(Some days the mug of motivation needs to be this big!)
So here we go with the first posting for the Ropes of Ecology. Before we get into the first posting, I want to give you a little background to this blog. I have been working in the field of experiential education for 21 years, and the field of residential camping and outdoor education for 25 years. I think that working with kids and adults in an experiential manner is perhaps the best job in the whole world. It gives us an opportunity to be creative, provide challenges and adventures to people, and help people learn and develop both personally and professionally. I know students might not be developing professionally, but we are helping to build their future.
Anyway, this blog will be addressing two areas that can be integrated with great results. I will be writing about experiential/ adventure education and environmental education and ecological literacy. Sometimes the topics will be combined, sometimes there will be separate musings. The age focus for this blog will be fairly broad. Many of the activities or concepts can be applied to any age group, while some will be specifically for a certain age group.
My goal is to provide you the reader with tools that you can use in your work. And as a challenge to you, this blog will be better if it is injected with ideas and question from you. So subscribe and write comments frequently. So away we go!
YOUR BAG O TRICKS!
In the experiential education world the term Bag O Tricks is often mentioned as something we should all carry for our work. In fact Karl Rohnke even had a newsletter and a couple of books with this title. Now in some cases the bag is a physical thing: a backpack, duffle bag, or brightly colored sac. It is the sacred object we use to carry around our toys, props, and mobile initiatives. My friend Tom carries what he calls his "Captain Fun" bag.
On the other side is our metaphorical bag that we carry in our head. It contains the metaphors we use with groups, list of activities and initiatives, sayings, debriefing models, ecological concepts, and other random things we pull out at random times to help us facilitate and guide our groups. Both Bags O Tricks can be invaluable in our work.
If you do not have a physical bag that you bring with you to your programs, get yourself one. It does not have to be spectacular, but it should be functional for you. I have a large duffle that fits most of my portable gear, and then I have a smaller backpack that allows me to take what I need with me during a program. I suggest that your bag have at least a few small pockets to hold smaller items like markers, cards, and things that would get buried at the bottom of your bag.
If you already have a Bag-O-Tricks (BOT), take it out and go through it. Clean it out and restock some items. If your throwables are dirty and nasty, wash them or get some new ones. If your raccoon circles are looking like they could not hold a rubber chicken safely, replace them. You get the idea. Also I would challenge you to put at least one new item in your bag. You know that cool thing you heard about at a conference last year or read about in a teambuilding book, or a piece of writing that inspires you. Keep the BOT fresh and relevant.
Now do the same for your VBOT-(Virtual Bag-O-Tricks). You know the gray mass between your ears. When was the last time you tried a new debriefing method? Have you been using the same intro speech for EVERY SINGLE ONE of your activities? If so, change them up!
Now this is not only for those of you who work outdoors. Those of you who work in a classroom or in an office, do the same! Look at what you are using both in your BOT and VBOT and clean them up and add something fresh!
Here is your challenge:
My friend Case McCrea gave me this idea years ago and I still use it. Sit down with a piece of paper, or computer, and get ready for a brain dump. First create some categories. For example: games, trust, songs, skits, portable initiatives, closing activities, topics to cover, debriefing tools, etc. Then write out all of the items you can think of for each category. If you have resources such as books or internet sites, use them. Now do not get ridiculous, unless you want to. After all, as Karl Rohnke says,"If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing".
The idea is to make yourself a usable, portable list you can carry around with you during a program so you can refer to it when ever you need it. If you can, laminate your list so it will last longer. Perhaps keep it in a small note book-which you should have anyway- so you can add to it when the ideas come rolling out of your brain.
I have found that when I do this process, and I do it at least once a year, I remember some great activities or tools that I used to use and had stopped for some reason. It is also a good refresher to keep me on my toes and to remember to keep things fresh.
Tools to use:
Here are some websites to help you out: Next time even more links!
http://www.mcphee.com/shop/ Where else can you find an inflatable fruitcake?
http://www.karlrohnke.com/ Karl's website, and a list of his books.
Remember, send me your ideas, favorite websites, activity ideas, comments,
and ideas for future topics!
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