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When I first started my field experience in the classroom last semester I was so excited to learn that my mentor teacher did an outdoor class everyday. I am very interested in outdoor education because it helps students regulate in so many different areas. One of my passions is helping students connect to nature. My mentor teacher once told me that we should teach children to love our Earth so that they naturally want to protect it, rather than scaring them into protecting it. This line stuck with me the most, and one of my goals as an educator is to attempt this.

One amazing resource I have found that goes above and beyond in teaching children about the outdoors is a book I bought from Amazon called Dirty Teaching: A Beginner’s Guide to Teaching Outdoors by Juliet Robertson. This book showcases all the benefits of teaching outdoors and also provides a huge variety of engaging activities.

The book description on Amazon provides all the topics that are covered in this book: “Topics covered include: forest schools, learning outside the classroom, outdoor education, nature activities, caring for the environment, play in schools, investigative play, urban outdoor activities, problem-solving, creative thinking and strategies for supporting curriculum objectives.” (Dirty Teaching on Amazon)

Make sure that the children are getting free play as well. This is how children learn to socialize, develop independence, improve physical coordination, and have a good time without adult direction.

(Dirty teaching, pp. 12)

This quote explains how outdoor free play is important in an outdoor class. My mentor teacher shared with me her thoughts on what an outdoor classroom should look like and one of these aspects was free play. Instead of getting involved, my mentor teacher would observe from a distance and watch as students learn to strengthen their relationships and solve problems. I believe that doing this outdoor is a great way to do this because student’s moods are improved when they are outdoors so their cognitive and social skills may be working well.

The book dirty teaching suggests using songs and music as a stimulus in outdoor learning. Some ideas for this are creating a music playlist for when you are outside with your class, creating an outdoor music wall, and creating musical instruments outside

(dirty teaching, pp. 81-82

Outdoor education can mean so many things. My mentor teacher last semester taught me that there are three aspects to outdoor learning: learning in nature, learning about nature, and learning for nature. Learning in nature refers to the curriculum and doing lessons outdoors. When I saw this quote in Dirty Teaching I was blown away by the fact I have only ever thought about doing science and PE outdoors. I had never thought about taking on music lessons outdoors. I absolutely love the idea of creating music outside in nature because I believe it helps children connect to themselves, music, and nature. Creating musical instruments outside seems like a fantastic idea to me. I even looked up some outdoor music walls and this is what I found:

There are so many diet trends always going around. Keto, juicing, and DASH are among the many. In my opinion, none of these are necessary for being healthy. Although, like breastcancer.org states, every person’s idea of being healthy is different.

To breastcancer.org, eating healthy means eating a variety of foods that gives you the nutrients that you need to maintain health, feel good, and have energy. So as long as your body is getting carbohydrates, protein, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals in a sufficient amount, you are good to go! So what if this means stuffing your face in a box of cookies every once in a while?

In this post, I will be exploring a bit more about recipes to share that are packed full of nutrients. A couple of weeks ago I was very sick and I did not eat anything the whole day. My body was fatigued, I felt even sicker from not eating, and I really just needed some nutrients in my body. What did I do? I ordered Subway to my door. Now I know this is not the best of options but it is definitely nutrient-packed. We got protein (turkey), fat (cheese, sauce, and bread), carbs (bread and sauce), and vitamins/minerals (spinach, tomatoes, cucumber). With these recipes, I hope to help you eat some nutrients when maybe you have not eaten much that day (and you want to opt for something a little more healthy than subway). Sometimes we do not eat much, for whatever reason, but t is important to remember to eat because your body needs it!

Here is a recipe for a great macro bowl. The great thing about bowls is there is so much you can put in there, and you can pretty much just fit whatever from the fridge in there. This recipe is a great example of a nutrient-packed recipe with chickpeas, kale, rice, and much more.

The Macro Bowl with Turmeric-Tahini Dressing

What’s even easier than bowls? Salads. This salad has lots of nutrients with its chicken, avocado, strawberry, and spinach. I am not sure if you have ever had strawberries in your salad, but you will forever after this.

Lastly, a pure staple in my life, beef and broccoli. Rice gives you carbs, beef gives you protein and fat, and broccoli gives you loads of vitamins and minerals including iron, which will get your energy up.

Beef Broccoli Stir-Fry

I hope this post made you hungry and made you want to eat some delicious food!

Here is the link to the breastcancer.org references I used above: https://www.breastcancer.org/tips/nutrition/healthy_eat