Does NOT include: Meals (prepare for camping) or National Park entrance
fee of $15/car - plan to carpool!
REGISTRATION DEADLINE Saturday, November 4, 2006
“...The stars, the desert, what gives them their beauty is invisible...
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.
What is essential is invisible to the eye.” ~ The Little Prince
Discover essentials for your school year in new teaching techniques,
new knowledge, new friends and old! Whether it is lessons you will
use next week, or inspiration that will keep you going all year,
get the year started right by attending the AEOE Fall
Conference.
Conference is FULL - no walk in registrations will be accepted (we've reached our camping limits for the site)
If you are already registered, you could still apply to present a workshop -Workshop presenters get in free! Apply
to present a workshop online - click here. Accepting workshops until schedule is filled. Questions? Contact Tom
Drake at
Astronomy under Desert Skies, Chris Milford of Astrocamp
WOW! Whats that up in the sky? If you would like to share the wonders of the night sky with your groups plan on joining us for a Joshua Tree Star Party. Binoculars and Telescopes will not be turned away, Astrocamp will provide a few binoculars as well as bringing out one of our 12 inch Meade Telescopes. A what's up talk and brief lecture on how to use binoculars and telescopes to view the sky will preceed the actual stargazing event, bring a blanket and/or a lawnchair for a wonderous evening under the stars. Workshop Objectives: Participants will come away with a working knowlege of the tools of astronomy, an appreciation of their place in the universe, and a fun relaxing night under the skies of southern California, along with some knowlege of the night-time sky Presenter Bio: Chris has been active in astronomical education for 15 years. He was a student of planetary geology at the University of North Dakota, Solar System Ambassador for Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 3 years and is now a 2nd year instructor at Astrocamp in Idyllwild, CA. He has been active in his local ND astronomy club for 12 years and he truly loves the excitement of gazing up at the stars.
Saturday/Sunday Workshops
(added as they come in, with new workshops at the bottom - add yours!)
Teaching Simple Outdoor Navigation, Frank Padilla, Jr of Yaquimagic and retired, California State Parks
This session offers outdoor educators a simple way to instruct students on basic outdoor navigation skills and staying found. The techniques that will be demonstrated are educational and fun. If you fear the compass then you may want to attend this session!
Participants will walk away with a variety of techniques to teach simple outdoor navigation, including information on *Lost Prevention during outdoor educational outings and events. (*STOP method and "Don't Forget Your Essentials") A combination of a short lecture and hands-on activities makes this a informative and fun session. Recommended to bring a compass. Session has limited amount.
Frank worked as a Patrol Ranger at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park for 8 years. During his tour of duty Frank had the misfortune to respond to lost and missing children in the park. These type of incidents can be minimized if children are taught some simple outdoor skills and prevention techniques to reduce serious situations. Now Frank wants to share these techniques so that we can reduce lost and missing children in our outdoor environments. Note: Frank's workshops have always been great - from Magic to Science Toys - he is a fun, experienced, and versatile workshop presenter! Resources online - click here!
Mission to Mars: Do Martians exist? If so what might they be like? Separate fact from fiction in this hands-on class where you’ll look closer at evidence that scientists use to better understand our neighbor in the solar system. 4-6th grade lesson. An update of what is currently happening on Mars (Rovers, satellites etc.) Lesson ideas of how to share this topic with students in a hands-on setting. Lesson handouts and Mars info to take home
For the past 6 years Coleen has been teaching in various outdoor and informal settings. She is currently working as an Outreach Instructor at the Natural History Museum of LA County, and for the 2 previous years worked as a Naturalist for LA County Outdoor schools. Resources online - click here!
Getting "Touchy Feely" in Earth Science, Hands-on field based geology of Joshua Tree National Park, Chris Milford, Astrocamp
Joshua Tree National Park occupies approximately 800,000 acres in two desert environments and is very rich in its geological features. Nestled at the footsteps of the North American plate boundary; Joshua Tree, provides the amateur geologist a playground to marvel at the forces which shape our planet. Understanding why there are earthquakes should be very important to children who we instruct at our education programs here in California. “Touchy Feely” Earth Science will take the mystery out of plate tectonics and make it fun while providing hands-on visual means to learning about our dynamic Earth.
Participants who are not geologists will learn ways to instruct children about the forces which shape and "shake" the Earth. Hands-on feild geology is very easy and fun all you need is a pair of eyes and some background, this program will provide the background to understand Earthquakes and plate tectonics. This program may involve a field trip.
Chris' background is in education and planetary geology, having studied meteorites from space along with astronomy he believes that the best way to understand the solar system is to first understand the forces which shape the Earth. Knowing geology is great, but his belief also is to educate the future about the excitement of geology. He has worked at Astrocamp in Idyllwild, CA for 2 years and currently holds the position of JPL Solar System Ambassador to the State of North Dakota where he creates hands-on programs on planetary science for learners from ages 2 to 102.
Getting Touchy Feely with Earth and Space Science, Chris Milly Milford, Astrocamp
Getting Touchy Feely in Earth and Space Science will include all hands on activities to bring the wonders of earth and sky into your programs at your camps. Whether you are a seasonal amateur astronomer or not this program will give you some tools to use space science in your programs. Understanding the constellations, motions of the sky, effects of our closest star (The Sun) on life on earth and how to safely share the views of the sky with your groups. Hands-On activities such as creating a star wheel, making constellations and sharing stories of constellations both traditional Greek as well as some Native American stories in order to illustrate a life lesson. We also will show you how to safely observe the sun and what you might expect to see. We also will share some of what we do at Astrocamp in our solar classes in terms of facts about our nearest star. Click here to download the template for your own Star Wheel
Spending my 2nd year in Southern California working as an instructor at Astrocamp in Idyllwild I originally became interested in space science in high school by a teacher. I understand the importance of giving kids a sense of wonder about nature and feel that both Earth and Sky deserve equal time in the classroom so that kids get a big picture of what is going on around them. I have a background in Physics, Astronomy, Space Studies and Geology and utilize all these specialties while teaching both at Astrocamp and in North Dakota where I participate as a Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA Solar System Ambassador. Resources online - click here!
A focus on Group Dynamics and getting students to interact in classes. These activities will have an environmental focus, so they are a great way to add team-building to a science class or to add the environment to your team-building class. This workshop is aimed to those who have wanted to make their science classes more consciously interactive or to those who teach group dynamics classes and don't see the environmental connection. There will be a small amount of lecture and discussion, and 95% doing activities. Handouts with the activities will be provided.
Tara has a BS in Environmental Science with an emphasis in non-traditional education and interpretation. She has been working in the Outdoor Education field full time since 1999 at three of the largest YMCA programs in the country. She is currently the Director of the Outdoor Education Program at YMCA Camp Marston and Raintree Ranch.
A birding class that has absolutely no reliance on seeing or hearing any real birds! Of course it is always better when you do see the birds, but these activities stand on their own and will get students pumped to see and meet real birds. We will revisit some favorites, learn some new games (hopefully, they will be new to you) as well as bring in some unexpected twists. The two main themes of this class are what is it like to be a bird and how do they fly? The capstone of the class is applying the information learned to an egg drop contest. Be prepared to run around and play…these are hands on fun time activities!
Sacha Charny is currently the assistant director of education at Pathfinder Ranch Outdoor Science School, where she teaches, makes the naturalist schedule and sometimes even gets to ring the bell to start classes. She is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and her BS is in Recreation Management and Policy. Before moving to California she worked for a huge YMCA in Colorado where she did her best to balance being the outdoor education director with playing in the snow. Resources online - click here!
Dewey It Up! Experiential Education 101, Tim Parker, Pathfinder Ranch
John Dewey, the “father of experiential education,” who lived from 1859 to 1952, will be gracing the conference with his presence in order to share his educational beliefs. Through role-playing, discussion, and quite a bit of silliness, participants will explore the realm of the working mind as well as ethical issues inherent to education. Through a critique of current practices in Outdoor Education, this workshop will emphasize practical implementation of discussed ideas. Come join this back-from-the-dead philosopher on his quest to make meaning out of experiences and words into action. A full lesson plan can be found on the spring 2006 conference resources page (http://www.aeoe.org/conference/resources/2006/index.html#D).
Tim Parker has been goofing off in the educative woods of learning since 1995. He holds a Bachelors degree in secondary education and a Masters degree in experiential education. Work experiences have included adventure education programs, outdoor science schools, and the traditional classroom. He currently teaches at Pathfinder Ranch in southern California. Note: this was one of the most highly rated workshops at the spring conference! Here are some comments: "Creative way to present lots of good info. Hilarious and great facilitation and conversation. ... Thought Provoking and Well Presented. At last this one was fantastic. Interesting and Funny. Wonderful presentation. Love the creativity. Terrific teaching style. Impersonating, questioning the audience. Great! ... Entertaining and Informative. Very cool. Actually acted out and used experiential techniques. Fun, Interactive and Creative. Brought a difficult subject philosophy into the realm of EE in an a silly and accessible manner. Very inspiring. Fantastic. Absolutely do everything possible to get this workshop presented again in the future so my colleagues can come."So here it is! Resources online - click here!
There is no escaping it, our "fast food nation" is growing. Not just in numbers but in size. Everyday in newspapers, magazines, and television we are seeing the increase of obesity in America. This increase of overweight Americans inevitably affects the type of participants we see in outdoor and adventure based programs. This workshop will interactively look at what to expect in the future, a change in risk management to accommodate a growing population, and ways to understand and encourage overweight participants in outdoor programs. Brief lecture, discussion, and primarily interactive activities.
While in third grade Jeremy Whitworth received the "Sportsmanship" award from William Biles Elementary School and years later obtained his Bachelor's degree from Brevard College in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education. Jeremy is currently the Field Manager of Wellspring Adventure Camp California and feels awkward referring to himself in third person.
Who cares about the standards? What Educators Might Want To Know About Working With California Public School Students, Amy Frame, Environmental Charter High School
Why should environmental and outdoor educators bother with the standards? Are the goals of experiential education at odds with current educational policy? In this workshop we will review the scope and sequence of those aspects of the California content standards applicable to work as environmental educators. Then, we will discuss (or perhaps debate) best teaching practices in light of the pressures public schools and teachers face in establishing meaningful, productive partnerships with EE/OE organizations. Participants will analyze the scope and sequence of the K-12 California content standards and the rationale behind standardized testing. They will be able to evaluate their own organization's role in working with the standards and develop an informed point of view on controversial educational policies. Discussion/Debate
Amy has taught public school in her native Southern California for 8 years, both inside and beyond the classroom walls. Her three passions in life are nature, coffee, and research - in that order. Note: this is a different workshop, but here are some comments from Amy's workshop at the spring conference: "This was an awesome presentation. Is was very inspiring to hear that people are brining EE to the urban classroom A+ for this workshop." Resources online - click here!
Lessons on crafting a song from the ground up: Music fundamentals and creative tips from bassist and songwriter "Rhymin" Rich Mandl.
Participants will be able to identify elements of beat, rhythm and melody, and will employ various strategies to write their own songs. Song writing activities and improv will follow short discussions. Participants are encouraged to bring instruments. "Found" instruments and musical treats will be included.
Rich Mandl teaches 8th grade English at Webster Middle School in LAUSD. He has many years experience playing jazz and rock bass guitar. "Rhymin" Rich is the silly half of the musical duo "Rhymin'Reason" with his wife Tonya, who together were the recipients of the Southern AEOE EE'r of the year award in 2005.
Stimulate your students' learning with a multi-sensory "feast!" Reconnecting children with the earth through gardening fosters a wonder of growth, understanding of life cycles, and an appreciation of fresh, organic food. Gardening and cooking lessons can take place in any location, any time of year. If they grow it, they'll eat it! Participants will learn hands-on strategies for gardening and cooking with children, garden-based science activities for 5th and 6th graders from the California Department of Education's publication "A Child's Garden of Standards," and basic nutrition information and resources. The workshop will include brief discussions followed by hands-on activities involving gardening and food. We will practice easy gardening activities, explore the parts of plants that we eat, experiment with kid-friendly cooking, and pop Native American corn on a camp stove. Books, materials and resources will be provided.
Tonya Mandl is a Teacher Advisor and the School Garden Coordinator for the LAUSD Nutrition Network, promoting healthy eating in low-income Los Angeles schools. She is a masters in science education candidate from Cal State Long Beach, has participated in an Earthwatch research expedition, and is a planting supervisor for Treepeople. She is the "Reasonable" half of the musical duo, "Rhymin'Reason," and with her husband was the recipient of the Southern AEOE EE'r of the year award in 2005. Note: if you needed any more encouragement, here are some comments from her Spring Conference Gardening workshop: Awesome. Tangible; Great Hand outs, Great Food. Well Done. Loved all the take home goodies. Professional Excellent Job. Fun Learning Environment. I loved all the freebies.
Great use of visual aids. Great activities easily incorporated into the classroom or field. Got so much more than I expected. Tonya was fantastic. Positive Cheery Person with great people skills. She made every minute enchanting. ... Great. You drew attention to how this presentation was different than your others. You are a great presenter. She gave us so many good tools and ideas to use on our own. Lots of resources. Great class Great info."
If you are a beginning teacher/naturalist or if you feel you need a review of good teaching strategies, this workshop is for you! In this workshop we will cover many techniques of effective teachers, including inquiry-based learning, questioning techniques, assessment strategies and some fun back-pocket tricks. We will learn about some important educational philosophies such as Bloom's Taxonomy, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and how these can be useful in helping us to become better teachers. Participants will gain useful teaching strategies to engage their students and increase student learning. There will be lecture (not too long!), hands-on activities, small group and whole group discussion.
Laura 'Leaf' Vandezande currently works at Hi Hill Outdoor School in the San Gabriel Mountains. She has been lucky to work at many wonderful outdoor schools throughout the state in the last 10 years. She has a BA in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz and a Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential from San Jose State University. She has a love of learning that is insatiable and loves to share this love with her students! Loves it! Resources online - click here!
Soapstone Carving: Using the craft of soapstone carving to understand the history and life style of the native people of Catalina Island
Participants will develop an appreciation of how community life styles and values are influenced by local natural resources, will understand how the native people of Catalina Island utilized soapstone, and will visualize and complete a soapstone-carving project. Short lecture, followed by a demo, with at least half of the time given to hands-on soapstone carving.
Alexandra is a naturalist at the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island and has been teaching Soapstone carving in addition to a variety of other programs in a an outdoor setting for almost four years.
This session is a study of the techniques, gimmicks and tools a naturalist can use to successfully get a group of students to walk silently along a stretch of trail without degenerating into a gaggle of inattentive, rock-throwing, screaming hoodlums. Participants will learn group management skills specifically relating to leading portions of trails in "silent mode." This is useful for increasing observational abilities, for stalking animals, for limiting distractions, and for giving enough mental space for "a sense of wonder" to be kindled in your students.
Bryan Snyder is a naturalist at the Rancho Alegre Outdoor School with 12 years of teaching experience in outdoor fields. Note: this is a different workshop, but to give you an idea of the caliber of presenter Bryan is, here are some comments from his spring conference workshop: "Well done, Very energetic, Fun. I liked all the experiments. Excellent presenter very informative and entertaining. It was awesome and I am going to use the lesson. Excellent. My best attended workshop. Great techniques for explaining concepts. Very visual and hands on. Wonderful energy. I’ll definitely use the components. This is one of the only classes that was truly hitting the nail on the head that I experience. The presenter actually did what the title of his workshop said. I had lots of fun. Learned lots of new games and activities." Resources online - click here!
This workshop will use a plywood fault machine to illustrate an offset stream on a strike-slip fault, such as the San Andreas Fault. Participants will learn a method to show students the effects of earthquakes and active faults have on landscapes, particularly with stream formation and strike slip fault offset. It is a model to illustrate active tectonics at our most famous plate boundary. This workshop will be a hands-on experience with a plywood fault model, water, and sand. There will be a small lecture to introduce tectonics, faulting, and stream valley formation.
Sierra has an MS in Geology from University of Nevada, Reno, where he studied active faulting and earthquake geology for his thesis research. He worked as a professional geologist for 2 years after graduate school. In the past 6 summers, he has worked as a interpretive park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park. This is the first school season that he is working as an outdoor science school naturalist at LACOSS.
Do your Tracking lessons begin and end with scat and prints? Would you like to expand your tracking repertoire with some hands on activities and games? There is so much more out there which can be done with students! Participants will learn some hands-on activities and demonstrations to increase their tracking bag of tricks.
Brett is the Program Director at Camp Highland Outdoor Science School in Cherry Valley, CA. It's important to have fun while teaching and learning so that's what I try to do! Note: Brett is the new southern newsletter editor and has presented several successful workshops at conferences - this is for a different workshop, but here are some comments from his spring conference workshop on insects: "Great stuff thanks for the meal worm cookies. Cheerleaders for nature. It was fun and interesting. Learned some new activities. ... Awesome cookies Metamorphosis relay ++."
Games! Games! Games!, Stacey and Kane Lisker, Ocean Charter School
This workshop will entail playing fun outdoor games that require little or props - just yourself and a willingness to jump in and have a good time. We hope that you will leave the workshop with a few noncompetitive games that everyone can enjoy. Participants will learn new games to use with students that encourage learning and team building.
Stacey Lisker is a second grade teacher at the Waldorf inspired Ocean Charter School in Marina del Rey, CA. Kane Lisker is a seventh and eighth grade Drama teacher at Daniel Webster Middle School in Los Angeles. They both love the outdoors, camping, teaching environmental consciousness, and AEOE!
Current environmental issues and what you can do about them. Learn about some of the current environmental issues and how we can teach them to children. Lecture, discussion, and hands-on activities
Steve graduated with a degree in environmental science from Western Washington University, and has been working in outdoor ed for about 10 years.
Bring ideas to share to this "swap meet" style session! Photosynthesis is such a key topic, yet can be difficult to teach in ways that are hands-on, fun, and within students' grasp. Yet this challenge has been solved over and over by outdoor environmental educators just like you . Tap into the wealth of creativity and ideas from fellow AEOE members! If you only have one or two ways of teaching this subject, share those and come away with many more ideas from other participants.
Arts and Crafts supplies are all around us!! Bring out your inner crafty self and pick up some ideas for leading Arts and Crafts with your students. We will be using natural and "reuse/recyclable" materials to create wonderful craft projects. Get your kids exploring their immediate environment looking for materials to create. Or get them thinking about ways they can reuse everyday "garbage" by turning them into projects. We will also run through a few activities to get you and your students thinking creatively. No previous craftiness required!!
Julie is crafty! And you will think so too! She currently sows her craftiness at Camp Highland Outdoor Science School.
Weather can be a challenging and daunting subject to teach, but it shouldn't be. Come play some weather games and learn about weather concepts. We will also explore some environmental action and how it relates to our weather. Several games were developed by Jason for his kids at Camp Highland and we may talk about creating games as well. Learn some ideas and games for teaching weather related concepts such as global warming, acid rain, cloud formation, rain-shadow effect, and who knows what else.
Jason Blair is from the great state of Michigan and currently is an instructor at Camp Highland Outdoor Science School. They have lots of weather there!
Cabin Leader Games and Activities "Swap Meet," Hosted by Marisela Martinez, Cabin Leader at Hi Hill Outdoor School
This is a "Swap Meet" style session for those of you brave (or lucky) souls who stay in the cabins with the kids! Share fun games and activities, tips and tricks with each other for managing the little monsters, er, darlings! Free time activities, brainteasers, and quick games to play while lined up or walking. Fun tricks to get them to do their chores and homework. Getting to know your group games, team-building activities, and quieting down techniques. Come and share ideas with other Cabin Leaders and Counselors and leave with dozens more!
Marisela has been a successful Cabin Leader at Hi Hill for 2 years - she enjoys her work and loves kids!
Fun, artsy, cool things to do with student journals! more details coming soon...
Bright Ideas for Night Hikes, Hosted by Maggie and the Astrocamp Crew, Astrocamp
This is another "Naturalist Swap Meet" style session where you can bring one or two favorite activities to share, and come away with dozens of new ideas. Share ideas for group management, stories, games, science lessons and activities to teach about nocturnal animals and their adaptations, night vision, directional hearing, and cool tricks you can play on your eyes! Is the Rodopsin Breakdown a bluegrass song? Learn the real story behind triboluminescence and how it relates to the stars. Resources online - click here!
Apply to Present a Workshop: Get involved, share a lesson
that you teach or a skill you have, and get into the conference free! Apply
to present a workshop with this
online form.Share what
you've learned! (only if you are already registered for the conference, however, as we are FULL!)
Contact
Tom Drake at
if you are interested in presenting a workshop and have any questions.
