Do you remember a time not too long ago, when children enjoyed playing outdoors, getting dirty, and breathing fresh air as they created imaginary worlds in their young, creative minds? It was a time when children spent countless hours exploring, playing, and living in nature. A time when children ran around backyards, parks, and school playgrounds, harnessing their imagination by creating immense, creative worlds that rival those seen in movies. It was a time when children appreciated nature and all the benefits that come from it. Unfortunately, with the rapid advancement of technology, childhood has veered away from nature, and the outdoors has been replaced with four walls and a screen. With technology literally at their fingertips, children are no longer experiencing the benefits of…

The ENC Excellent Educator series brings all kinds of educators together for fun afternoons of learning exciting hands-on ways to teach children about science and nature. Everyone is invited! Classroom teachers, outdoor educators, scout leaders and parents – anyone who wants to be a better educator. On Wednesday, January 27, ENC Facility Manager Sarah Fitzgerald will share some of her favorite activities during “Lets Talk Toddlers“. We’ll do some art, and learn easy and fun games for 3-5 year olds where toddlers can participate without much help.   We will talk about reading in nature and animal handling for toddlers – all the ingredients (and why they work) for toddler/parent participation classes. Sarah will tell us how to make our activities as hands-on as possible, how to give…

Coyotes are unique animals that have adapted to living among humans quite successfully, unlike most wildlife. Skie Bender of Wolf Haven International will present a family friendly educational program about coyote behavior and biology. During this program she will explain the amazing roles coyotes play in ecosystems, as well as how we can help protect our pets. Learn how humans can coexist with these brilliant creatures and how these predators share complex and important social behaviors and an adaptive lifestyle with humans. “Coyotes get a bad rap, but they are an important part of the food web,” said ENC Education Director Lori Whalen. “By taking the correct precautions, humans can live alongside these resourceful creatures, and benefit from their presence as well!” The program will also discuss and explain…

Brown Bats are cute helpless little creatures there losing their homes every day. They’re being infected by a disease that is spreading to all bats in the world, and if we don’t save them they will be gone. Bats are part of the food chain, so if they die out then this will affect the food chain. Bats are fuzzy and cuddly little animals. Don’t be scared of them because they won’t take your blood. Vampire bats are far away from California, and anyway, they don’t suck your blood. Interestingly, they take a small bite out of your skin then they lap up all the blood and fly off. Bats use eco location to fly in the dark by shooting a small sound from their…

A number of people have contacted us recently about seeing coyotes, so we thought we’d share some great information straight from the City of Newport Beach website: Coyotes are found in ALL areas of Orange County – and Newport Beach is no exception. Contrary to popular belief, these animals do not require open space or “wild areas” to survive. In fact, most coyotes within the urban setting are the offspring of generations of coyotes who lived and flourished in the urban areas of Orange County. Several residents have lost their pets to these skilled predators because they were not aware of local coyote activity. Others are concerned about recent sightings and the potential consequences of predatory animals within the urban environment. Eradication and/or relocation of…

We recycle on the grounds: We recycle in our kitchen: We recycle in our classroom: We recycle in our offices: We recycle at the front desk: We educate children about recycling: We educate adults about recycling:  

We frequently receive communications from people interested in working at our Nature Preschool, or in the Outdoor Early Childhood Education field.  Here are some great suggestions from our Education Coordinator , Alex Lane, for folks with an interest in working with young children in Nature: Read up! There are a couple good books that I’ve read which address children and nature more so than just early childhood development. They are worth the read. The most common one you will encounter is Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. It looks at what Richard Louv coins “Nature Deficit Disorder” and the disconnect from nature that many children are developing as well as the ramifications of this. Last Child in the Woods was pretty popular a few years…

One of my favorite parts about working at the Environmental Nature Center is the great people I work with. The staff is amazing and I consider them friends as well as talented educators. Several years ago we began a service learning internship program, which has also given me the opportunity to work with a number of amazing high school and college students, as well as recent college graduates. It is so gratifying to watch them learn and grow. I know that their experience here is helping them with their future careers, and it’s also great to have their fresh minds working on projects at the Nature Center, lending their expertise to our team. One of our greatest interns that I’ve worked with so far has…

Among the many benefits that the Environmental Nature Center provides is the Excellent Educators series, a monthly pedagogical set of courses specifically designed for educators. Teachers of all kinds are invited in order to learn new methods of bringing science to the classroom! Orange County California Regional Environmental Education Coordinator Helen de la Maza will conduct the course “NGSS Update and Teaching well NOW,” which focuses on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and its three dimensions for the development of students: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. Developed by the National Research Council, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Achieve, NGSS as a whole emphasizes doing science and treating it as a verb as opposed…

It’s already February, which means President’s Week Camp is coming up soon!  The ENC’s Presidents Week Camp, February 16-19th, will be a week of fun and excitement for 45 campers, who will rotate in three small groups between three Camp Teachers every day.  Campers will enjoy Nature Play, where they will be given the freedom to explore, imagine, and use supplies to make up their own fun with some supervision and boundaries.  Campers will also participate in Cool Critters, where they will explore the ENC to observe wildlife in their natural habitats and be able to get creative with drawing and painting in the outdoors.  Full-day campers will be able to enjoy the Survival Games; each day, campers will learn one new survival skill and…

The ENC has a new marketing intern! Nathan Serafin is a recent graduate from UC Berkeley with a BS in Society and Environment and a concentration in U.S. Environmental Policy and Management. He minored in English, and was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. While at Berkeley, Nathan was involved with “Alternative Breaks,” a service-learning program assisting students in exploring social issues. There he underwent a year of leadership training under UC Berkeley faculty, built a coalition of students and businesses, taught a class about contemporary food justice and sustainability issues, managed the group blog, and acted as liaison with local media. After graduating Nathan honed his communication skills even more when he spent four months interning with Congressman Alan Lowenthal. “I applied for an internship…