Join Team Wood Thrush from Lucille M. Brown Middle School at our Explore the Outdoors Event, Sunday, April 28th from 1:00 until 5:00. These passionate young bird lovers will be at the Community Idea Stations and adjacent Huguenot Park sharing their love of the great outdoors. They will be teaching us how to recognize and "sing" bird calls and talking with us about what is needed to save this endangered neo-tropical bird. Watch this Science Matters video about Team Wood Thrush last year to learn more.

The weather is finally fantastic and it’s time to Explore the Outdoors! Did you know that if you travel only twenty miles from downtown Richmond you can hike the trails and explore the lakes of beautiful Pocahontas State Park? Pocahontas State Park is the largest Virginia State Park with 8,000 acres, numerous hiking trails and lakes, opportunities for boating, picnicking, camping and fun educational programs in the Nature Center. Krista Weatherford, a Pocahontas State Park Interpreter and Brittany Haas, a kindergarten teacher from Ettrick Elementary School and her students are featured in this Science Matters video about why it's important to Explore the Outdoors.

Because of society’s emphasis on new technology, daily outdoor play for many children has become a part of the past. Most children spend only 1% of their time outdoors. Our children's access and opportunities to play in natural spaces has severely decreased over the past decade. Studies have proven that the more time children are “plugged in” their health and social skills begin to suffer. It is now time for us as a community to work together with our schools to take action. The University of Richmond is addressing this “Nature Deficit” by convening a Sustainability and Nature Symposium on Wednesday, April 17th and offering a Summer Institute for Educators in July. 

Why is it important for every child’s education to include play and hands-on activities in nature? What is the significance of outdoor play for children with learning deficiencies? How do teachers find the resources needed to make connections between classroom instruction and real world experiences? These questions and many more will be explored in an upcoming Conference for pre-K – 5th grade teachers. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, St. Joseph’s Villa and the Virginia Association of Science Teachers (VAST) Region 1 are collaborating to help teachers make connections between science, nature and the classroom at “Natural Connections: Place-based Strategies for Teaching and Learning,” March 15 and 16th.