[Note- Here are the notes I took that day, edited for clarity]
Notes – Day 2 Session 5
Stay and play outside all day: Increasing the use of outdoor learning environments through the lens of a quality assessment process
Play
1 1/2-hour session — limit 4 presenters
All Children
11/16/2017 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM Room B308
Georgia World Congress Center
Megan Porter, State anchor, NCRLAP; LaToya Hedgspeth, Reliability checker, NCRLAP; Kellie Cook, Assessor, NCRLAP; Linda Rowley, Reliability checker, NCRLAP
This session will explore strategies to increase children’s time outdoors and exposure to the natural world. We will examine how outdoor activities and natural materials can earn credit for items and indicators found in the Environment Rating Scales. Ideas related to promoting communication to better understand various requirements in order to help address and dispel concerns about assessment or regulatory barriers regarding the use enhanced, naturalized outdoor learning environments will be included.
Showed closeup of butterfly – see the scary part, but pull back to see what everyone else sees
trouble sharing information back and forth with one another
myth busters sessions – collaborative training sessions
shapeNC
to talk about their perspective
improved outdoor learning environment
things to consider when enhancing your outdoor learning environment
maintain the natural integrity of the outdoors
add a few features at a time
the focus of outdoor time is always gross motor play
use photos of natural learning areas that might serve as the backdrop for learning
Note: I left this one early to see what they were talking about in “The gift of thrift” session