Como Woodland Curriculum

Draft Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom Plant Guide
Draft Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom Plant Key
CWOC Flyer

Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom Reservations

To ensure a positive experience for all teachers and students using the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation will be issuing free usage permits beginning in January 2011. These FREE permits will help to track numbers and activities for grant reporting and maintain an appropriate level of use for the environmental health and sustainability of the outdoor classroom.

The Outdoor Classroom will be permitted in two blocks 8am – 12pm and 12pm – 4pm.
Permits will be given out for up to 4 classes or 120 students during each block.
If you wish to use the classroom for an entire day please reserve both blocks of time.

Reservation Process:
Call Parks Permits Office: 651-632-5111
Check for open dates and times
Make Reservation
*Saint Paul Parks and Recreation reserves the right to restrict access for restoration or other park maintenance.
September 2010 – December 2010: Reservations will be taken to track usage but no actual permits will be given out while Parks is upgrading to a new reservation system.
January 2011 – Ongoing: Reservations will be taken and you will be sent a permit for the Outdoor Classroom.

Start simple – do a bird survey

YOU can do a bird survey with your students or friends – it’s easy. Just follow the Como Park Avian Inventory Protocol developed by Dr. Joan McKearnan (for the Como Park Bird Survey). On your outing, write down the birds you see/hear and the weather conditions on the Como Park Data Sheets that you have printed out and taken with you.You can estimate wind speed by referencing the Beaufort Scale document.

IF you gather your bird survey data within the boundaries of the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom (CWOC) site, we would like you to submit your birding data to the Como Woodland Advisory Committee (dmrobinson@bitstream.net or joan.mckearnan@comcast.net).

IF you are going out as a group to do your bird survey and IF your group is doing the bird survey in the CWOC site, but you need binoculars for your students, we may be able to arrange to met you at the site with a M.O.U. Birding Kit and birding mentor (15 pairs of binoculars and 6 birding books) to use during your outing: (dmrobinson@bitstream.net or joan.mckearnan@comcast.net).

IF your class is doing a bird survey outside of the CWOC project site and need guidance, please consider the Minnesota Ornithological Society about their M.O.U. Youth Mentorship Program (http://moumn.org/mentorship.html).

Links to Learning in the Outdoors Curriculum Resources

Tips on Teaching Outdoors
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/schoolforest/teachoutside.html

Wisconsin School Forest Educational Resources
http://www4.uwsp.edu/cnr/leaf/Schoolforests/sf_curriculum.aspx

Project Learning Tree: preK-12 natural resources based curriculum
http://www.plt.org/

Project Wild: wildlife based conservation education grades K-12
http://www.projectwild.org/

Project WET: water education for grades K-12.
http://www.projectwet.org/

Great Lakes Worm Watch
http://greatlakeswormwatch.org/

Course: AP Environmental Science Course

(Course Outline PDF 42k)
The goal of the AP Environmental Science Course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems and to examine possible solutions for resolving or preventing them.

Students will establish research plots in an urban forest located one mile from the classroom. They will learn to identify and accumulate data on native and invasive species of plants, birds and earthworms found in their plots. Students will partner with local experts to gain the skills they need in the field. Local officials and residents are managing this forest to reduce the prevalence of invasive species and replant native species of plants. Students will visit their plots once per week during warm and mild weather months to survey and assess the results of these activities. Their resulting research will be passed to the next years' AP environmental science students and shared with Saint Paul Parks. Another goal of this unit is to increase students' level of environmental and community stewardship.

Invasive Plant Species Education Guide

One of the most obvious components of the Como Woods Outdoor Classroom is the unfortunate abundance of invasive plants. Turn lemons into lemonade, use this as a teaching opportunity! See below for a link to an high school curriculum developed in Wisconsin that covers topics such as what makes a plant invasive, how to monitor for invasive plants, and control strategies.
http://www.uwstout.edu/faculty/jamesk/Invasive_Plant/Invasive_Plant.htm