I'm excited today to talk about the benefits of bringing children outdoors. Twenty-five years ago, when I was Middle School Head, we changed the D.C. trip to the Southwest Trip, which has become a rite of passage for our graduates. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love being outside but, even more importantly, taking kids outdoors. My past as a summer camp counselor and teacher, being with children outdoors has shaped that influence. Now, as a Head of School, I get to see the impact of the outdoors on children starting as early as two years old through 8th grade and well beyond as TLS alumni. 

In this podcast, I've invited some Lexington School teachers from the preschool, lower school, and middle school to talk a bit about how they view the benefits of moving the classroom outdoors. Please welcome Flora Platt and Kris Neese preschool Montessori teachers, Ryan Bowers, lower school Citizen Science teacher, and  Chris Johnson, Middle School Dean of Students, and 7th Grade Physics teacher. 

Together, we discuss the Norwegian concept of "Friluftslive" or "Open Air Life." The philosophy involves the love of nature and the impact the outdoor classroom has on providing new contexts for learning. This podcast gives examples of how education outdoors offers unique opportunities for risk-taking and confidence building, positive social development, physical and emotional health, executive functioning skills,  sensory integration, increased productivity, and care for the environment.

For those who want to dig a little deeper: 

https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-does-nature-impact-our-wellbeing

https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health

 Sound credit pronunciation of Friluftslive: https://youtu.be/DJm3sn941rA 

Join Una and a few friends in new roles as they discuss their summer reading book choices. New preschool Director Jennie Anderson, new Lower School Head Becky Johnson, and new 7th grade English teacher, Tim Souders share their favorite takeaways in a fun and casual chat that leaves the listener with some helpful and interesting advice and strategies.  Learn about neuroplasticity, how organic and factory farming relate to child development, how best to facilitate a thoughtful and valuable discussion, and the impact of teamwork in decision-making. No reading between the lines, you will want to take a leaf from all of these books. Click play, open your limitless mind, and enjoy a few minutes learning something new from The Lexington School. 

Thanks to Elizabeth Wooster, middle school music teacher, for sharing her students' digital compositions. Louisa de Beer's composition introduces the podcast and Kristian Middleton concludes it.

PODCAST NOTES and LINKS:

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Simek

Moments of Impact by Chris Ertel

Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead and Live without Barriers by Jo Boaler

Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution that's Transforming Education by Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D. and Lou Aronica

Speaking Volumes by Barry Gilmore

 

Spring at The Lexington School is a busy time.  Even in this atypical school year guided by COVID protocols, we have culminating moments and traditions that are important to our children and our community. Events like our reimagined Little Kentucky Derby and Virtual CELEBRATION are in our immediate futures and just beyond are school trips, Candlelight Ceremony, and commencement activities for our 8th graders. Meanwhile, our faculty/staff and families are juggling their lives outside of TLS as well. It's a spirited and fun time of year and the perfect time to talk about one of our most important and our most nuanced mission skills, TIME MANAGEMENT.

We gathered up some fun people for the podcast to talk about time management. All of them have expertise in their own unique ways. School Counselor, Grace Newsome, second-grade teacher Sharon Deller, sixth-grade Anatomy teacher Tomi Lounsbury, and finally former student Axel Kiefer '11 and his mom, former parent and former trustee, Dr. Teresa Oropilla-Kiefer, MD are entertaining and educational. I am very grateful for their gift of time. 

I had a great time chatting about time management, learning some time management strategies, and sharing a few memories along the way. I hope you will make time in your day to listen to the podcast. I think it's a valuable thirty minutes-well worth your time!

PODCAST REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

Grace Newsome, School Counselor provided me with some great references for those looking to dig a little deeper into time management:

1. Teach Kids to Manage Time
2. 10 Tips to Teach Your Kids Time Management 
3. How to Teach Your Kids Time Management Skills

Tomi Lounsbury refers to great summer reading:
 
Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel