METROPARKS: Teachers use nature to inspire learning

As education coordinator for MetroParks, Gromen leads Five Rivers’ school strategy, providing resources and training to teachers and schools.

Gromen’s passion for this outreach stems from her own experiences as a fifth grader growing up near Baltimore. Her teacher brought nature into the classroom and took students out into the wild.

“She would organize these amazing field trips where she would take her students out into the Delaware Bay and coordinate all these families to go on these expeditions, and we all had the most amazing time,” Gromen said. “So the shy introverted little girl got to touch a horseshoe crab -- which looked crazy with its legs and its strange little body parts. And it just awoke something in me. I believe in that – the power of connecting kids outside, because I experienced it.”

Gromen studied marine science and worked at the Newport Aquarium before leading the nonprofit marine policy group Wild Oceans. When her son was born, she noticed a lack of nature curricula in schools and felt drawn to earn her teaching degree. Last year, she joined MetroParks as education coordinator.

At MetroParks, hundreds of local teachers attend in-person workshops, join virtual conversations and receive free kits and resources. And teachers across the Miami Valley are using these to re-imagine learning.

How teachers are using nature

Jessie Muhleman, a kindergarten teacher at Southdale Elementary in Kettering, is one of three local educators named an OUTstanding Teacher by MetroParks this year.

Muhleman is on the school gardening committee and has written grants to support outdoor exploration, including one for snow boots so kids could go outside on snowy days. She adds extra recesses and, on beautiful days, takes her classroom work outdoors.

Every year, she leads her kindergartners on three field trips to Hills and Dales MetroParks, including a walking trip to White Oak Camp, about a half-mile from the school. Families join and explore the park with their children.

“The kids have so much fun with all the creative nature play opportunities in the park,” Muhleman said. “They run through the stick mazes, build and play with the river rocks and sand box. It is exciting to have so many students realize this fun park is in their neighborhood, and many begin to go there more often with their families after our trip.”

Like Gromen, Muhleman found inspiration in nature as a child.

“I believe so passionately in the power of nature to heal and uplift people of all ages,” Muhleman said. “I had many adverse childhood experiences as well as several traumatic experiences as an adult. I have learned through experience how restorative nature exploration can be, especially for trauma survivors.”

Nature education builds skills that future leaders need, like perseverance, problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork and resilience. “Nature-based lessons improve learners’ attention, reduce levels of stress, increase physical activity and fitness, develop self-discipline and strengthen relationships with nature, which can lead to more pro-environmental behaviors.”

It can even make lessons more effective.

“This generation of learners is craving authentic, hands-on learning experiences outdoors to counterbalance the rise of technology in education,” Muhleman said. “With nature-based lessons, such as gardening or researching needs of local wildlife and habitats, students often have more autonomy in their learning.”

MetroParks has been a vital resource, Muhleman said, and it’s benefited not only her students but the whole school community.

“You can find students reading, writing, doing math and science investigations and enjoying meals or snacks outdoors nearly every day, weather permitting,” she says.

Administration buy-in is key

None of this is possible without district support. Gromen describes situations in which a single teacher created a gardening program only to have it mowed down when she left.

At Kettering schools, Muhleman said, teachers get coaching and resources to help incorporate nature into lessons.

“Moreover, community support is truly the magic wand that keeps this engine running,” she said. Partners have included Trader Joe’s, Kettering Leadership Academy, Dorothy Lane Market, University of Dayton Research Institute, Kettering Parks and Recreation and MetroParks. “There are so many people at the local level who value nature-based education and are willing to support teachers in this movement.”

Muhleman loves the experience of seeing so many “firsts” in her students’ lives: “First hike in the woods, first trip to a pond, first time climbing to the top of the rock wall, first time harvesting a radish, first time walking across the fallen tree in the woods, first time observing a bee or spider without fear.”

“I have learned it’s important to meet people where they are. Many of our beliefs about nature can be limiting or fear-based,” she said. “Before going to the pond at Hills and Dales each fall, I ask my students what they think they’ll see, and some sincerely think we’ll encounter penguins or sharks. When students develop respect for nature and discover the endless interconnectivity within the natural world, they’ll have a place to go for connection and peace for the rest of their lives.”

MetroParks resources for teachers:

“Teachers are so pressured to make sure kids do well on the tests, but you can integrate nature and outdoor learning and still accomplish those things,” Gromen said. “The hardest step is just walking outside, being comfortable to say, ‘OK, I’m teaching math today – outdoors.’ These resources can help you get there.”

Muhleman’s tips for teachers:

Jana Collier is a member of the Five Rivers MetroParks Foundation Board. To learn about the foundation and how you can help, go to metroparks.org/about/foundations.