Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Tips for Teaching Young Children

-Each lesson lasts about an hour, but be sure to allow time for set up and cleanup!

-Be relaxed around the kids- you can be both a friend and a teacher, as long as you can keep control of everyone.

-Brush up on your local ecology. Don’t be afraid to point out the names of different trees or animals when you’re outside with kids.
-Use what you've got! If you're running your program from someplace with a lot of snow, do a lesson plan involving the snow.  If you're from someplace with a special ecosystem, such as a bog or a tall grass prairie, do a lesson plan about that ecosystem.
-Whenever you’re working with little kids, try to be on their level. Kneel or sit down to be less intimidating.

-Get your friends involved, especially if you think you need extra help- you can probably only handle up to 5 kids by yourself. But be sure to choose friends who are responsible and experienced enough with young kids to be helpful to you.

-Keep in mind that you aren’t teaching a high school science class- you don’t need to make the kids remember facts. The main goal of your lesson should be to let kids have fun appreciating nature!

-Email us! We would really love to hear from you with questions, ideas, or success stories.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Questions, comments, or stories? Let us know here!