The Outdoor Insider

MAINE OUTDOOR SCHOOL'S QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER

"MOS is an incredibly valuable tool that enables our children to connect with nature in a day that sees this aspect of childhood dwindling. The children have fun, whilst learning about the world around them, beyond the walls!" - Mountain View Teacher, March 2025

Tracks:

How did MOS leave its mark this quarter?

• Taught public school program series at 11 schools.

• Led a climate education-focused workshop for an Island Readers & Writers teacher conference at Cobscook Institute.

• Began a new collaboration with Maine Coast Heritage Trust for monthly homeschool programs with the Independent Downeast Educational Alliance. This quarter’s programs were on snow science and the carbon cycle.

• Led three OWL Outings: Reading the landscape at Day Ridges Preserve in Gouldsboro, finding animal signs at Machias River Preserve, and learning about winter adaptations at Hamilton Cove in Lubec. 

• Took MSAD 37 Gifted and Talented students on two field trips.

• Talked about skunks on Maine Public’s Maine Calling.

• Spent a half-day at Beals Elementary School with their 5th-8th grade students.

• Opened registration for our summer camps!

Check out the “MOS in the News” page to see where we’ve shown up in the press!

Community Commendations:

This quarter’s Community Commendation goes to Brenda Jordan, principal/building administrator of Cave Hill and Mountain View Schools in RSU 24. 

While both Cave Hill and Mountain View are awarded Maine Outdoor School hours through Frenchman Bay Conservancy’s partnership, Brenda ensured that additional school budget funds were allocated to MOS programming so that more students and teachers could enjoy the benefits of outdoor school. This year, FBC sponsored Cave Hill PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st grade, and Mountain View PreK and 5th grade. Brenda secured additional programming for Cave Hill 3rd grade and Special Education, and Mountain View Kindergarten and 3rd grade. 

It has been wonderful to work with a wider range of students this year and to have many students re-experience outdoor school at a different grade level, covering a new range of topics. Being able to connect with students during multiple years of their academic development allows them to appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of outdoor education and how it applies to various studies, and ultimately fosters a greater sense of community when they can apply what they have learned to the spaces around them. 

Biomimicry:

Spring is a particularly lovely time to get into the habit of regular nature observation as new signs of the season emerge almost daily. Most humans rely primarily on our sense of sight, but early spring is an ideal time to hone our sense of hearing after the relative silence of winter.

When learning bird songs, it can initially seem challenging to take notes on what a sound is like, but there are two common ways to do it. The first way is to learn a mnemonic—a word phrase that has the same rhythmic pattern as the bird song. “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee” is an example of a mnemonic, as is, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” for the barred owl. Another method is by learning how to read sonograms, or spectrograms. This method can be especially useful to the visual learner or people who may already know how to read sheet music. A spectrogram is essentially a graph that visually displays the highs and lows and the duration and pauses of a sound. With practice, you can look at a spectrogram and hum or whistle out the song. When learning a new bird song, I find that some mix of learning a mnemonic and drawing out the highs, lows, pauses, and relative duration of what I hear, as a sort of basic spectrogram, is helpful for me.

Of course, these spring birdsongs aren’t for us, they’re typically to help birds find mates! But we can mimic the listening skills of other wildlife now for a boost to our mental health.

This edition of Biomimicry is an adaptation of an episode of The Nature of Phenology, a radio show that MOS Co-Founders Hazel and Joe produced weekly for WERU-FM from 2018-2024. You can read or listen to entire past episodes here.

Resilience Tip:

If you are a senior with limited mobility and want to get outside this spring, remember that adaptation is key. There are lots of activities, such as fishing and bird watching, that can be enjoyed by people of all abilities. For inspiration, read more here.

What's Upstream: 

• Enjoy a spring OWL outing with Women for Healthy Rural Living. Our upcoming outings are Spring Observations at Tide Mill Creek on 5/17 and Canoeing the Orange River on 6/22.

•  Learn about Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration, Soil Science, and Decomposition at our homeschool programs with Independent Downeast Educational Alliance and  Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

• Do you work in the hospitality industry in Hancock County, or run a vacation rental? Sign up for our free Hospitality Hike on April 28th. 

• Hone your map and compass skills at our workshop with Women for Healthy Rural Living for women and their families on May 3rd & 4th. 

• Register for our outdoor education workshop for Washington County teachers with the Washington County Education Consortium on Thursday, May 29th, at the University of Maine at Machias. 

• Stay tuned for our summer programs, including the Riverside Family Scientists series with Frenchman Bay Conservancy, Ellsworth Public Library, and Woodlawn Museum. 

• See us at Summer School. We plan to return to many schools this summer and are still filling our schedule if you would like to book programming for your school. 

• Don’t forget to register your camper for our upcoming summer camps. Registration is open for OWLette with Women for Healthy Rural Living and Watershed Camp with Maine Coast Heritiage Trust. 

ALL MOS PROGRAMS ARE FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE AND SUIT EXPLORERS OF ANY AGE. 

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR IDEAS OR CONTACT US TO SCHEDULE YOUR UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.