Maine Audubon is thrilled to be partnering with Portland Public Schools (PPS) to create and run Wayfinders, a new summer and afterschool program at Talbot Community School and Rowe Elementary School.
PPS is the recipient of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, a federal grant that provides free and year-round out of school programming for low-income students. This inaugural program has been named Wayfinders, and will focus on academic support, environmental literacy, and social emotional learning.
Over the summer, Maine Audubon educator Miles Hagedorn met with students Mondays through Thursdays, exploring the local ecology in the woods behind Talbot Community School. With the outdoors as their classroom, campers learned about Maine plants and wildlife, explored with their five senses, built and created with natural materials, and worked and played cooperatively with their peers. In its first year, the summer program hosted approximately 50 students a week.
Continuing into the school year, educators from Maine Audubon are currently operating out of the two elementary schools, as we build the program and a year-long curriculum that dives into the phenology and seasonal changes in schoolyards. Unit topics include wayfinding and building a sense of place, trees, wildlife in winter, birds and birding, native plants and pollinators, and stewardship.
The program strives to deliver a foundation in science and the environment, while providing tutoring and support to address academic gaps in literacy. This enrichment program also has a strong focus on social emotional learning, and developing deeper self regulation and motivation amongst participants, as well as stronger peer relationship skills.
In building a program with dedicated time and attention spent outdoors, we are also striving to have young children fall in love with nature. Not only does nature depend on their love and care, but the students benefit too. Learning outdoors sharpens senses and focus, regulates and reduces stress, empowers and builds confidence, builds understanding, and inspires curiosity and wonder.
We are honored and excited to have a consistent and ongoing relationship with the students at Talbot and Rowe, and to be part of developing this new and hopefully longstanding program and partnership. More to come!
