:You don’t need a national park outside your classroom window to bring the outdoors in. Nature is everywhere — in the sound of rain, the curve of a leaf, and the questions your students are already asking. Whether you teach in a bustling city, a small-town school, or from behind a computer screen, connecting lessons to the natural world can spark curiosity, calm, and creativity.
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The beauty of outdoor-inspired learning is that it doesn’t require perfect conditions — just a willingness to notice. When we bring a bit of nature into our lessons, we remind students that science, art, and wonder exist all around them.
Here are five simple ways to bring nature into any lesson, any time of year.

1️⃣ Start with Observation
Set aside five minutes to simply notice. Ask students to look out a window, step onto the playground, or close their eyes and listen. What do they hear? What patterns do they see? Observation builds curiosity — and curiosity builds scientists, artists, and writers.
Try pairing this with a journal prompt:
“What’s one thing in nature that changed today?”

2️⃣ Use Natural Materials in Lessons
A pinecone can teach geometry. A leaf can inspire poetry. Pebbles can become math manipulatives or story starters. Bringing real objects into the classroom grounds abstract ideas in tangible experience — and engages every sense.

3️⃣ Make Nature Your Co-Teacher
Before your next lesson, ask yourself: What would this look like outside?
Could students measure tree shadows during math? Could you read under a tree or test wind direction during science? Even ten minutes of outdoor learning can shift the tone of a day — for students and teachers alike.

4️⃣ Connect Lessons to Local Landscapes
Every place has a story — and every story connects to learning. Whether it’s a river nearby, a city garden, or a local park, invite students to learn about the ecosystems and communities around them. When students understand where they live, they begin to care for it.

5️⃣ Celebrate Curiosity Over Correctness
Encourage questions, not just answers. The outdoors reminds us that learning is rarely tidy — it’s layered, living, and full of wonder. When students feel safe to ask, explore, and fail forward, the classroom becomes as alive as any forest trail.

A Note for Educators
Every year, we see teachers rediscover the joy of learning during our STEAM in the PARK programs — and it always starts with curiosity. Educators from across the country gather in national parks to explore, learn, and grow together through hands-on, place-based experiences that remind us why we teach.
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We’re thrilled to share that applications for Year 6 of STEAM in the PARK open on January 1st at steaminthepark.net. Whether you’ve joined us before or have been waiting for your chance to step into this community, this is your invitation to reignite your fire for teaching — surrounded by nature, colleagues, and wonder.

National parks are living classrooms filled with mysteries waiting to be solved. From the flight of a heron to the layers of a canyon wall, each site reminds us that curiosity fuels discovery — in nature and in life.

When we enter a park, we become explorers. Every trail, tidepool, and tree holds a question waiting for someone brave enough to ask it. And when educators bring that spirit of curiosity into their classrooms, something shifts. Students start to see learning not as a task, but as an adventure.
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Here are ten lessons our national parks can teach us about the power of curiosity — for students, educators, and anyone willing to wonder.

1. Every question deserves a trailhead.
Every hike begins with a starting point — and so does every question. The first “why?” or “how?” is an invitation to explore, not an endpoint. In the classroom, curiosity grows when we treat student questions like trail markers leading somewhere worth going.

2. Discovery takes time.
A glacier doesn’t carve a valley in a day, and understanding doesn’t happen instantly. Parks remind us that patience is part of learning. Curiosity often lingers before it reveals something beautiful.

3. Wonder lives in the details.
Look closely — at the veins of a leaf, the texture of a rock, or the way light dances across water. In noticing small details, we uncover big lessons. Observation fuels both science and imagination.

4. Every learner is an explorer.
When students explore a trail or test a stream, they step into the role of scientist, artist, and storyteller. Parks show us that you don’t have to be an expert to be an explorer — you just have to be curious.

5. Failure is part of the adventure.
Not every hike goes as planned. Sometimes the path floods, the map confuses, or the weather shifts. The same is true for learning. Parks remind us that detours and discoveries often share the same trail.

6. Curiosity connects generations.
Ask a ranger, and they’ll tell you — every question leads to a story. When students ask about how a landscape formed or why a species matters, they’re connecting to centuries of science, culture, and care. Curiosity builds bridges between past, present, and future.

7. Wonder grows stronger when shared.
A sunrise feels brighter when someone’s beside you. Curiosity thrives in community — through discussion, collaboration, and shared awe. The more voices that join the adventure, the richer the learning becomes.

8. Stewardship begins with curiosity.
Before we can protect something, we have to care about it. And before we can care, we have to notice. When curiosity leads students to ask how ecosystems work or why species matter, they’re already taking their first steps toward stewardship.

9. Curiosity has no walls.
Whether it’s a park, playground, or patch of grass outside a school, every place holds potential. The natural world invites students to see learning everywhere — not just on screens or within textbooks.

10. Curiosity changes us.
Every person who’s stood beneath a redwood or paddled across a quiet lake knows this truth: curiosity doesn’t just help us learn — it helps us become. It changes how we see the world, and how we see ourselves in it.

For Educators: A Call to Wonder:
​As teachers, you are the rangers of your own classrooms — guides who invite discovery, spark questions, and model wonder. When you pause to notice, to ask, to explore alongside your students, you give permission for curiosity to take root.
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So this week, take your students outside. Ask a question you don’t know the answer to. Follow a trail of “why.”
Because every spark of curiosity — no matter how small — lights the path toward lifelong learning.

The best lessons aren’t always found between four walls. Step beyond the classroom door, and the world opens into a living laboratory — where curiosity is not just encouraged, it’s unavoidable. The outdoors invites wonder, exploration, and connection in ways a worksheet never could.

For students, learning outside feels alive. It has color, texture, and sound. A math lesson becomes the rhythm of counting stones across a stream. Science becomes the study of cloud patterns and soil layers. Writing turns into storytelling inspired by the smell of pine or the ripple of a lake at sunrise. Nature doesn’t require perfection — it requires presence.

But the real magic happens when educators step outside, too.

We’ve met teachers who arrived at camp weary from testing schedules and heavy expectations, only to leave barefoot in the grass, notebook in hand, remembering why they started teaching in the first place. When learning moves outdoors, it’s not just students who change — it’s educators who rediscover their own sense of wonder.

In nature, there are no rigid bells or rows of desks. There’s room for creativity, reflection, and collaboration. A stick becomes a measuring tool. A leaf inspires an art lesson on symmetry. A question whispered on a trail becomes the spark for inquiry that lasts all year. Teachers become guides, mentors, and fellow explorers — walking alongside their students instead of standing in front of them.

At Expeditions in Education, we’ve watched hundreds of educators reconnect to their “why” through outdoor learning experiences across America’s national parks. They learn new ways to teach science through observation, storytelling through sound, and problem-solving through design. They sit by campfires swapping ideas, sharing fears, and realizing that joy and learning can live in the same space.

And when they return home, they bring that spark back with them. Their classrooms feel lighter. Lessons breathe. Students sense the shift — that their teacher is not just instructing but inviting them into a story much bigger than a test score.

Learning belongs outside because that’s where curiosity lives. It’s where questions are born and answers feel earned. It’s where both students and teachers remember that education isn’t about mastering content — it’s about noticing the world, caring for it, and finding your place within it.

So, open the door. Step out. Let the wind carry your next lesson. The world is waiting — and it has so much to teach us all.

🌤 Reflection for Educators

Where could your next classroom adventure begin?
Maybe it’s a patch of grass behind your school, a city park down the street, or a quiet corner where students can listen to the wind. Wherever it is, that’s where learning — and joy — meet.

There are seasons when the world feels too loud. When the news scrolls faster than our hearts can keep up, and even the most hopeful among us start to feel the weight of it all.

That’s when I know it’s time to go outside.

Nature doesn’t ask us to fix everything—it simply invites us to pause. To breathe. To notice what’s still good. The steady rhythm of waves, the quiet hum of cicadas, the soft whisper of wind through pine needles—these are the small reminders that the world still holds beauty, even when it feels like it’s unraveling.

Out there, under open sky, things fall back into place. Worries shrink to their right size. The mind softens. The body exhales. You start to remember that joy isn’t something we chase—it’s something we notice.

Teachers, parents, students—this is your permission slip. Step outside. Take your class under a tree. Let your students write or draw or just sit. Don’t rush the moment. The greatest lessons often unfold when we stop trying to control them.

Because nature doesn’t just teach science. It teaches stillness. Gratitude. Wonder. It shows us that growth takes time, that storms pass, and that even burned forests bloom again.

So today, close the laptop. Leave the to-do list behind for a bit. Go find a patch of sunlight, a cool breeze, or the sound of water. Let it do what it does best—heal what the world has worn thin.

Joy is still out there. Sometimes we just need to step outside to remember where to look.

Today we wrapped up our Paddles & Pines journey at Doodledog Kennel, where musher Mary Manning cares for, trains, and races with her incredible team of more than 50 sled dogs. Even without snow on the ground, we learned so much about what it takes to prepare for a race. From fitness to nutrition to trust between musher and dog, every detail matters.

Joining us were outdoor educators Rachel and Sarah from Friends of the Boundary Waters, who helped us explore what frozen water really looks like in the Boundary Waters and how the practice of dogsledding has evolved over time. Their insights gave us a window into the connection between history, science, and tradition.

Mary then introduced us to her dogs, each with a name that reflects their unique personality. We met Peat (yes—like peat moss!), who gave us a demonstration of wearing his harness and showed just how much these dogs love to run. Mary explained how she trains them year-round—keeping them strong, conditioned, and ready for the first big snowfall. Students across the country were able to see firsthand the dedication and care it takes to prepare a team for sled racing.

Before the day ended, students were given a challenge: design a better-insulated dog bowl to help keep water from freezing so the dogs can stay hydrated in winter. This creative problem-solving activity tied everything together, showing how even small innovations can make a big difference.

We are so thankful to Mary and her dogs for sharing their world with us, and to the Friends of the Boundary Waters for giving students everywhere the chance to learn about this unique northern tradition.

Catch all of our Paddles & Pines LiveStreams here:👉 expeditionsineducation.org/paddles--pines
Until next time—We’ll see you on the water. Expeditions in Education…out!
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Today we were at McDougal Lake, a place forever marked by the 2021 fire. Blackened tree trunks still stand, but all around them, new growth is pushing up through the soil. It’s a living reminder that fire can take, but it can also give — shaping the forest in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

We began with Alison Nyenhuis from Friends of the Boundary Waters, who showed us how to build a fire of our own. As the sparks caught and the flames took hold, she reminded us that fire has always been part of human life here — used for warmth, cooking, protection, and gathering together.

From there, the day unfolded into deeper conversations:

🌿 Melonee Montano, co-author of Ishkode: A Story of Fire, shared Indigenous fire stories and reminded us that these lands were never “untouched.” For centuries, fire was used with intention to care for the forest.

🌲 Lane Johnson, Fire Ecologist at the Cloquet Forest Center, helped us see how scientists read the land for clues about past fires — even those from hundreds of years ago. He explained what happens when fire is suppressed for too long and how prescribed burns help keep forests healthy.

To wrap up, students were challenged to put themselves in the shoes of engineers. Their task: design a fire-resistant structure that could keep people safe while also respecting the environment. They thought hard about materials, cost, and sustainability — and began sketching out creative ideas for how communities might live more safely with fire in the future.

The takeaway from today was clear: fire is not only about destruction. In the Boundary Waters, it’s also about renewal, resilience, and balance.

Thank you to Alison, Melonee, and Lane for guiding us through today’s learning, and to Friends of the Boundary Waters for making this work possible.

❄️ Next up: our final LiveStream of the series this Friday — Frozen Water: Winter Survival and Dog Sledding. You won’t want to miss it!