Meet Me in the Middle Chapter 13

Getting out doors is always a great way to grab students’ attention. The fresh air is also a great way to spark creative thoughts. There are also a variety of lessons that can be taught from using nature, like the velocity of a stream or the ecosystem of a pond. However, the whole idea of an overnight camping trip seems unrealistic to me. There are so many risks that go along with camping that I would not feel comfortable taking my students. I would not want to risk my students’ safeties for something that can be accomplished in a more controlled environment. Do not get me wrong, I love the idea of bring students outside to learn the lesson. Naturalistic learners will love it, as well as most other students. I just feel that a camping trip is over the top. For example, I got to apply my knowledge about genetics and survival of the fittest by playing a game outside in the woods around my high school. Some kids were rabbits and others were foxes, and we had to “mate” by combining cards and making it back to the safe zone to get our “baby.” All of this had to be done without getting “eaten” by a fox. Granted, running around in the woods carries some risks, but I feel like it was more controlled because the school was right there. Students can also obtain the same without technology feeling by having an eighty-minute class period in the woods, just without the homesickness and safety concerns. My tenth grade English class went out to the woods to build a hut and “live” off the land after reading The Lord of the Flies. It was traumatic for someone like me who does not do well away from home for long periods of time, but I still got to relate to the kids in the book.