No, the Nature Based Education Consortium is not an organization. It is a coalition fiscally sponsored by Maine Audubon, a 501(c)(3) organization.

All people who participate in NBEC do work for the network, in terms of decision-making as well as capacity. The network has three staff hired to support the efforts driven by network participants and leaders.

Our network is made up of leaders and advocates who care about building equity and access for all Maine youth outdoors. NBEC is a youth-centered network and youth are encouraged to be network participants and leaders. Anyone who cares about increasing opportunities for young people in Maine to spend time learning outdoors can participate, including people who work in education, conservation, government, public health, business, outdoor heritage activities, agriculture & forestry, and more.

Resources

• Additional funding

• Share resources/learn lessons

• 3 goal areas

Connections

• Network

• Reduce isolation

• Synergy- by meeting/talking with others in the field

• Whole more than sum of parts

• Leverage effort (small orgs. Part of network)

Vision

• Vision is possible

• Desire for inclusivity

• Yes! Excited about a greater collective impact; being able to engage people [differently] and helping people overcome apprehensions re: the outdoors

• Power of network to address systemic challenges/opportunities

• Collaboration across disciplines/sectors

• Connection of NBEC to other networks

• Tone of learning, listening, emergent

Impacts

• Advocacy

• NBEC is (intends) taking the role of advocacy (frees up orgs. from that responsibility)

General NBE Challenges

• Transportation, especially in rural and underserved communities

• Community partners = How to engage/support.empower them to use curriculum that has been created

• Combination of simultaneous approaches

• Funding

• Mandate

• Need support models for teachers

• Timing

• Many groups advocating to get funding

Network ChallengesIndividual/Organizational Capacity and Other Barriers

• Competition with our core work and weight of yet another network

• Time to do this since I am so busy in my own job BUT if we keep having these opportunities to meet with a little informal time, I get a HUGE benefit of synergy that makes my work efficient

• Sustaining individual energy and maintaining the energy to keep involving others in the work

• Lack of capacity (community partners)

• Everything else is prioritized even if this is a priority

• Time, space equity to part of this group

Messaging

• Carefully choose words/messaging to involve/excite people (esp. Around risks)

• Breaking barrier that this is “extra”

• Terminology

• Understanding what outdoor learning is - clarity

• Specific enough but broad enough to be inclusive

Network Building

• How to approach populations whose basic needs are not being met?

• Including everyone who needs to be at the table

• What are the opportunities?

• Blending user groups

• Identify unlikely (or natural) allies - One size fits all will not work

• Time to create a network of community partners for teachers

Communications?

• Creating consistent messaging with no jargon

• How not to duplicate efforts/step on each others toes/distribute resources evenly

• Continue the Journey “Passport” to link all our orgs - schools, library, parks, land trust, nature orgs by several themes. Every child gets passport

Advocacy?

• Top down, government led advocacy versus bottom up family

• Advocacy for resources for public schools, e.g. outdoor education system

• Advocate for flexibility on trip leading requirements (LD 1932)

• EE/Outdoors across school curriculum this group supports to develop

• Raising up teachers within schools

Policy?

• Incorporate outdoor teaching skills into teacher policy training

• Policy tied to teacher education/certification

• Reward credits on grants for schools tied to nature-based opportunities

• Keep government staff in loop regarding policy development

Other?

• Umbrella of inclusivity - build understanding that includes sport, recreation, etc.

• Connect this work to jobs & health

• Funding connections

• Certificate programs for any major

• Involve Parks & Recreation Departments and Maine guides

• Sustainability support

• Many hands make light work

• Grant writing & projects

• More energy

• Teachers swapping time

• Teacher training (and in education programs) = Nature based integration

• Connect teachers to community partners, make sure there are partners in all communities

• Connecting nature-based ed with careers

• Resilience building avenue for schools dealing with childhood trauma

• Outdoor experiences as skill builders for at-risk youth

• How will NBEC define “outdoor learning?”

• How big can the tent be and still be effective?

• Is this about specific curriculums (hunting, fishing, etc) or about connecting with nature in general?

• Who would be eligible for funding? What criteria?

• What points of contact/champions of this do we have/can we develop in Aroostook County and other areas farther from Southern Maine?

• How can we coordinate/connect across the continuum of exposure/play/learning?

• Clarify purpose & outcomes of programs

• Equitable & Consistent quality around the state

• What about NBEC isn’t in the role of MEEA - worry about too many networks and ability to participate in all

• How do we know if we’re successful? More kids outside? More $ flowing? Connections in network? What’s actually measurable?

• What is the plan for reaching partners who are not here/at the table?

NBEC will be answering these questions and more on the website in detail in weeks to come.

Katahdin Schools have a culture of outdoor and nature-based learning that has been developing over the course of several years. Superintendent Marie Robinson came to the district in 2016 with a passion for learning in nature and has worked diligently to support teachers with the training and resources so they can experiment and experience outdoor learning for themselves. With the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument providing a backdrop and opportunities for engagement for students, what began with taking English classes outside for nature journaling, has expanded to include outdoor education electives in both middle and high school.

Excitement from a few teachers quickly expanded district-wide through partnerships with community-based programs like the Maine Forest Collaborative. Superintendent Robinson attributes the enthusiasm the district now has for learning outside to the approach the district has taken over time and the way outdoor learning has enabled both teachers and students to break down the traditional silos between subjects. Teachers work at their own pace, with the support they need, and invite their students into holistic learning that reflects the complexity and interconnectedness of life after school.

COVID has added urgency to RSU 89’s outdoor learning efforts. The district is building two new pavilions with removable sides using CARES Act funding and teachers are ready to use them - 50% of teachers have reported feeling ready to teach outside this year - and elementary teachers will be teaching outdoors multiple days a week. While COVID has required some small changes from past years, teachers and students are now well-acclimated to outdoor learning and classes can be brought outside as long as the temperature is above freezing.

Outdoor and community-based learning have long been part of Portland Public Schools, but COVID-19 has underlined the challenge of scaling to meet the needs of 6500+ students in 18 schools. Both the school and local community have risen to the task, planning for a hybrid model that brings together teachers, local community organizations, and advocates to creatively maximize safer in-person learning for students. The Portland Society for Architecture’s members volunteered their time and expertise to visit each campus to assess and plan for outdoor classrooms. The district has dedicated CARES funding to make a minimum of two outdoor classrooms for each school with school grounds to accommodate it, with over 20 sites identified. After the initial proposal was announced, teachers, parents, and School Board members have stepped up to advocate for maximizing the outdoor spaces available. In response, Brooke Teller, former HS chemistry teacher and district STEM Coordinator/Science Coach, has become the district’s Outdoor Learning Coordinator.

A group of district officials, teachers, and staff from local community organizations are planning greater integration and collaboration between schools and community organizations. They conducted a community inventory in Google MyMaps, mapping schools, public open spaces, and religious and community organizations that could provide space or support. While plans are still being developed, the district’s priority is to bring back younger students for as much in-person learning as possible. Piloting a community-based approach early in the fall, then expanding to serve more students as the kinks are worked out, these organizations will share the load for students pre-K through grade 5, then will shift to providing aftercare support on a shortened school day after the first month of school. The district has committed a significant amount of CARES funding to support community partnerships and to pay for coordination, and the Foundation for Portland Public Schools is also raising funds to support partnerships.

Teacher support is a key element of Portland’s outdoor learning efforts. Brooke Teller has been coordinating the planning group with community partners and has organized a peer support group for teachers experienced and new to teaching outdoors. The district is focused on preparing teachers with professional development and resources needed to support this expanded initiative and sees being outside more, pandemic or not, as a goal for the future.

One scenario: split bus routes in half with two runs each morning and afternoon bringing half the students to a local community partner site, and half to the school. School dropoff at 8 a.m. and pick up at 2 p.m. Partner sites drop off at 9 a.m. and pick up at 3 p.m. Color code bus seats for each run with odd rows on the driver’s side used for the school run and even rows on the passenger side for the partner site run

Additional vehicles (and drivers) available from the community partner can further reduce the transportation bottleneck. Family transportation or local walking or bicycle riding could further reduce the demands on bus capacity, depending on availability.

One scenario: split bus routes in half with two runs each morning and afternoon bringing half the students to a local community partner site, and half to the school. School dropoff at 8 a.m. and pick up at 2 p.m. Partner sites drop off at 9 a.m. and pick up at 3 p.m. Color code bus seats for each run with odd rows on the driver’s side used for the school run and even rows on the passenger side for the partner site run

Additional vehicles (and drivers) available from the community partner can further reduce the transportation bottleneck. Family transportation or local walking or bicycle riding could further reduce the demands on bus capacity, depending on availability.

One scenario: split bus routes in half with two runs each morning and afternoon bringing half the students to a local community partner site, and half to the school. School dropoff at 8 a.m. and pick up at 2 p.m. Partner sites drop off at 9 a.m. and pick up at 3 p.m. Color code bus seats for each run with odd rows on the driver’s side used for the school run and even rows on the passenger side for the partner site run

Additional vehicles (and drivers) available from the community partner can further reduce the transportation bottleneck. Family transportation or local walking or bicycle riding could further reduce the demands on bus capacity, depending on availability.

As we say often in Maine, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate clothing.” When cold weather is a safety concern, schools can gather extra donated boots and clothing and assign gear to individual students for the season so it is always on hand for outdoor learning. For early childhood centers, consider purchasing classroom sets of waterproof suits that can cover the outer layer of clothing to protect students from getting wet. Community partners like thrift stores or community closets could support a whole school effort to help students be ready for inclement weather. Tents, yurts, and shelters can be used to protect students from both sun and rain, and some offer protection from the snow and cold as well. Creating a rotating warm up schedule and doing shorter blocks of time outside in winter are also options to keep outdoor learning incorporated into the daily schedule.

As we say often in Maine, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate clothing.” When cold weather is a safety concern, schools can gather extra donated boots and clothing and assign gear to individual students for the season so it is always on hand for outdoor learning. For early childhood centers, consider purchasing classroom sets of waterproof suits that can cover the outer layer of clothing to protect students from getting wet. Community partners like thrift stores or community closets could support a whole school effort to help students be ready for inclement weather. Tents, yurts, and shelters can be used to protect students from both sun and rain, and some offer protection from the snow and cold as well. Creating a rotating warm up schedule and doing shorter blocks of time outside in winter are also options to keep outdoor learning incorporated into the daily schedule.

As we say often in Maine, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inadequate clothing.” When cold weather is a safety concern, schools can gather extra donated boots and clothing and assign gear to individual students for the season so it is always on hand for outdoor learning. For early childhood centers, consider purchasing classroom sets of waterproof suits that can cover the outer layer of clothing to protect students from getting wet. Community partners like thrift stores or community closets could support a whole school effort to help students be ready for inclement weather. Tents, yurts, and shelters can be used to protect students from both sun and rain, and some offer protection from the snow and cold as well. Creating a rotating warm up schedule and doing shorter blocks of time outside in winter are also options to keep outdoor learning incorporated into the daily schedule.

Outdoor learning can be as diverse as Maine’s student body. Partnering with local organizations that have deep experience serving the community that makes up the student body can tailor outdoor learning to meet the needs of the cultural experiences of all students. Outdoor learning can also support successful learning for youth who may struggle with the traditional classroom. All schools in Maine can successfully implement outdoor learning, especially if collaborating with community partners, for additional outdoor space, curriculum, or safety support. Contact the Nature Based Education Consortium or the Maine Environmental Education Association for assistance in connecting with community partners.

Outdoor learning can be as diverse as Maine’s student body. Partnering with local organizations that have deep experience serving the community that makes up the student body can tailor outdoor learning to meet the needs of the cultural experiences of all students. Outdoor learning can also support successful learning for youth who may struggle with the traditional classroom. All schools in Maine can successfully implement outdoor learning, especially if collaborating with community partners, for additional outdoor space, curriculum, or safety support. Contact the Nature Based Education Consortium or the Maine Environmental Education Association for assistance in connecting with community partners.

Outdoor learning can be as diverse as Maine’s student body. Partnering with local organizations that have deep experience serving the community that makes up the student body can tailor outdoor learning to meet the needs of the cultural experiences of all students. Outdoor learning can also support successful learning for youth who may struggle with the traditional classroom. All schools in Maine can successfully implement outdoor learning, especially if collaborating with community partners, for additional outdoor space, curriculum, or safety support. Contact the Nature Based Education Consortium or the Maine Environmental Education Association for assistance in connecting with community partners.

CARES Act funding to schools is intended for Covid-related needs - and learning outdoors reduces transmission risk, so some schools are using CARES to pay for larger outdoor classroom infrastructure needs. There are also numerous grants available to teachers from Maine-based and national foundations and agencies that fund small and large projects.

Of course, every school’s greatest resource is its community. Many educators have been able to build outdoor classrooms, easels, picnic tables, benches, school gardens and more on a shoestring by reaching out to local businesses and school families for materials and construction. This fall, many community members are looking for ways to contribute and support their local schools and are eager to respond to requests for support.

CARES Act funding to schools is intended for Covid-related needs - and learning outdoors reduces transmission risk, so some schools are using CARES to pay for larger outdoor classroom infrastructure needs. There are also numerous grants available to teachers from Maine-based and national foundations and agencies that fund small and large projects.

Of course, every school’s greatest resource is its community. Many educators have been able to build outdoor classrooms, easels, picnic tables, benches, school gardens and more on a shoestring by reaching out to local businesses and school families for materials and construction. This fall, many community members are looking for ways to contribute and support their local schools and are eager to respond to requests for support.

CARES Act funding to schools is intended for Covid-related needs - and learning outdoors reduces transmission risk, so some schools are using CARES to pay for larger outdoor classroom infrastructure needs. There are also numerous grants available to teachers from Maine-based and national foundations and agencies that fund small and large projects.

Of course, every school’s greatest resource is its community. Many educators have been able to build outdoor classrooms, easels, picnic tables, benches, school gardens and more on a shoestring by reaching out to local businesses and school families for materials and construction. This fall, many community members are looking for ways to contribute and support their local schools and are eager to respond to requests for support.

In the 2019 Statewide Census of Community-based Environmental Learning, educators identified climate change education as their highest priority for professional development support. Additionally, many educators have pointed to a lack of training as a significant barrier to meeting the climate education standards that are part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) adopted in 2019. K-12 schools and educators will be eligible for grants for climate education training support to meet NGSS climate science standards, as well as training in teaching climate change in other disciplines such as social studies and history.

The 2019 Statewide Census of Community-based Environmental Learning found that when schools partner with community organizations, students thrive and are better able to absorb and retain subject matter. Schools have long partnered with community-organizations to bridge gaps in training and familiarity with curriculum content and to engage students in new ways. All schools should have access to impactful climate education partnerships. Grant funds would be made available to support schools in bringing in experienced community partners to collaborate in preparing educators to teach climate science and interdisciplinary climate education.

Establishing a pass system for using indoor classrooms allows for educators to remain outside while students use the indoor facilities. Make sure students know the rules of the road for how many students can be inside a bathroom at any given time. If possible, consider two portable toilet to serve your outdoor pod.

Establishing a pass system for using indoor classrooms allows for educators to remain outside while students use the indoor facilities. Make sure students know the rules of the road for how many students can be inside a bathroom at any given time. If possible, consider two portable toilet to serve your outdoor pod.

Establishing a pass system for using indoor classrooms allows for educators to remain outside while students use the indoor facilities. Make sure students know the rules of the road for how many students can be inside a bathroom at any given time. If possible, consider two portable toilet to serve your outdoor pod.

Like any classroom, high touch items should be cleaned frequently and if possible between uses. Being in the sunlight may provide some natural disinfection!

Like any classroom, high touch items should be cleaned frequently and if possible between uses. Being in the sunlight may provide some natural disinfection!

Like any classroom, high touch items should be cleaned frequently and if possible between uses. Being in the sunlight may provide some natural disinfection!

At this time, field trips to indoor locations that require travel are not recommended. Guidance for the safe travel of students is evolving, but travel by walking remains safer than travel with groups of students inside a vehicle.

At this time, field trips to indoor locations that require travel are not recommended. Guidance for the safe travel of students is evolving, but travel by walking remains safer than travel with groups of students inside a vehicle.

At this time, field trips to indoor locations that require travel are not recommended. Guidance for the safe travel of students is evolving, but travel by walking remains safer than travel with groups of students inside a vehicle.

Yes, students can share equipment with focus on hand sanitizing before and after touching or using shared equipment. It is important to remember that COVID-19 is primarily spread by respiratory droplets and potentially spread by touching an infected item with your hands and then touching your nose, mouth or eyes. Good hand hygiene can prevent the spread of viruses.

Yes, students can share equipment with focus on hand sanitizing before and after touching or using shared equipment. It is important to remember that COVID-19 is primarily spread by respiratory droplets and potentially spread by touching an infected item with your hands and then touching your nose, mouth or eyes. Good hand hygiene can prevent the spread of viruses.

Yes, students can share equipment with focus on hand sanitizing before and after touching or using shared equipment. It is important to remember that COVID-19 is primarily spread by respiratory droplets and potentially spread by touching an infected item with your hands and then touching your nose, mouth or eyes. Good hand hygiene can prevent the spread of viruses.

It is important to realized that singing, shouting or vigorous exercise can increase dispersal of respiratory droplets up to 14 feet! It would be best to move further apart when students do these activities or avoid these activities altogether if unable to distance.

It is important to realized that singing, shouting or vigorous exercise can increase dispersal of respiratory droplets up to 14 feet! It would be best to move further apart when students do these activities or avoid these activities altogether if unable to distance.

It is important to realized that singing, shouting or vigorous exercise can increase dispersal of respiratory droplets up to 14 feet! It would be best to move further apart when students do these activities or avoid these activities altogether if unable to distance.