Fall/Winter 2019-2020 Nature For Special Friends & Donors of Riverbend Environmental Education Center Riverbend Learning Outside is So Much More Than Fun Many of you are familiar with the groundbreaking book Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. This book sparked a grassroots movement that changed our country’s conversation around the benefits of spending time outside. Richard Louv spoke at Riverbend in 2007 as part of Michael Smerconish’s book club. We were thrilled to have this leading-edge thinker and storyteller inspire a local audience and share evidence supporting nature-based education. The movement to connect children to nature has evolved since Mr. Louv’s visit, and so has the urgency with which we must respond. Education and a stronger connection of people and our communities to nature are key components that will help advance climate change mitigation and adaption. Education, especially for children, can change attitudes and behavior while guiding them to make informed decisions and take action. The UN Summit on Climate Action called for “Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to reinforce the value of ecosystems services and encouraging investments in nature…The coalition calls for greater recognition of the interconnection between humans and nature and the integration of natural systems into concrete climate action. Nature-based solutions are effective, long-term, cost-efficient and globally scalable approach for climate action”. The benefits of positive and meaningful experiences in nature are clear: kids demonstrate pro-environment behaviors and enhanced social, emotional, and physical well-being. Additionally, learning outside can improve academic outcomes. As students now have limitless access to information and resources through technology, it’s important for them to experience real-world, tangible opportunities for learning. “Outdoor learning is so much more than fun; it is one of the richest pathways to inquiry, communication, and problem-solving. Every child deserves the opportunity to see where that path takes them.” Kate Ehrenfeld Gardoqui, Senior Associate, Great Schools Partnership Viewed as a nice to have when, in reality, the benefits of living and learning grounded in nature are essential to all of us. There is a cost to the children and to our communities when these opportunities are not experienced, and it most often negatively affects children growing up in impoverished urban areas. Through our Access programs, in 2019 Riverbend will reach an estimated 3,575 students from underserved communities with 11,700 program visits. This includes our longest-running partnership with Norristown Area School District, serving every third and fourth grader in all six elementary schools. We are excited about our newest program partner, Upper Darby School District. Thanks to the tremendous generosity of our Farm to Table guests, 1,000 fourth graders will participate in a multi-visit program focused on building science skills, practicing investigations, and exploration. Ultimately, students will make connections to the ways that living creatures interact with the other elements of the habitat and how the ecosystem works. Riverbend’s Access programs serve children in five different school districts in the Greater Philadelphia area, from Head Start students through 5th grade. We are so grateful to our supporters who have enabled Riverbend to evolve since that visit with Richard Louv 12 years ago. We have become a stronger and more impactful organization over the years. In 2007 we served 5,953 individual students through our school programs, and this year we will serve an estimated 13,200 school students, a 122% increase. We know that these experiences enrich their school experiences, help boost their academic performance, and promote their motivation to learn. Thank you for your generous support and for making Riverbend a place for nature-based learning for 20,000 people every year. Doris Del Tosto Brogan Laurie Bachman Chair, Board of Directors Executive Director 2019 Board of Directors Key Staff Doris Brogan, Esq., Chair Monica Alston Laurie Bachman, Executive Director David Copas, Esq., Vice Chair Gretchen Cooney Rosie Arnold, Education Programs Manager Michael Haines, Vice Chair Bryan Franey, Esq. Lorna Atkinson, Habitat & Volunteer Manager Glenn Barenbaum, CPA, Treasurer Simon Herriott Michael Barcus, Aquaponics Specialist Ellen Jordan, CFP, Secretary Jimmy Owens Pamela MacCormick, Office Administrator Angela Allevi, MD Neal Shah Erin McCool, Director of Education & Strategic Initiatives MaryKate O’Brien, Development Manager Peter Sturtevant, Education Programs Coordinator Rhonda Viscusi-Babb, Communications & Marketing Manager Nature is Our Classroom Progress Updates on Riverbend’s School Programs Nature-based STEM During the 2018-2019 school year, Riverbend made great progress enhancing the depth and breadth of our Nature-based STEM education program for elementary students. This comprehensive 4-part program improves the science education of students through inquiry-based learning opportunities and access to the natural world. The program supports increased hands-on, minds-on investigations, both in and outside the classroom and a greater connection to nature along with the ability to make good choices around environmental issues. We are excited to announce in Fall 2019, Riverbend partnered with the Upper Darby School District to offer our Nature-based STEM program to over 1,000 4th grade students in the District! Photo: Beth Riches of the Upper Darby School District, Laurie Bachman, Rosie Arnold, and Erin McCool plan fall programs for students. Aquaponics Riverbend’s Aquaponics program provides teachers with the tools they need to build their STEM classroom, bringing theoretical principles to life and enabling students to see for themselves the real impact of sustainable systems on the environment. In 2019, over 2,200 students and teachers participated in our Aquaponics program! We are also thrilled to share that this June Chelsea Ingram and the CBS Philly Green Team featured Riverbend’s Aquaponics program as an innovative learning tool and a sustainable way to grow food. Photo: Meteorologist Chelsea Ingram and Riverbend’s Aquaponics Specialist, Mike Barcus review the basics of Aquaponics for a CBS Philly Green Team news segment. Philadelphia Children Access Nature (PCAN) On August 4th, Riverbend welcomed 26 teachers from schools throughout Greater Philadelphia to our Summer Science Inquiry Institute. This week-long program is just one part of our Philadelphia Children Access Nature Program (PCAN) that focuses on exposing teachers in grades 3 to 5 to inquiry-based instruction and strategies for incorporating these principles into their classroom and in outdoor settings. Following the Summer Science Inquiry Institute, we look forward to inviting 15 teachers for our year-long Teacher Fellowship. During this Fellowship, teachers will gain the skills and confidence needed to provide authentic learning opportunities for their students and create a connection to nature that will persist throughout their lives. Photo: Teachers discuss lesson plan segments during the Summer Science Inquiry Institute. Continuing Education The essence of Riverbend’s education programs is using the vast potential of nature as our teacher. Nature-based STEM education uses hands-on, direct experiences outdoors and inquiry-based learning to teach environmental principals. To provide high-quality activities, it is essential that our education staff participate in their own life-long learning opportunities. Their ongoing development enables us to keep pace with current thinking in the realm of informal teaching methods and to make sure that Riverbend remains at the forefront of environmental education. The highly selective BEETLES (Better Environmental Education, Teaching, Learning & Expertise Sharing) Leadership Institute is focused on methods of teaching best practices for outdoor education. BEETLES seeks a senior Erin McCool with teachers at the 2019 Summer Science leader from an organization alongside a boots-on-the-ground Inquiry Institute (SSII). manager who will both implement programs and help to train others in their methods. Riverbend’s Director of Education and Strategic Initiatives, Erin McCool and Rosie Arnold, Manager of Education Programs, were accepted to a one-week, immersive training session held in December 2018 at a retreat center in California. The program was developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science, a part of the University of California at Berkeley. BEETLES is focused on creating a framework and strategies for outdoor informal science education settings such as Riverbend. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the goal of BEETLES is to improve the overall quality of this type of science instruction. Additionally, they offer resources that may be shared with teaching professionals and provide a network of organizations who have attended the institute. At the beginning of this year, Riverbend reviewed our processes and found that the BEETLES methods aligned well with programming already in place. BEETLES teachings helped us to make incremental adjustments that improved overall program quality for students and teachers. Erin and Rosie Arnold runs a training session at SSII. Rosie worked with a core group of Riverbend educators to examine models and created standards to measure all programs. These are designed to help students improve observation skills; to help