The Junior Naturalist Program

1
The Junior Naturalist Program

• Promoting Environmental Stewardship
  while Empowering
  Students

Presented by

Cara Rieckenberg, Environmental
Education Coordinator, Prior Lake-Savage Area
Schools
2
What are the goals of the
Junior Naturalist program?

• To provide environmental stewardship
  opportunities for students
• To expose students to more environmental
  education experiences
• To promote environmental stewardship through
  leadership and service opportunities
• To empower students
• To have fun

3
How are the goals of the
Junior Naturalist program met?

• Monthly meetings
• Service learning/stewardship projects
• Environmental education activities
• Modeling/teaching opportunities in classrooms and
  all-school meetings
• Outreach to other schools/organizations

4
Why is a Junior Naturalist program important?

• Its important that children know they dont
  have to wait until they are adults to make a
  difference in the environment. The behaviors and
  attitudes that children develop continue into
  adulthood. Robert Wilke, Ph.D. University of
  WI Stevens Point
• Contact with nature has a positive effect in
  reducing the impact of attention deficit disorder
  in children (Taylor, Kuo, Sullivan, 2001)

Julie Ernst, PhD, University of MN-Duluth,
Research Supporting School-Based EE
5
Why is a Junior Naturalist program important?

• Enhances
• Awareness developing an awareness and
  sensitivity to the environment
• Knowledge acquiring a basic understanding of
  the environment and its problems
• Attitudes acquiring a set of values and
  feelings of concern for the environment and
  motivation for participating in improving and
  protecting it
• Skills acquiring skills for identifying and
  solving environmental problems
• Participation encouraging active involvement in
  resolving and preventing environmental problems

Julie Ernst, PhD, University of MN-Duluth,
Research Supporting School-Based EE
6
Why is a Junior Naturalist program important?

• WA middle school students participating in EE
  programs consistently outperformed peers not
  involved in EE programs on the state assessment
  test (Bartosh, Tudor Ferguson, 2005)
• MN elementary students in integrated EE programs
  scored significantly higher on MCAs in reading
  (Workman, 2005)

Julie Ernst, PhD, University of MN-Duluth,
Research Supporting School-Based EE
7
Why is a Junior Naturalist program important?

• Hawaiian elementary students in an issue
  investigation EE program scored higher on a
  critical thinking test than peers (Cheak,
  Hungerford, Volk, 2002)
• Outdoor adventure programs tend to show positive
  impact on self-esteem (American Institute for
  Research, 2005 Cross, 2002)
• Little Falls students (MN) in the
  environment-based program comprised just 28 of
  reported discipline problems but represented 46
  of the student body (Lieberman Hoody, 2002).

Julie Ernst, PhD, University of MN-Duluth,
Research Supporting School-Based EE
8
Why is a Junior Naturalist program important?

• Natural interest in the environment
• Increased motivation and effort when students are
  involved in real-life issues with real-world
  connections/application
• Offers opportunities to see connections among
  subject areas and between school and real life
• Multiple senses are engaged

Julie Ernst, PhD, University of MN-Duluth,
Research Supporting School-Based EE
9
Why is a Junior Naturalist program important?

• Ties into effective educational practices
• Inquiry-based projects
• Service learning/real-world problem solving/
  issue investigation/projects
• Student-centered learning
• Hands-on learning
• Integrated approaches
• Involvement of community partners
• Tangible/concrete projects or products

Julie Ernst, PhD, University of MN-Duluth,
Research Supporting School-Based EE
10
How does a Junior Naturalist program get started?

• A champion is neededwho will lead?
• Share proposal with administration
• Share proposal with staff
• Generate interest with students
• Obtain commitment from students,
  teachers, and parents

11
Who is the Junior
Naturalist Advisor?

• Teacher
• Parent
• Community member
• Most important characteristic is that this person
  has a commitment to empowering students through
  environmental stewardship

12
What are the responsibilities of the Junior
Naturalist Advisor?

• Attend beginning of year meeting with EE
  Coordinator, Naturalist and other district Junior
  Naturalist Advisors
• Organize Junior Naturalist program at site
• Organize and provide information to classroom
  teachers on what the Junior Naturalist program is
  and how to choose Junior Naturalists as class
  representatives
• Schedule a minimum of 10 meetings with Junior
  Naturalists throughout the school year
• Schedule introduction meeting by the second week
  of October
• Provide communication to Junior Naturalist
  families with dates for all meetings and what the
  Junior Naturalist program is
• Organize meetings by following provided format
  and in such a way that Junior Naturalists do an
  activity or service learning project at each
  meeting

13
What are the responsibilities of the Junior
Naturalist Advisor?

• Monitor Junior Naturalist progress on activity
  check list
• Monitor need for Junior Naturalists to assist
  with recycling, food waste or litter monitoring
  and teaching
• Provide leadership through the Junior Naturalists
  for work on the Naturalist Bulletin Board and
  Touch Table
• Provide all-school announcements before scheduled
  Junior Naturalist meetings as reminders
• Assist at all-school meetings and Earth Day with
  providing leadership opportunities for Junior
  Naturalists
• Ensure that all Junior Naturalists are following
  Junior Naturalist criteria
• Schedule final meeting before the last week of
  May
• Create award for recognition at end of school
  year
• Attend end of year reflection meeting with EE
  Coordinator, Naturalist and other district Junior
  Naturalist advisors

14
What are the responsibilities of other adults?

• Teachers
• Flexibility
• Support
• Some knowledge
• Parents
• Transportation
• Support
• Volunteer
• Administration
• Support

15
Who can be a Junior Naturalist?

• Anyone!!!

16
What are the roles and responsibilities of
a Junior Naturalist?

• Be a positive role model
• Communicate information by teaching or reporting
  to own classroom and buddy classroom
• Monitor and collect recycling
• Monitor food waste program
• Design and create bulletin board or display case
• Clean, fill, monitor bird feeders
• Clean, monitor wood duck and bluebird houses
• Take daily readings at GLOBE weather station
  report data
• Attend all scheduled meetings
• Assist with easy maintenance of outdoor learning
  areas
• Be trained and train others on all EE related
  equipment

17
What are some Junior
Naturalist activities?

• Planting trees and/or flowers on school grounds
• Maintaining outdoor learning areas (weeding,
  watering, cleaning out, etc)
• Create bulletin board displays with themes
  (recycling, snow, animal habitat, etc)
• Learn EE related games and teach to other
  classrooms
• Install, monitor, fill and clean bird feeders
• Build, install, monitor and clean bluebird and
  woodduck houses
• Storm water labeling
• Work with EE related professionals assisting with
  community projects
• Create and distribute pamphlets to neighbors
  about OLC
• Organize all-school clean up
• Monitor recycling and food waste
• Study local animals/plants and provide awareness
  to school community with mini-lessons, displays
  or photo murals
• Create podcasts and videos for school

18
(No Transcript)
19
(No Transcript)
20
(No Transcript)
21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)