Who are we?
Restoring Connections is a project within the Environmental Leadership Program at the University of Oregon. Our goal is to use place-based environmental education to reconnect kindergarten through third-grade students to their local environments.
Environmental education is a lifelong endeavor that has its place in and outside the classroom. It is our mission to foster awareness and concern about the natural world and our relationship to it, which will lead to action in the community and beyond.
Methods
Story-telling
Through storytelling, students engage their creative and critical thinking skills to understand the world around them and build an attitude of empathy.
Stewardship Projects
Through service projects such as weed pulling and plant labeling, students become active stewards of the land in their community.
Questioning
By questioning students, we push them to their intellectual edge. This encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and a sense of wonderment.
Nature Observations
In each lesson, we gave students time to independently observe the nature around them. After their quiet observation time, we gave students a personal field journal to record their observation in words, photos, or diagrams.