown School Skates community, thank you!

Adam Williams

Outdoor Recreation

KING MIDDLE SCHOOL

Joanne Abrams

This is the third year King Middle School has partnered with Dave Butler from Maine Path and Paddle and Michael Shaughnessy from Friends of the Presumpscot River to give students a full experience of paddling and hiking while learning about the rich history of the Presumpscot River. The new King PFDs, purchased through MEEA mini-grant funding, arrived just days before 80 KMS 7th-grade students, along with their teachers and chaperones, headed out to the Gambo Dam boat launch as part of their expeditionary learning expedition, Woven Worlds.

Many of our students are non-swimmers and are anxious about paddling a canoe for the first time. They don’t fully understand how PFDs keep them safe in the unlikely event of capsizing and falling into the river. Pre-teaching water safety and the proper use and fit of flotation devices gives students the confidence they need to enjoy their first paddling experience. Time is always tight on school trips and having our own universal PFDs allows students to quickly don and adjust their PFD, have fit checked by an adult, and get launched into the river. Veteran staff and river-trip chaperones all noted how much smoother the day went with students being familiar with the PFDs and knowing how to quickly adjust them. Confidence in water-safety equipment and more time to paddle are two of the positive outcomes of having our own PFDs. Thank you, MEEA, for making this possible!

LISBON HIGH SCHOOL

Corey Walker

“Mr. Walker, I had no idea how that we could make our own lures. That’s so cool to be able to make our own lures and go out and catch fish with them the same day!”

This quote is a similar quote said by many students this spring. The lure and rod making Enrichment class was a great success this year. I was able to show many students how to make lures and some ended up buying their own materials to make lures at home too. We were able to sell some of the lures we made to raise money to buy more supplies for next year too. Some students would come in and say my dad likes to use this or that could we make some of those and often times we could. That was fun, I think anytime we can send students home talking about school and showing some of the fun stuff we do is important for students and gaurdians. Most students taking the class enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity they were given. Some students experienced some things they never did before and some may have picked up hobbies they’ll do for a lifetime. Thank you for your support!

Outdoor Recreation

MAINE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCE (MEANS)

Jeffry Chase

The Maine Academy of Natural Sciences is designed for students who are interested in the natural sciences. Our curriculum is focused on agriculture, forestry and the environment. As a project-based school, much of our academic work focuses on collaborative and individual projects. We pride ourselves in creating opportunities for our students to learn practical skills that will better prepare them for life after high school.

At the end of January four MeANS students were immersed in a two day residential learning experience at the Carpenter’s Boat Shop, in Pemaquid. The goal during this time was for us to learn woodworking through building a toboggan. Students and staff worked with the Carpenter’s Boat Shop Craftsmen and learned about how to bend, treat, cut and assemble a toboggan.

“What I got from the experience at the boat shop was the great skill it takes to make a toboggan. The bending of the wood is an amazing skill and I’m glad to have learned these skills.”

-Tucker Emery

“I really liked staying up at CBS for two days. I had so much fun and learned while having fun. Some things I learned how to do was use a hand planer, and bend wood.”

-Nathan Cochran

“My time at the boat shop taught me many experiences. I learned how to use power tools, safety, and many how to bend wood, going into toboggan building. I had no idea how to handle something as simple as a drill and that you could even bend wood, even the people there were learning by trial and error which made the experience a little extra special. I’m thankful for this trip and I’m glad I was able to experience this amazing once in a lifetime experience.”

-Joshua Cochran

Outdoor Recreation

MAINE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCE (MEANS)

Grace Hilmer

The Maine Academy of Natural Sciences has a focus on agriculture, forestry, and the environment. We bring our students outside in the natural environment as much as possible, utilizing our outdoor classroom, apiary, gardens, greenhouses, and blacksmith shop. The camping gear we were able to purchase with the MEAA grant will help us expand the classroom to off campus and overnight camping trips with grade levels and our outdoor club. Hammock tents take away any necessity of segregating students by gender, and provide an equal opportunity for overnight outdoor learning without the fear of a student being outed.

MAINE CENTRAL INSTITUTE

Last fall, I noticed student learning and energy increased when it did not involve books and worksheets. I saw excitement when whatever we were doing meant working outside, or just an opportunity to walk outside to go to class. I was set out to connect outside experiences with indoor learning through this grant. The last quarter of the school year, I took advantage of the opportunity to take the kids to the LL Bean Store and Outdoor center as a way to connect past studies in a more exciting review through outdoor activities. I have attached the lesson plan here, along with supporting documentation of what studies we did prior to our outing which included fly fishing and archery lessons. The themes we studied in the past were put into a scavenger hunt by the students themselves: Maine Symbols/Icons, Light Pollution, and the benefit of patiences as a life skill.

Outdoor Recreation

MEDOMAK VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Kaylie Borden O’Brien

The Medomak Alternative Program extended our yearslong partnership with Rockland’s Apprenticeshop this year, using our MEEA grant funds. We are joining the Break the Anchor education team from the “A-shop” in constructing a 40-foot wooden sailing vessel, based on traditional Portugese sardine carriers, using locally-sourced timber and student junior apprentices. While the past years have seen us practice seamanship and navigation skills during the warmer fall/ spring months out on the water, and work on building the boat in the shop during the less clement winter, we were able this year to add a dimension: going out and harvesting our own lumber to be used in constructing the vessel. Students and educators went to Ash Point Preserve in Owls head in the fall to scout for windfallen trees that were the correct species and specifications to become spars on our vessel. We marked them and returned in the spring in successive groups to work on the engineering task of getting the fallen trees down the cliffside to the water, where they could be floated and towed back to the shop by sea. If the weather allows, we will tow them back together before the school year ends!

Students were able to find out firsthand how boatbuilders here in Maine and elsewhere have worked with and within forests to source the timber they need. They were also able to work together to overcome some challenges nature threw at our group: steep, muddy cliffs, rocky tideline to scramble over, and heavy logs trapped beneath each other proved to be engineering puzzles we could solve together using block-andtackle system, comealongs, anchors, and whole lot of pulling together. When asked how they felt about the process on our hike back, students said “I enjoyed it, it was fun!” and “You never know when a walking stick is gonna become your best friend!” (this student used the walking stick they found as a lever to free debris). We’re looking forward to using these logs to raise sail and explore our local waterways in the next few years!

Outdoor Recreation

MONMOUTH ACADEMY

Shawn Schultz

The Outdoor Education course at Monmouth Academy utilized the grant to rehabilitate an old, wet trail. The trail sits on the border of an old apple orchard, grassy field and the forest. The orchard is a great example of ecological succession. Nature is slowly taking over the orchard. The trail was once a cross country running trail and nordic ski trail. An Eagle Scout had improved the drainage of the trail many years ago. Three years ago the New Monmouth Memorial School was built next to Monmouth Academy. This changed a large portion of the trial and significantly altered the drainage in the area. Only students willing to get wet feet could access this area. The goal is to continually improve this trail to make it accessible to students and teachers at all levels. Current curriculum this trail allows the Outdoor Education students to access includes, fire building, cooking, tracking, tree identification, shelter building, trail maintenance, nordic skiing, snowshoeing, campsite setup, to name a few. The Ecology students will use this area to study biomes, community interactions, biodiversity, food webs, and human impact. Other teachers will be encouraged to utilize the trail to enrich their curriculum or just to get kids outside.

Outdoor Recreation

NORTH HAVEN COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Shaun Johnson

From one of the teachers on the trip, “[We] couldn’t have asked for better weather and the students were wonderful! We spent time in the intertidal zone, completed the raft challenge, hiked, swam, did lots of science inspired art, and ate delicious food just to name a few things! It was wonderful to have the space with the students and an out of the classroom experience!”

At North Haven Community School, we put a premium on multi-age, interdisciplinary experiences for students, especially those that occur outside of the classroom. We have the flexibility and autonomy to adjust schedules so that different classes and grade levels can learn and interact in a variety of contexts.

PISCATAQUIS COMMUNITY SECONDARY SCHOOL

Trisha Moulton

During the 2023-24 school year a new Outdoor Education class was able to be offered as an elective for high school students at Piscataquis Community Secondary School in Guilford. Trisha Moulton started teaching Physical Education and Health in November of 2022 and wanted to offer a new class that would get students outside to enjoy all of the activities Maine has to offer.

The 19 students who signed up for the fall class, and the 13 that signed up for spring, went kayaking, swimming and fishing. They also played golf at the Piscataquis Country Club, disc golf at Black Stream Disc Golf in Sangerville in the fall and King Pine Disc Golf in Shirley in the spring. Our school’s principal, John Keane, taught the students how to cast a fly fishing rod. They also built shelters in the woods, built campfires, helped cook and ate deer steak and hotdogs on a campfire and did some rollerblading, and skateboarding. The Appalachian Mountain Club came in every other week to do activities with the students. Some of the activities included orienteering, knot tying, packing for a hike, setting up tents and tarp shelters, as well as XC skiing and hiking.

Students have said that they have now found some lifelong activities they will continue to participate in outside of class. Many loved going golfing and playing disc golf, while others loved the shelter building, cooking, kayaking and XC skiing. It’s just awesome that these high school students have found a way they can enjoy the outdoors for years to come! Next year’s groups are expected to be even larger than this first year’s group, and they are excited to try something new.

With the money received in this grant, PCSS was able to purchase two more kayaks and paddles, a dozen life jackets and a bunch of freshwater fishing gear and fly fishing equipment. Thank you so much!

Outdoor Recreation

REGION 9 SCHOOL OF APPLIED TECHNOLOGY

We purchased 70 complete sets of ice fishing traps with supporting equipment, including hand powered augers. Students under my supervision in the Outdoor Skills class assembled the equipment in “to go kits” for student and visitor use. This equipment could be signed out by students and guests to use with their family and friends. We also used the Building Construction students to help manufacture ‘Fishing Caddies’ to secure these units; Each caddy was fully outfitted with all the necessary equipment and provided a built in bench seat (see photos) This equipment was signed out using a log book to track usage and data collected was used in the Outdoor Skills class to assist with harvest information at the state level. It should be pointed out Region 9 hosted most likely the largest ice fishing expedition with almost 100 middle school students participating with 20 students from Outdoor Skills (current and alumni)acting as their Guide for the day.

The MEEA grant enabled the Outdoor Leadership program at the Telstar Freshman Academy to enhance our curriculum by taking skills previously learned and practiced indoors and applying them to outdoor settings. We have a great climbing wall, but there’s nothing that compares with climbing on actual rock faces. We have taught rappelling indoors, descending staircases in lieu of cliffs, but now we can teach this skill on an actual cliff face. We also utilized grant funding to purchase food for a 3 day/2 night canoeing trip on Richardson Lake. This trip serves as the cumulative, summative performance assessment for the Outdoor Leadership class, where students put learned skills and mindsets into practice on a real expedition.

The Outdoor Leadership class provides the opportunity for all Telstar High School 9th graders to learn relevant, lifelong skills that are useful wherever they go in life. These skills and mindsets are especially useful in the mountains and lakes of Western Maine, where Telstar is located. This class provides a unique opportunity for students who often do not thrive in more traditional academic environments to excel in more hands on, kinesthetic settings. Just the other day, one such student thanked us profusely for giving him the chance to succeed in Outdoor Leadership, because he does not get this from other high school classes. Thank you to the Maine Environmental Education Association for helping us to improve our program, and further serve our students.

Norman Greenberg

Jonathan Longley

TELSTAR FRESHMAN ACADEMY

Outdoor Recreation

UPPER KENNEBEC VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Isaac Davis

Our outdoor program is designed with the intent to introduce outdoor activities to our students that can be a part of everyday life. The goal of the Upper Kennebec Valley schools is to blend our outdoor environment with our school environment. We are looking to encourage our students to explore the Maine wilderness, grow their own food, and learn about the wildlife that is all around us and how best to care for it and maintain Maine’s pristine outdoors.

Our outdoor education programs focus on map & compass skills, tree identification, the ins and outs of backpacking preparedness, and proper clothing and gear. Students are also Red Cross-certified in first aid, trained in paddle sports, knot tying, and the vital principles of Leave No Trace. These students are able to practice their new skills through camping trips, and regular outdoor activities included in their daily curriculum.

In the agricultural studies program, students learn about the value of growing one’s food and how to best establish and manage a garden. Students are able to explore the many facets of horticulture from a traditional outdoor garden to greenhouse and hydroponic growing. In this program, students also learn about the vast Maine agricultural community. Students are able to explore the multiple different industries from dairy farming to aquaculture, learning all about where our food comes from and the hard-working small percentage of people growing and harvesting it.

Our wildlife studies program is designed to bring outdoor life to the students by bringing the students to the outdoors. In this program, students gain a greater understanding of the flora and fauna that make up the Maine woods, waters, and fields. Through, research and observation, our students have the opportunity to see the wildlife in its natural habitat and discover all that the Maine outdoors has to offer.

VAN BUREN MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL

Jay Edgecomb

A nine hole disc golf course was built on Van Buren’s school property. The course is open to the public when the facilities are not in use for games or practices on the soccer or baseball fields. We have used the course for PE classes and our year end cooperative field day. The course also has a tournament set up for July as a fund raiser for the Girls Varsity Soccer Team. There are four discs, score cards and pencils in a mail box at the corner of the tennis courts so that families can try out their luck for free. This is a par 36 course with 2 par 3’s, 2 par 5’s and 5 par 4’s. One 7th grade student who had never played before commented to me “ I really like this. This is the first time I have ever played, but I want to come back this summer and play again”. The second day of summer vacation I was up on the fields and noticed that a family of four was out using the course - that was nice to see.

Science Exploration

AUGUSTA ADULT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Kelli Gilzow Stowell

We used the MEEA Award to expand the quality, discovery, and enthusiasm of outdoor education at Augusta Adult and Community Education (AACE).

This winter our Snowshoe Crew acquired a few larger-size snowshoe kits, including walking sticks into our inventory, which provided stability and an educational opportunity for a few of our novice snowshoers.

As the AACE Community Garden builds out this spring season, we included the rainwater barrel construction, collection process, and monitoring into our Adult and Youth Outdoor Explorer groups. Learning how to install gutter systems was a unique experience in itself. Coupling this with an opportunity to overcome the lack of adequate water was incorporated into the garden’s design by sharing the roots of this indigenous methodology.

Our summer session has us incorporating the Educaching curriculum with a geocache in the outdoors. GPS navigation is intertwined to provide an orienteering skill base that will help participants feel safe while in the woods, and creative opportunity is offered to the participants by crafting individual geocaches to set for community ‘cachers’ to find.

BAXTER ACADEMY FOR TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

Katie Strait

The Gulf of Maine is experiencing warming at an alarming rate. It is extremely important that we, as educators, teach our students about why the warming is happening, what are the consequences of the warming water temperatures, and what are the solutions. I have always believed that the best way to solidify learning in the classroom is to take students out into the field and give them a hands-on experience of what we are learning about in the classroom. Back Cove is only a couple blocks away from Baxter Academy and it empties out right into Casco Bay Harbor. The only water quality data that has been taken (at least that I have been able to find in the literature) is on water temperature and tide. The goal of the project was to record water quality weekly, in an ongoing climate change study that would happen each year, thus having comprehensive data on the health of Back Cove.

The equipment that we have been using for water quality is more subjective than objective. For example, pH paper can be read by one person as 6 and another person as 7. These discrepancies, although they seem small, are not and can lead to inaccurate conclusions of the health of Back Cove. Therefore, it was really important to me that we have equipment that gives us objective data and reduces discrepancies in the data, and paints a more accurate picture of the health of Back Cove.

We received the water quality equipment after the study had already started so half of the data was collected with our old equipment and half of the data was collected with the new equipment from the MEEA grant. While it is really exciting to have a year’s worth of water quality data on Back Cove, next year the data will be consistent with how we measured it. Nonetheless, the students were able to draw conclusions about the health of Back Cove this year and loved being able to use equipment that scientists use in the field.

Science Exploration

BONNY EAGLE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Erin Hullinger

I created a brook trout/water quality project in collaboration with the National Stem Scholars, with support from MEEA. I was able to secure ample materials from MEEA to supply the infield water quality component of my project, which is extremely important. My students worked for months to learn about water quality parameters, why healthy ones are important, and how to conduct many types of chemical and physical tests. I had ample materials, so we were able to practice all the materials at school. By the time we were doing field work, they were experts. The teachers were able to simply stand back and watch the 7th and 8th graders confidently run through high level environmental analysis! We were able to determine our site was suitable for young brook trout through habitat assessment, bioassessment, and water quality testing, so we released over 200 baby fish. This project was extremely popular with my students, and they are so happy they got to participate. I can’t wait to repeat it with my kids next year.

Science Exploration

BOWDOIN CENTRAL SCHOOL BRUNSWICK HIGH SCHOOL

Christine Egan

We are fortunate to have our school on a property with much diversity. We have fields, forests, gardens and a stream that runs along the property. We have access to natural environments and we enjoy bringing our students outside. With these tools we can now integrate the natural environment even more into our lessons. Lessons will be extended while being outside and engaged in exploratory science.

Having these tools we can extend our learning time outside and help develop knowledge and understanding in meaningful contexts. We are studied erosion and sand and where it comes from. We are also learned about different types of seeds and how they are dispersed. Every year we create leaf identification booklets. Each spring we collect, identify and classify macroinvertebrates to determine the quality of our stream using these tools. With these items we were able to see all of these things up close. Immediate connections were made experientially as they look at specimens close-up. These experiences give students opportunities for inquiry and immediate reflection. It is noticeable how engaged students were while outside and with these tools engagement was even greater especially when they were able to do more science outside instead of inside the classroom.

When we are outside we are exploring the forest floor, tending the flower gardens, studying macro- invertebrates and studying how seeds are dispersed. We used to bring these collections inside to take a close-up look. Now, with these tools students will be engaged longer while outside because we will have everything we need with us to make observations closeup.

This funding supports both immediate and future planned needs. We used these materials throughout the year as we studied seeds, leaves and erosion. In the winter we looked closely at different types of snowflakes. In the spring we investigated stream fauna, learned about amphibians and identified parts of plants. The items we requested from this grant were used immediately and will last many years ahead.

Thank you for supporting Maine educators and schools to foster outdoor learning. We are looking forward to developing new connections through your programs.

Andrew McCullough

Living on the coast, it’s important for our students to learn about the tidal areas they see every day. Accessing these areas can be challenging though. In order for our high school students to fully experience hands-on outdoor learning in our community, we need equipment, gear, and clothing not always readily available. With our grant from MEEA, we were able to purchase hip waders for all of our marine science students allowing them to be able to fully explore and participate in our outdoor projects in the mud and estuary waters. Students were able to challenge themselves and participate in meaningful field studies and data collection.

“Brunswick High School prides itself on its commitment to creating hands on learning opportunities for our students. These boots allow us to take students to new and exciting places they would otherwise not be able to access.”

-Susan Perkins, Zoology Teacher

“Without these boots, students would have been stuck on the sidelines....Instead, they were able to get stuck in the mud.”

-Andrew McCullough, Marine Science Teacher

Science Exploration

C.K. BURNS SCHOOL

Marco Lamothe

Funding through the Maine Environmental Education Association allowed my fourth grade students to experience science in a variety of ways. We completed an exciting unit of study in which we learned about the life cycle of the Atlantic salmon. Bus travel is expensive! We were able to hop on a bus three times this spring: we visited local fish passage systems on the Saco River, spawning grounds on a tributary of the Saco, Swan Pond Creek, and experienced a trip to the Saco Salmon Restoration Alliance. We also purchased testing equipment for our salmon incubation tank. We are thankful for the grant your organization provided.

EDNA DRINKWATER SCHOOL

Anna Wood-Cox

This year the 3rd grade took over responsibility for the salmon project. They spent time learning about the life cycle of this unique fish species and its impact and history in Maine. On release day they went to the spawning ground area of Wescott Stream as well as the estuary where the salmon transition to salt water and back to fresh as they migrate. This project has truly increased these students’ sense of place and care for their environment.

Greta Brown, the 3rd grade teacher said of the project, “The third grade students took accountability and initiative daily in regards to our salmon. They monitored the salmon’s progress in the life cycle, learned about their habitat, and tracked migration patterns. Throughout the time with their salmon as well as after, our class was able to reference our knowledge about the salmon cross-curricularly. On the day of the salmon release, one student was overheard asking her grandmother after school if they could return to Wescott Stream to further explore the salmon’s new habitat. This was a project the class will take with them throughout their lives and have left them feeling more connected to the natural world.”

Science Exploration

EDWARD LITTLE HIGH SCHOOL

Erin Towns

The Maine-Arctic Climate Studies Course, an elective open to grades 9-12 , delves into the critical connection between polar temperature changes and rising sea levels in Maine. This innovative course bridges the gap between classroom learning, outdoor learning, and real-world application through a unique drone and photogrammetry project.

Students honed their skills by collecting aerial imagery, capturing landscapes threatened by rising sea levels with a new drone purchased with the MEEA Mini-Grant for Outdoor Education. Students ventured outdoors to learn to fly, create drone photos, and turn imagery into 3D models similar to those scientists use to study climate.

Students acquired valuable real-world skills in drone piloting, photography and photogrammetry that are relevant to various fields, including glaciology, oceanography, and forestry. The introduction of FPV goggles with the DJI Avata drone further enhanced outdoor engagement, providing a thrilling firstperson view of their aerial missions.

Students developed more passion for climate change studies and gained practical skills applicable to a range of PolarSTEM and local careers. More importantly, they gained a deeper understanding of polar science and the critical role technology plays in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, particularly rising sea levels threatening Maine’s coastline.

Partnering with the Upward Bound Program, the drone will take flight in Alaska this summer at Toolik Field Station. Here, alongside scientists, students will utilize the DJI Avata drone to create 3D models of melting permafrost gullies. The newly

designed drone curriculum will be showcased at a PolarSTEM conference, inspiring other Maine teachers to incorporate this innovative approach into their climate change curriculum.

The MEEA Mini-Grant for Outdoor Education used to purchase the drone was a vital component of making these programs and student products a reality. Thank you.

Science Exploration

ERIC L. KNOWLTON SCHOOL

Camilla Shaw

Participating in Fish Friends was a fantastic opportunity for the students of Eric L. Knowlton School. Through this program, students learned about the life cycle, conservation, and protection of the endangered Atlantic salmon through engaging materials and first-hand observations. Students monitored water quality and took part in daily observations and data collection of our growing salmon.

This program successfully brought environmental science to life for students through a series of engaging, hands-on activities. Central to this initiative is the management of a fish tank, where students are responsible for the care of native Atlantic salmon. They undertake daily tasks such as water testing, monitoring changes, and tracking data to ensure the health and stability of the ecosystem within the tank.

A highlight of our program includes two educational field trips. The first, to the University of New England, provided students with an opportunity to see scientific research in action, while the second trip to a local salmon hatchery allowed them to observe salmon conservation efforts firsthand. To facilitate these trips, funds were efficiently utilized to secure transport and necessary materials, ensuring a fully immersive learning experience.

Materials for the fish tank, transportation for field trips, water testing kits, and even custom t-shirts for the students were all made possible through our funding. These resources have not only supported the logistical aspects of our program but have also enhanced the overall educational experience for the students.

FRANK HARRISON MIDDLE SCHOOL

Zachary Callahan

As late summer turns to crisp fall, many people head right for indoors, thinking that their leisure time outside will return with the warm weather. We want to encourage the opposite; we want students to look forward to the dark days ahead as they present the most prolific stars and brightest planets. We want students to embrace the brisk nights and clear skies, to run out after dinner to catch the sight of Venus chasing the sun at dusk, or the earthshine that illuminates the shadowed side of the moon. If we inspire even half of our students to go out and look up every once in a while, we will have reached success. Having this event after the school day allows parents and guardians to come and share the magic (or even reignite a lost passion).

Science Exploration

FRENCHBORO SCHOOL

Laura Venger

The funding awarded to the Frenchboro School was used to purchase equipment for exploration and outdoor play. Our one room schoolhouse population took advantage of the limited frozen precipitation that fell this season to shovel, shape, and shore up strategic snow stashes into sprayed statues and sliding challenges. We purchased a few kinds of snow molds including Yeti molds, block molds, and a majestic dragon mold. We got spray bottles and food coloring to decorate our creations. Sledding helmets were also purchased to keep students safe while sliding.

One student found the shovels to be the most important purchase. He wrote, “I like the shovels because we used them for making snow ramps for our sleds. We also used them to fill up the Yeti molds.” Another student concurred and stated, “The snow shovels help us with building the Yetis. We can grab the snow with the shovel and pack the snow in the Yetis. The shovels make it easier.” The brick molds were the most fun for one student because he likes building tiny houses. Next year he wants to construct an entire village but needs more snow! Two other students thought the Yeti molds were the most interesting and fun.

Students worked in teams and individually to fill the snow molds and produce Yeti statues that they decorated with food coloring diluted in spray bottles. We bought big bottles

of primary colors then experimented with combining them in various proportions to create a variety of shades with which to decorate. We also tried mixing the primary colors by spraying layers, but this did not work as well as mixing them in the spray bottles. Students noticed that it was best to have really cold water in the spray bottles so as not to melt their creations. They observed that the molds could be packed tight or loose and found that the more tightly packed molds produced Yeti statues that were stronger and lasted longer. We produced a table top full of frozen Yetis and made a time lapse video of GREAT YETI Melting Experiment.

Science Exploration

GEORGE STEVENS ACADEMY

Sara Bushmann

With the funds awarded through the MMEA mini-grants for outdoor education, the students in the Maine Environment class at George Stevens Academy created a long-term study site for assessing the impact of deer herbivory in woods surrounding our campus. The students created two deer exclosures, which are small (13 feet per side) squares with fencing to keep deer out. They gathered initial data about the plants that are growing in the exclosures. For the next several years, students at GSA will be able to monitor these exclosures and compare plant growth to that of the open surrounding areas where deer can browse.

The students took the lead in the building of the fences. I showed the students which tools and materials were available and they took it from there with little input from me (the teacher). Fences went up in about one hour’s work, although the finishing details took a bit longer. By far the favorite task for all the students was driving in the poles!

This project provided the obvious benefit of spending time in the woods, but it also gave the students a chance to envision a task that needs to be accomplished, problem solve, and work together as a team. One point of note: none of the building tasks were graded, yet no one needed the motivation of a grade to join in and work together to build the exclosures. The motivation was inherent in the task!

HALL-DALE MIDDLE SCHOOL

Danielle Quirion

For the first time ever, students at Hall-Dale Middle School attended a field trip to a local arboretum. We participated in an educational program with Viles Arboretum staff, focused on invasive species and the local pond ecosystem. Having recently learned about the impacts of invasive species in the classroom, seeing these invasive plant species firsthand and being taught how to properly remove them with tools was an illuminating and exciting process for students. They personally felt the impact they had on the Viles Arboretum ecosystem by removing the invasives to make room for native plants. They also experienced how much teamwork and effort it takes to combat invasives.

Perhaps their favorite part was using various tools to scoop up and identify wildlife from the pond! The 7th graders excitedly identified various macroinvertebrates, fish, and amphibians using identification cards. Feeling the organisms in their hands, figuring out which species they were, and showing their special finds to each other was an excellent hands-on learning experience that could never have been possible without the generosity of this grant. Students were grateful to take their learning experience outside the classroom and apply concepts they had learned in a hands-on, integrated manner.

The majority of students had never been to an arboretum before and were fascinated by the diversity of plants there as well. Not only were students able to make a helpful impact on their local ecosystems, but they were also able to expand their knowledge and have fun while doing so. We left exhausted, a bit muddy, and with smiles on our faces!

Science Exploration

HELEN THOMPSON ELEMENTARY

Sarah Hanley

During the spring of 2024, Helen Thompson fifth graders from West Gardiner, traveled to a local body of water to release brook trout fry they had raised from eggs, learned about various plant species in the woods around where we live and learn, and used the materials purchased from the mini-grant for catching, examining, and releasing macroinvertebrates. This included extendable nets, a LaMotte Macrolens, and macroinvertebrate flashcards in order to assist in identifying specimens collected. Students had learned in our classroom lessons about the importance of macroinvertebrates as indicator species for water quality. While we visited a nearby stream, students identified species like dragonfly larvae, mayfly larvae, crayfish, and many others, making estimates about the water quality where we were. Students were so excited to be in nature, experiencing something similar to what water quality scientists or aquatic entomologists would do in their field work! They left the day feeling accomplished and could communicate many deep understandings of what they discovered. The connections they were making to the world around us was amazing to watch. Everyone involved in the culmination of their lessons really enjoyed watching them take ownership of their learning and lead their discoveries and conversations streamside while instructors only needed to provide the minimum of guidance. It was learning at its best! Thank you MEEA!

MOUNTAIN VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL

Lacey Todd

In late fall, fifth-grade scientists collected data and water samples from various spots along our local region of the Androscoggin River. When we returned to the classroom, students filtered the samples to prepare them for submission to the University of Maine for processing of environmental DNA (eDNA).

While we waited for results, we investigated our local ecosystem to determine the types of organisms that lived there and how they are connected in a food web. We studied the endangered Atlantic salmon and its role in the ecosystem. Then we partnered with Fish Friends to raise Atlantic salmon in our classroom. Over the course of three months, we observed the salmon as they progressed from eyed eggs, to alevin, to fry.

In the final weeks of our salmon rearing, we received the results of our eDNA samples. We were surprised to find over 30 different fish/animal species living in our small region of the Androscoggin River! Based on the results from each site, students used their knowledge of ecosystems and food webs to decide on the best location to release our salmon fry. In late May, we released our fry with hopes of rejuvenating the Atlantic salmon population in the Androscoggin River.

Science Exploration

PISCATAQUIS COMMUNITY MIDDLE SCHOOL

Emily Anderson

This winter, a unique hands-on experience unfolded for the 7th and 8th graders at Piscataquis Community Secondary School through a mini outdoor grant. The grant funded a project where students tapped maple trees, learning the craft of maple syrup production while engaging with scientific principles.

Using the grant, students purchased equipment to tap and process syrup and constructed an evaporator, repeatedly assembling and disassembling it to refine the process. Due to a late start and delivery delays, students tapped trees on town land this year. Guided by science teacher Ms. Anderson, they explored the school’s wooded area, identifying suitable trees for tapping. Next spring, students will tap trees, attach collection buckets, and observe sap accumulation.

A project highlight was learning about Maine’s maple syrup production tradition. Students shared family histories of tapping and compared procedures, conducting taste tests of their syrup versus store-bought versions. One student remarked, “It made me appreciate the science and hard work behind something I used to take for granted.” The project taught botany, chemistry, and environmental science, fostering a connection to the local ecosystem. Students also researched traditional native methods of syrup collection and evaporation.

Ms. Anderson noted, “This hands-on experience brought science to life for my students, keeping them engaged through the winter into spring. They learned valuable lessons about ecology, sustainability, and the rewards of patience and

observation. We look forward to a more successful run next school year. Despite the project’s challenges, the students remained engaged, with some 9th graders wanting to return and train lower grades. The process blends patience and excitement, mirroring scientific inquiry. Thanks to the Mini Grants for Outdoor Education, we will have this equipment for years to come.”

Science Exploration

SANFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL

Diana Allen

Once again our students experienced some amazing outdoor learning opportunities. An investigation into our stream’s water quality by searching for macro invertebrates. We partnered with MEEA and a local land trust to don our waders, grab our dip nets and ice cube trays and head into the stream to look for invertebrates. This is a day students looked forward to for a long time, everyone loves the opportunity to use the waders. Many start out grossed out by the bugs, but shortly into the hunt there are so many excited oooooh’s and aaaah’s! One student said, “Another crayfish! Wow this water is filled with tolerant bugs. “Miss Allen, I thought you said this stream was clean last year!”

The seats we purchased were awesome for my science class and Mr. Harris’s ELA class to head outside create some naturebased concrete poetry. Armed with great seats, hand lens and clothes hangers to use for quadrats should students desire made for an incredible day.

RSU20: SEARSPORT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Amy Hafford

Fourth grade students at the Searsport Elementary School work hard all week in anticipation of our Friday hikes in the woods around campus. One of our community partners, the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition, loans us Miss Jenni, a fun and engaging nature educator, to lead the walks. This year with help from the MEEA we purchased 22 pairs of high quality binoculars, backpacks, and birding guides to take along on our nature walks. Having the right tools and resources has made bird watching our favorite outdoor educational activity.

This year each 4th grader chose a bird to research, and two high school students came to our classroom to assist. We soon learned that several of our Maine bird populations are in decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change. We wanted to help, so we posted a request for bird houses on Facebook and the local community responded. In March we received 33 nesting boxes for owls, bluebirds, robins, woodpeckers, phoebes, and even for a merganser! Now we’re building a birding trail on campus so that everyone in the school and community can learn about birds who make their home in our fields and woods. Soon hikers on our trail will be able to scan QR codes and listen as our student experts explain about birds that have been spotted at that location.

Science Exploration

MEEA funding also allowed our 4th grade class to visit the Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden, Maine for a day of bird-watching under the expert direction of the Audubon educational staff. Students learned how to properly fit and focus our binoculars, where to look for different species of birds, how to listen and identify common bird calls, and how to wait quietly for birds to feel comfortable having us in their environment. We played games involving bird habitats, and learned about the challenges faced by migratory birds. This trip was a valuable opportunity for our students to observe nature, to focus their attention, and to find beauty and joy in an idyllic outdoor setting.

WISCASSET

ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL Kaden Pendleton

Our school has a great appreciation for outdoor learning. Over the last three years, we have created an outdoor learning space along our school on the Sheepscot River. We placed bird feeders and trail cameras around our building to track the flow of energy in our local ecosystem. Students used pocket microscopes to identify seeds and local plant life found in our outdoor learning space & the spaces around our school. Our goal for the multitude of projects we had planned was to expose our students to the micro-world around them and the things they may experience at a distance.

As part of our place-based outdoor learning curriculum, students spend over a month in PBL researching local marine life. We then fundraise and take our students on a nature cruise out of New Harbor on Hardy Boat Cruises. Students could use their acquired knowledge of marine life to search for the animal they have been working with for many weeks. Through this grant, we purchased binoculars for our students to take with them on the boat ride. This made the trip even more memorable for the students and added to the culmination of over a month’s worth of work for them. Many students researched species similar to each other in many aspects (common tern, roseate terns, & arctic terns). Hence, the binoculars were key for them to see the small but clear differences between the species’ beak coloration (orange, black, & red respectively). Our multifaceted approach to outdoor learning takes us past the bonds of a single project.

All of the materials we purchased are available for use amongst our entire staff and student body at any time. It was important to us that the materials we received from this process would be able to be used consistently and with purpose for years to come.

Science Exploration

ZENITH ALT ED - CAMDEN REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

John Van Dis

The Zenith program offers students an authentic and engaging connection between learning and the real world.. The MEA MiniGrant award put sample collection tools into our hands, while also prompting a partnership with Leah Trommer and Maeve Cosgrove from Coastal Mountains Land Trust in Camden. Together, we organized four sampling field trips, each with a unique focus: water, soils, migrating birds, dendrochronology.

Our first foray took us to Merryspring Nature Center where we investigated water quality and biodiversity of vernal pools. The water quality kit I ordered is still back ordered, so we used presence and absence of key indicators species as data of biodiversity and health. Next, we visited Hodson Preserve investigating how soil composition and soil chemistry might affect the forest community. We searched for migrating birds on our trip to Beech Hill Preserve, along with ornithologist Brian Wilson. And, our final trip was to Goose River Trail System where students explored dendrochronology and basic forestry measurements under the tutelage of Ryan O’Neil.

The grant award created engaging access to our learning goals as we explored changing plankton and macroinvertebrate communities in fresh and saltwater, how soil characteristics affect life above ground, and what proxy data is and what it can tell us about the past. While not all students felt comfortable in an outdoor setting with rain and bugs, Leah and Maeve made them feel welcome to explore and experience the outdoors. Students were awed by the beauty that is so close to their homes, and openly declared their plans to come back soon; they couldn’t wait to share these places with their families and friends. Students felt they were doing real science with these tools and this partnership, but perhaps even greater is connecting these students to the natural world in their own community, engaging future stewards.

Snowshoes

RSU63: CLIFTON, EDDINGTON, HOLDEN

Kristina Dumond

RSU #63 is encouraging outdoor exploration by introducing a Snow Shoeing Club for after school. We will have a club at Holden Elementary School and at Holbrook Middle School. Also, we are having snow shoeing as a physical education unit for all our K-8 students! A few students told me they are very excited for this Club and they will be doing ‘Snow Dances’ to ensure there is enough snow on the ground to make this club happen.

SACO PRE-K

J’Aime Walker

In the heart of winter, a transformative experience unfolded at our school as the snow-covered landscape became a canvas for a new adventure, all made possible by our grant-funded snowshoes. For many of our students, these were not just ordinary snowshoes; they were gateways to an entirely novel world of outdoor exploration. Among these eager learners were a group of students, many of whom had never ventured into the snowy expanse, and a significant number facing housing insecurity, their journey marked by both resilience and curiosity. The inaugural snowshoeing sessions became more than just physical activity; they symbolized a shared expedition into the uncharted territory of winter wonder, a journey that transcended geographical and socioeconomic boundaries. As laughter echoed through the snow-laden air, and the crunch of snowshoes underfoot became a harmonious rhythm, the grant’s impact on our students’ outdoor learning experiences became vividly apparent, fostering a sense of unity and joy that transcended borders and backgrounds. These snowshoes did more than provide traction on the snow; they paved the way for a collective journey of discovery, making memories that will linger in the hearts of our students for years to come.