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Involving Your Community
Nebraska teachers have no shortage of responsibilities, inside or outside the
classroom. Outdoor classrooms, wildlife-related curriculum, poster contests,
energy and water initiatives or fields trips to a nature center work best when
they are incorporated into existing teaching curriculum and help meet state and
local standards. All of the activities outlined on these web pages can help
schools meet Nebraska state teaching standards for science, art, social studies
and other subjects.
One
way to help reduce the workload and share the responsibility of these
initiatives is to involve community members who can bring time, expertise, help
and sometimes even money to a project.
Start
with your students: outdoor classrooms, recycling programs and energy
conservation initiatives will all be better used and respected if a broad
section of students have "buy-in" because they helped develop the program. As
you look for community support, student enthusiasm can be infectious, and
students often have a surprising awareness of which adults in a community have
expertise you might benefit from. Most adults find it difficult to say "no" to a
young smiling face -- especially when the face is a relative or neighbor.
Where
do you find help? A local garden club, wildlife club, garden center, or
landscape architect could all be places to find help with designing,
installing, managing and maintaining an outdoor classroom. A local college might
have a wildlife biologist who could help you select plants that would attract
local birds, butterflies and other wildlife.
An
engineer, local electric or gas utility, or energy service firm might provide a
free energy assessment of your school. A local plumber can probably tell you
about the water use of your plumbing fixtures and alternatives that might be
available. Local businesses may also be willing to provide materials, cash or
labor to help install outdoor classrooms, add recycling bins or print up
information flyers.
Community members who are involved in these kinds of school projects are often
grateful for the opportunity to take part. May outdoor classrooms also become
community assets, providing a place to hike, or just relax and commune with
nature.
Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary |
