Place-based education allows students to see that their learning is relevant to their world, to connect with the rest of the world in a natural way, and to develop into concerned and contributing citizens. It is rooted in the integrated core curricular activities of science, social studies, communication arts and fine arts. It is expanded upon and applied by extending the classroom into the schoolyard and the neighborhood.
Journeys into our ‘place’ are wonderful teaching tools. Here are some examples:
*sauntering in nature
*looking for geometric shapes and angles in nature and man-made objects
*collecting nouns,verbs, and adjectives from nature to create poetry
*architectural history tour, house sketching, and downtown scavenger hunt
*touring historical Bozeman’s downtown using historical map
*creating sound maps
*reading and making maps
*identifying simple and complex machines
*sketching trees throughout the seasons
*taking rubbings of textures in nature
*investigating a one foot diameter spot of nature
*creating collages and weavings of nature materials
*filtering snow
*studying soils, plants
*investigating animals signs in nature
*taking a preposition walk ‘over’ the bridge, ‘in’ the trees
*identifying birds, trees, flowers, insects, etc.
*finding symmetry
*gathering leaves for various art projects
*observing segments of nature through viewfinder squares
*looking at nature through Andy Goldsworthy’s eyes
*finding a special rock
*sketching landscapes using perspective
*walking around the block to get to know the neighborhood--block walk
*exploring tracks in the snow and using them in art
*visiting and feeding farm animals within city limits
*planting wheat
*taking a history walk through the cemetery
*attending field trips to local businesses
