Creating an Invitation to Explore

And a thoughtful answer…
Stephanie Carlson-Pruch, Art Specialist at Gomez Heritage Elementary School in Omaha, NE, answers this question beautifully in our Growing With Nature Book  (pg.14) and below is that explanation of her experiences in their Certified Nature Explore Classroom.

“In our indoor classroom, my students talk about our five senses. We look at landscape photographs and paintings and pretend we enter them. Students brainstorm words to describe what they might see, hear, smell, taste and touch if they were inside the nature image. Then we go to our Nature Explore Classroom, clipboards and pencils in hand, to explore a real-life natural space using all of our senses. We record facts about our experiences, using words and sketches on paper. Upon finishing, we gather in the Open Area on our grassy hill and each student is encouraged to share their findings.”

This got me thinking … 
I have heard Stephanie and other educators use the word “invitation” when they describe how they introduce an activity to their students. In this example, the invitation may have sounded something like this, “Remember how we walked into the photograph landscapes? Let’s do the same thing as we explore our Outdoor Classroom. Sketch what you see, hear, feel, smell, taste or touch.” We as teachers know the value in encouraging children to make their own discoveries and draw their own conclusions. Sometimes the most difficult part for teachers is to articulate the invitation.

Let us hear from you…
I know many of you use this same open-ended approach to invite children to be a part of their own learning in your Outdoor Classroom. When it comes to older children in your Outdoor Classrooms, what  invitations do you use to encourage exploration?