Existing Situation Facing
the Boys and Girls Club of
Fort Collins, CO
Aila Bereznak, Kristy Muskopf, Jennie Williams,
Nathaniel Budd, Peter Helmuth and Tim Moos
Public Relations in Natural Resources NR400
Delwin E. Benson
February 22, 2011
From Left to Right: Aila Bereznak, Jennie Williams, Pete Helmuth, Kristy
Muskopf, Nathaniel Budd and Tim Moos (Not Pictured Here).
Hours Spent on Project by Each Member
Aila Bereznak:
Nathaniel Budd:
Pete Helmuth:
Kristy Muskopf:
Jennie Williams:
2
Executive Summary (1.5 pages)
Table of Contents w/ page #s
Introduction establishing the role of our group in relation to the mission and situations
The Boys and Girls Club of Fort Collins is working with Colorado State University and the
Warner College of Natural Resources in a collaborative effort to find innovative ways to expose
youth to nature. A thorough analysis was used that looked at past case studies to help identify
what has been effective in connecting youth with nature and to gain a clearer understanding of
how children learn, the barriers to nature, the positive and negative forces, and the public’s
that are involved. Our analysis has allowed us to determine the strengths and weaknesses
within the Boys and Girls Club and use these strengths to our advantage in developing a
program for the members of the club. Identifying the weaknesses of the Boys and Girls Club has
allowed for our group to realize the obstacles and find ways to turn these weaknesses into
strengths.
As we analyzed the situation at the Boys and Girls Club our group felt that creating a curriculum
based program focused on the nature found in Fort Collins and surrounding areas would be the
most beneficial for the Boys and Girls Club. The program includes a blend of field trips, games,
and guest visitors to help the members become more aware of their surroundings and have fun
while learning about some of the natural processes that take place in Fort Collins. Our group
hopes that the staff and members will find our program useful and that the program will
facilitate a stronger connection between the children and nature that may last a lifetime.
Mission Statement of the Boys and Girls Club
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County is to provide an environment - people,
place, & programs - that helps kids develop to their full potential. We believe that every child
has the potential to BE GREAT, and we strive to build incredible kids who will become caring,
responsible citizens.
Operations and Location of the Boys and Girls Club
The Fort Collins Club is located at 1608 Lancer Drive, Fort Collins, CO and was established in
1986. The Fort Collins Boys and Girls Club provides elementary through high school age children
3
and young adults a safe place to spend time after school. The club is open Monday through
Friday, 2:30 PM to 7 PM on school days and 8 AM to 5:30 PM on school holidays. They serve
snacks and dinner to the children after school, and provide areas for study and recreational
activities.
Situation Analysis
Today’s youth are taught in the classroom about the worries that the global world is facing. The
threats of climate change, extinction of the polar bear, deforestation, and fear of an apocalyptic
future have caused a sense of “ecophobia” among youth. (Louv,2008) There has been trends
that the youth are becoming more responsible for the changes taking place in the world by
adopting policies such as reduce, reuse, recycle, and are interested in green technology and
renewable energy practices. A global outlook and desire to care for the world as a whole is
beneficial, but there is a key factor missing between the children of today and the natural world
in which they live.
The youth of today are missing a personal, intimate relationship with nature itself. As children
we had greater opportunities for outdoor exploration. Tales of climbing trees, building forts,
and not coming indoors until the street lights came on is repeated throughout the stories we
tell of our childhood. The world as we knew it is not the same today and how we raise our
children has drastically changed. Increasing outdoor rules, lack of time, obsession with
technology, and fear are 4 major factors that have placed our youth indoors contributing to the
new phenomenon coined nature-deficit disorder. (Louv, 2008) Nature-deficit disorder refers to
the human cost of alienation from nature including reduced physical and mental health. (Louv,
2008)
Exposure to nature is essential for physical and emotional health. Positive outdoor experiences
may reduce the risk of attention deficit disorder (ADHD), can improve cognitive abilities, reduce
negative stresses, and depression, while encouraging greater physical health, more creativity,
deeper sense of spirit, and provide as an outlet for reducing stress. (Louv, 2008) Exposure,
knowledge, and awareness are crucial elements in finding ways to facilitate children into
establishing a connection with nature. Researching how other organizations have
accomplished reestablishing a connection is useful to our group in identifying tactics that were
successful and those that were unsuccessful.
Organizations such as the 4-H program, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Environmental
Learning for Kids, allows us to analyze some of the tactics that they use and try to project these
tactics onto the situations of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Larimer County. 4-H focuses very much
4
on the curriculum style of connecting kids with nature, by having planned out lessons and
sequences of events that are led by a teacher-type figure. The Boy Scouts of America has a
couple of different approaches. These include a rewards system for a child learning about the
environment, offering training seminars for adult leaders, and promoting the fun aspect of the
experience. The Environmental Learning for Kids focus on incorporating nature into the family
and personal well-being emotions that can be established within kids, and using these
emotional bonds to get kids outside. These have all proven to be valid approaches to the issue,
and can be considered when trying to find a proper implementations strategy in the Fort Collins
Boys and Girls Club.
Our group believes that determining why the youth of today are not outdoors, identifying the
barriers to nature, understanding how children of all age groups learn, and recognizing the
publics’ involved will help us to devise a plan that will be successful in connecting the youth of
the Fort Collins Boys and Girls Club with nature.
The Situation: Why Kids Are Not Getting Outdoors
In the past few years there has been a big push for today’s youth and the next generation of
kids to get outside and into nature. The push has been a very big part of Colorado and the
nation. Increasingly more groups are trying to get people out of their houses and into nature.
The reason for this big push is because of the benefits received from spending time outdoors
including improved physical and emotional health. When adults and children spend time
outdoors they improve their learning abilities, can modify undesired behaviors, and reduce
health problems (Harpaz, 200?).
The problem with today’s youth is that they spend around 45 hours a week connected to
electronic devices and are gaining weight at an alarming rate (Kids out in nature). This
sedentary lifestyle, besides causing obesity, is also a direct contributor to the spike in childhood
diabetes and attention-deficit disorder (ADHD) (Louv, 2008). Decreases in the physical and
mental health of today’s youth is alarming and if this trend is not reversed than the health of
our nation is in jeopardy for decades to come. Our group has identified that the biggest
contributors to the increase in sedentary lifestyles is lack of knowledge for the opportunities
that can be found in nature, increased dependence on technology, fear of the outdoors, and
intensive scheduling of family time. Some families even believe that they do not have the
funding to plan outdoor trips and therefore, feel as though nature is out of their reach.
Most values that a person has towards nature are formed at a young age through family
experiences. Some families feel as though they need to plan a costly family trip in order to get
their family outside. If the family lacks funding than they may believe that nature is not
affordable and therefore will omit outdoor activities from their daily life. Nature seems out of
5
reach for these families and the lack of experience has created a fear of the outdoors. These
families may even discourage their children from exploring the outdoors out of concern for
their safety. Lack of knowledge and concern for children’s safety has created a new trend with
modern day families to take part in more structured and scheduled recreation opportunities.
The more intensive scheduling that is occurring in families has caused many people to have to
multitask and increases the reliance on new technologies (LT. Gov. O’Brien Colorado kids
outdoors). For example, simple outdoor activities such as going for a walk or even riding a bike
does not happen without the companion of an I-pod or cell phone. New technologies are
distracting and reduce the awareness of nature during the little time that families are spending
in the outdoors. This trend is creating even a larger disconnect with nature and the
deterioration of the physical and mental health of today’s youth proves that action needs to be
taken to reverse this trend.
The question is how our group can help to reverse this trend and improve the relationship
between nature and today’s youth. Our group believes that helping families to realize that
spending time in nature does not have to be costly and that there are many opportunities close
to home may be the key to reversing this trend. (gettingoutside.com). Letting families realize
that some of the best recreation opportunities are not scheduled and that nature can be just as
entertaining as sitting indoors plugged into electronics.
Helping children to see, touch, and hold items found in nature may be the key to facilitating a
relationship with nature. And maybe when these children leave the Boys and Girls Club and
return home they may be more inclined to explore the outside by their houses and in their
community. This in turn will make the average walk with the dog or the bike ride a greater
experience in exploring nature. If parents realize that their children are not afraid and willing to
explore then maybe the parents will be influenced into enjoying outside time with their
children too. The key to getting children outside is starting the spark that makes them put the Ipod and the controllers down and want to go get dirty, climb a tree, or just have fun outside
with their friends. This spark may be just enough to allow for families to take a break from the
hustle and bustle of everyday life while improving the physical and mental health of their
families as a whole.
The 4 Barriers into Nature
There are 4 major barriers our group will need to overcome in our efforts on connecting youth
with nature.
1.) According to the Community Associates Institute more than 80% of the American population
now lives in urban/metro areas. (Louv, p. 28, 2008) These urban environments have nearly
outlawed unrestricted outdoor play in nature. Multiplying park rules, home owner association
6
regulations, community covenants, and fear of litigation has sent an unwelcoming message to
our youth and has had the unintended consequence of discouraging outdoor natural play.
2.) Unwelcome free range outdoor play is being replaced by organized sports on manicured
playing fields and is this generation’s form of outdoor recreation. We have packed our
schedules full of soccer practices, music lessons, and extra-curricular school activities leaving us
without the time or energy to go outside and explore. In Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods
he says that he was intrigued with the way that children defined play, organized sports and
extra-curricular activities were not included. These types of activities were referred to by the
youth as work not as play.
3.) Children between the ages of 8-18 spend an average of 6.5 hours a day plugged in
electronically according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.) In a week our youth can spend on
average 45 hours watching, playing, and surfing technological mediums. That is a total of 45
hours today’s youth spend not finding ways to connect with nature. (Louv, p.119, 2008)
4.) Fear is one of the leading factors that prevent parents from allowing children the freedom
that we enjoyed when we were young. Fear of crime, traffic, stranger-danger, and the fear of
nature itself is constraining our ability to allow children to receive the full benefits that can be
found in the natural world. (Louv, p. 123)
All 4 of these barriers are restricting access to nature. Although we cannot change the urban
environment or time constrained schedules, we can find an outlet with reduced rules that allow
for more free range access to nature. Allowing the youth to become more aware of their
environment and bringing in knowledge of their immediate surroundings may help to reduce
some of the fear associated with the outdoors. Our group also feels that knowledge and
awareness may be the key to reducing time spent electronically plugged in by showing the
youth what the outdoors has to offer.
The Positives
The Fort Collins Club addresses pressing youth issues such as drug use, and early sexuality
experimentation through a curriculum consisting of 5 core program areas. The curriculum helps
the youth to build confidence, develop character, and learn to value education through
opportunities in learning about the arts, developing health and life skills, sports, technology,
and career development. (Larimer County Band G website) Currently there are roughly 10 staff
and volunteers serving anywhere from 120-170 children that come to the club daily.
Utilizing the structure that the Boys and Girls club already has in place allows for us broaden the
club’s horizons and extend the curriculum into 6 core program areas. The Boys and Girls Club
instills values into their youth and the addition of an outdoor education core program will help
7
to strengthen values in nature. In addition, the proximity of the Boys and Girls Club to the North
Shields Pond Natural Area allows our group an easily accessible and free outdoor classroom.
The North Shields Pond Natural Area (NSPNA) is a 10 acre urban natural area that is located in a
floodplain. There are 1.5 miles of natural surface trails that allow for travel around and
between 3 fishable ponds (fc.gov website 2011). This natural area provides habitat for
migratory birds, mammals, fish, and native/invasive plant species. Utilizing the natural area as
an outdoor classroom will help to instill knowledge and awareness with the youth members of
the Boys and Girls Club and help to facilitate a personal connection with nature.
The Negatives
The most influential factors that shape attitude and behaviors towards nature are family
customs, experiences, and education received in school. Family is where a child will gain its first
experiences outdoors and it will shape their attitude towards nature either acting as a positive
or negative force (Louv, p. 2008). If a fondness for nature is not formed at an early age through
family experiences then these children may be hard to reach. By the time most children reach
elementary they already have formed attitudes and behaviors toward nature. Attitudes and
behaviors can be modified, though the process may be slow. Families along with education
received can be a negative force in our groups to attempt to modify children’s attitudes and
behaviors.
Education has good intentions, but can be a negative force when shaping children’s views of the
world. There has been a national trend to focus children’s education around reading and
arithmetic and encourages a rigorous academic schedule brought about through the “No Child
Left Behind Program” (Miller et al p. 4 2009). The view that success is found in academic facts is
forcing out age-appropriate rich playful experiences that develop a whole-child (Miller et al p.4
2009). When nature and or the environment are discussed in the classroom it is usually in the
form of global problems such as climate change and deforestation. The youth of today are
concerned with the global world and fear the apocalyptic future that we have left for them,
creating a kind of “ecophobia” (Louv p. 134 2008).
As a society we are making our children aware and responsible for the catastrophes that our
world faces without a direct connection to the world itself. Children now associate the natural
world with fear and uncertainty instead of the joy and wonder that it can provide. Our group
needs to focus on these negative forces and find ways to reverse their fears and bring them
experiences in nature that their family may of not of provided.
Understanding How Children Learn and the Barriers to Overcome
8
The way that the current generations of children learn about nature has dramatically changed
due to the invasion into their lives of electronics. In the past kids would spend endless hours
outside using their imaginations and nature to play out their wildest fantasies. Children would
use natural items such as sticks and logs to build forts and at one time children were very
capable of using their own resourcefulness and imagination to create the needed props for
their games. Since the introduction of video games and cell phones children’s play time in
nature has almost come to a halt. Outdoor play engages children in mental, social, physical, and
emotional well being (Miller et al, 2009). Evidence has shown that children’s well being has
become jeopardized as diabetes rates in children are increasing and there has been a sharp rise
in medication prescriptions for treating childhood attention-deficit disorder (ADHD). The
question that we as a group face is how can we make a connection between the natural world
that current children live in and the wonderful outdoor world that we and our parents grew up
in.
Understanding how the children of today learn will help our group and the Boys and Girls Club
to adapt a program that will teach a long lasting connection with nature. Recent research has
examined that our society has, in a way, taught young people to avoid nature (Miller et al,
2009). The No Child Left Behind program has shifted focus from developing a whole physically
and emotionally fit child into placing the emphasis more directly into their academic skills. Our
job as a group is to understand how the children of today learn and use this to our advantage in
finding a way to bridge the gap between children and nature.
One of the first steps is to engage children at a very young age (3-7) in rich and playful outdoor
experiences. Toys that are aimed at this age are highly technological and take the imagination
out of playing. These toys direct the children into a certain kind of play instead of letting them
use their own imaginations. For us to create an unstructured environment for these kids to play
may be the most useful tool we have available to connect these kids with nature.
For children that are a little bit older (7-11) their habits and desires are already pretty
developed and will need a more structure to bring them into a closer relationship with nature.
These children recycle in school and try to live greener lives than their parents. They feel as
though they are connected with nature through a developed love and need to protect our
earth. What they do not realize is that they still lack the emotional and physical connections
with nature that would make them a whole and healthy child. This age group is very likely to
leave school and go home to just plug-in to whatever electronic that gives them immediate
satisfaction. To engage this age of children our group will need to develop a way to not only
teach, but fascinate them by what nature has to offer. Getting them unplugged and outdoors
will be our first goal, second is to try and intrigue them by the many facets of nature.
9
Older children (12-18) will be the hardest group to engage. Most of the children this age are set
in their ways and are more worried about social contacts than they are with playing. Children
this age are pushed into deciding what they want to be when they are grown up and less able
to play and connect with nature. To gain the attention of these kids they will need to feel as
though it is meant just for them and not ignore that they are becoming young adults. We
believe that this age of children would benefit from learning about hobbies that may interest
them into their adult years such as fishing, kayaking, or rock climbing. Even just exposing them
to these types of outdoor activities may influence them into finding ways to gain more
experience in the outdoors.
Internal Publics
The Internal Publics are the people who are directly involved with the Boys & Girls Club in the
Fort Collins area. This includes the young members, the staff, and the administrators of the
club. These publics will be affected positively by our project because we seek to provide
positive recreation and educational opportunities in nature for the kids involved with the Club.
By providing these new opportunities we hope to tie the kids of this generation back into
nature. To help them realize the world around them in the hopes of changing their view on
nature from a commodity to a view that is more respectful of the natural world around them.
These new opportunities will also hopefully change or influence some of these children’s
behaviors, from destructive to constructive. We want to get them involved and educate them,
to give them something to do in hopes that they will stay out of trouble.
The staff will benefit because by giving the kids more activities they will be making the time the
kids spend at the Club more productive and stimulating, leaving the staff with a sense of
accomplishment. The goals of the staff and administration are to help young people reach their
full potential, incorporating our lesson plans into the kid’s daily activities could bring their goals
closer toward becoming a reality.
The staff and administration might be negatively affected because of the time constraints
required by our programs. We want our program to be a lasting one, this means that it will
have to be repeated daily, or weekly because that is the only way to make a lasting impression
on these kids and be able to The first couple months that our programs or activities are
implemented could be stressful for the volunteers, however once a routine has been
established the programs will begin to get easier for the staff.
External Publics
The External Publics are the neighbors in the Fort Collins area and other publics engaged in
nature, such as the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts, JAX, The Mountain Shop or REI. They will
10
benefit because the kids in the area will be more productive and may even gain a sense of
responsibility through their actions in the Club programs and activities, allowing the neighbors
and businesses in the area to worry less about the often irresponsible and reckless nature of
kids. If the youth of the area are engaged more in positive and constructive activities within the
club they might bring those constructive and positive attitudes to the outside community,
benefiting everyone. The outdoor shops in the community may also benefit through an
increased interest in nature by the kids. Increasing the youth’s awareness about the types of
activities that these mountain shops cater to. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will be positively
affected because they may begin to get more attendance. Once more kids know about nature
through our programs they will seek out more ways to get outside and explore, go camping,
hiking, fishing and those “scout” associations aim to do just that.
These programs or activities that we are proposing will teach the children about how to
take care of nature in a loving and passionate manner. In years to come this attitude and belief
that we hope to instill within these children can lead to a healthier environment, both natural
and social. Their actions in the future will determine what happens to our planet and every
living thing on it.
Case Studies of Successful Organizations
Trying to get the kids that participate in the Boys and Girls Clubs in Larimer County back into the nature,
and enjoying it first hand, is a difficult task. Our groups’ thorough examination of the youth of today,
and identifying the positive and negative forces along with researching past case studies helps us to
focus on programs that will and will not work in this particular situation. Examples of youth
organizations that have taken on the same battle include 4-H, Boy Scouts of America, Environmental
Learning for Kids (ELK), and the US Forest Service. Looking at how these different organizations connect
children with nature can give us many great examples of some methods that may also be appropriate in
order to get kids outside in the Boys and Girls Clubs.
4-H
The 4-H program has been around for more than 100 years, and is now America’s largest youth
development program. The mission of the organization is to “help young people and their families gain
the skills they need to be proactive forces in their communities and develop ideas for a more innovative
economy.” This mission statement represents the very broad base that 4-H covers, but they do have a
branch of several training exercises that has a direct connection to nature.
These training programs come in the form of curriculum lesson plans that can be purchased and
implemented by whomever. 4-H has a lot of programs that are incorporated with animals and caring for
these creatures. Some of the animal based programs; such as the Butterfly W.I.N.G.S. partnership;
involve going out and researching and collecting butterflies in a partnership with professional scientists
in the field. Another line of programs is the National 4-H Outdoor Adventures Curriculum. This line of
11
activities involves hiking, backpacking, and camping adventures, and focuses on developing such skills as
Leave no Trace, environmental awareness and appreciation, reading topographic maps, orienteering,
setting up tents, and basic First Aid. Another nature based program offered by the 4-H is the Colorado
4-H Sportfishing Program, which “teaches fishing skills, conservation, ethical knowledge, aquatic
ecology, and tackle crafting,” and is in connection with the Colorado State University Extension program.
Some of the curricula that are offered are very specific, like the Forests of Fun, which has three levels
and teaches the kids about every aspect of a forest from identifying trees and their healthiness, to the
benefits to humans from forests and global diversity of forests.
All of these are examples of very well developed curriculum, which are designed to be implemented
with a group leader and a smaller group of kids in a hands-on, natural based setting. These lesson plans
are also an easy way to get kids back outside even if they are involved with different youth
organizations. The individual organizations can purchase books that are published by the 4-H, and the
leader of the organization are provided with a step by step lesson plan which provides them with all of
the information they need to in order to create a unique, educational, and interesting venture in to the
natural world for the kids (4-H).
Boy Scouts of America
Another nationally recognized organization, which has been encouraging kid to get outside for also just
over 100 years, The Boy Scouts of America have several different methods to encourage children to
spend time out of doors.
The basis of any Cub Scouting group is the leader that is involved. Coming up in July of this year (2011),
there will be a week-long conference held at the Boy Scout’s Philmont Scout Ranch in Northern New
Mexico. This conference is designed to teach the scout leaders how to get their scouts outside by
educating them about the research and the importance of having children experience nature, and
discussing ways that the Boy Scouts of America can make even more of an impact on the lives of young
people by getting them back into nature.
The Boy Scouts of America also have an incentive program in which the scouts can earn ‘badges’, such as
the Nature Merit Badge and the Scout Outdoor Activity Award, which can be sewn onto their uniform.
In order for a scout to achieve these badges, they need to accomplish certain tasks such as identifying
various forms of flora and fauna that can be found in nature around their home, learning about
legislation like the Endangered Species Act, and making hiking and camping trips into their local natural
areas.
The Boy Scouts of America also have a camp that scouts can attend, either in a day-visit fashion or in an
over-night environment. This camp seeks to educate the scouts on how to be a good citizen out of
doors, learn skills they can use later in life, and discover that they can rely on themselves, while
promoting the metal and spiritual benefits of being outside (Boy Scouts of America).
The Boy Scouts activities really work to encourage the kids to go out and learn something about nature
on their own, like what is displayed in the badge work, and then rewards them with the attainment of
12
the badge itself. All of the Boy Scouts’ programs are also very good at focusing the nature studies and
activities on the kids’ home environments, creating a more connected sense of a relationship with
nature.
Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK)
Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) is a Denver based organization that was started in 1996 by two
Colorado wildlife biologists who wanted to start getting more kids back outside through the use of
strong role models who also enjoyed spending time outdoors. Mostly the group of active kids is
composed of minority ethnicities. The organizations strives to provide a strong base for kids in a
classroom typesetting, as well as getting them outside and into fieldwork types of situations (ELK, 2010).
All of the events that ELK sponsors are focused towards the kids, but there is also a strong message to
encourage the parents to get involved, making it more of a family experience, and making it more likely
that the families will get outdoors on their own in the future. The events that are associated with the
Learning Environmental Activities for Families (LEAF) are opportunities for all of the members of the
family to get outside, learn something about the local environment, and become good community
stewards. Some of the family related activities are built around camping, hunting, and fishing. The ELK
is also active in encouraging teenaged youth to look into pursuing a career in the natural resources by
providing education about opportunities and possibilities for summer employment (ELK, 2010).
Overall, ELK focuses on the use of strong relationships and long term learning to introduce kids to the
wonders of the natural environment. These programs boost the children’s self esteems; get them
feeling good about themselves and nature. The ELK has a strong philosophy that really can have a lifelong impact on the kids of urban Denver (ELK, 2010). The Boys and Girls Clubs could take some of the
methodology from the ELK by trying to build the strong relationships between the kids, their families,
the mentors at the club, and the local nature in Fort Collins.
These examples really highlight some of the different methods that have worked for decades in getting
kids outdoors; encouragement from adult role models and advisors, giving rewards for doing some selfeducating about the natural environment, promoting the fun side of experiencing nature, associating
natural activities with family togetherness, and establishing strong ties between kids and mentors. Each
of these different possible methods could be applied to the work that we are trying to do with the Boys
and Girls Club of Fort Collins.
13
SWOT Analysis
Our groups’ research has allowed us to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats (SWOT) that face us and the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Collins when finding ways to
connect the young members of the club with nature. A summary of the SWOT analysis that our
group has done are summarized in table 1 and table 2 found below.
Table 1. The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Collins and their
members found when trying to connect youth with nature.
Strengths




Weaknesses

The Boys and Girls Club does not have
an outdoor education program

The Boys and Girls Club uses a
curriculum based approach in teaching
children principles and ethics
Some members of the club may not
have any current interest in nature

The Boys and Girls Club has a wide
variety of members from different
backgrounds
The members may not have learned
positive values about nature from their
own family or through their school

Ti me and knowledge of staff may limit
what our group is able to accomplish
The Boys and Girls Club has support
from the local community

Our group will not be there next year
to ensure that the program is
everlasting

The Boys and Girls Club acknowledges
that teenagers are the hardest group
to reach and are not that involved in
club activities
The Boys and Girls Club already
provides an environment that strives
to help kids develop their full potential

The Boys and Girls Club already allows
time for outdoor play

The club does have transportation and
some funding available for program
14
Table 2. The opportunities and threats that our group faces when trying to identify a proper
program to connect youth with nature.
Opportunities

The Boys and Girls Club is in close
Threats

The members may have a
proximity to the North Shields Pond
predisposition to nature that can
Natural Area
influence other members from taking
part in the program

Fort Collins offers many opportunities
to educate the members about nature

Our groups involvement ends after the
semester, threatening the continuation

ranger visits to natural areas

of the program
The City of Fort Collins offers free park
There are several free areas available
for field trips, such as the Arboretum,

Families may become a threat to
success if they do not see the value of
the program
to further educate the members
15
The Big Picture Goal
It is our groups’ goal to use a curriculum based approach, like the one already in place at the
Boys and Girls Club, to connect the youth with nature. Our hope is that through the ….program
the children will have a better understanding of the immediate environment in which they live
and gain a more intimate relationship with nature. Our group believes that our program will
have an everlasting impression on the members of the Boys and Girls Club that will carry on
with them throughout their life by shaping their attitudes and behaviors toward nature.
Big Picture Objectives
Our group has created a curriculum that is divided into 5 categories: trees, hydrology, wildlife,
vegetation, and renewable resources. The wildlife category will use 2 games to Each category is
taught through a mix of outdoor games, field trips to relative sites, and by bringing in
professionals to help facilitate learning. The program
Timeline for Implementation
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
16
Individual Lesson Plans Goals, Targets, Objectives, Strategies, evaluation techniques,
and Reporting Techniques for Program Adjustments
Wildlife Lesson Plan by Kristy Muskopf
Program goals for the Wildlife Lesson Plan
The desired situation for this project is to educate and engage the youth of Fort Collins about
various local wildlife and their natural habitats. By teaching these children about wildlife this
raises their awareness in hopes to establish a need to protect the existing resources for future
generations to enjoy. The desired behavior of the Boys and Girls Club youth is enthusiasm and
willingness to learn these interesting facts about their local wildlife.
Target publics for Wildlife Lesson Plan
This program is meant to reach children of all ages. Although younger children, such as ages 612, may respond better to the designed games due to the fact that their more uninhibited and
likely to actively participate. Our general goal is to drive youth away from mischief and towards
nature to teach the value of the outdoors. Leaders who would support this attitude are
parents, school teachers, Boys and Girls Club employees and other adults alike. Publics
intended to communicate the desired objective include local environmental organizations,
parks and open space officials, or naturalist users of the North Shields Pond Area.
Public Groups
Contact
Person
Phone #
Email Address
17
1. City of Fort Collins
Susan
Schafer
970.416.2480
2. Environmental Learning
Center
Brett
Bruyere
970.491.1661 elc@cnr.colostate.edu
3. Rocky Mountain Raptor
Program
4. Poudre School District:
Lincoln
Carin Avila
970.484.7756
Lyla Dixon
970.488.5700
sschafer@fcgov.com
info@psdschools.org
Objectives for Wildlife Lesson Plan
To achieve our goal public groups such as the Environmental Learning Center (ELC) could
accommodate learning opportunities by utilizing educational resources. For instance, the ELC
houses the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program where children can be exposed to real life birds of
prey. The City of Fort Collins could give guided tours around the North Shields Pond Natural
Area and help children identify any necessary wildlife traces or characteristics. To ensure youth
goals are met, we as facilitators will enable unstructured play games to convey the basic
understanding of individual wildlife predator and prey species native to their surrounding area.
Our group has not created an action calendar as of yet. Our hope is to teach one hour sessions
once a week by the end of April until mid May. I have corresponded with Brett Bruyere the
director of the CSU’s Environmental Learning Center about connecting the Boys and Girls Club
youth to educational opportunities. Even though various birds of prey are located on the ELC’s
property, the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program is the main provider for wildlife instruction. So
far I am unable to reach Carin Avila, the educational director at the RMRP, but I imagine I will
shortly if not before any scheduled field trips. Jenny Williams has gotten in touch with the
master naturalist at the North Shields Ponds Area and is available to give tours by request. As
far as delivering my message to educate and connect children with wildlife found in their area, I
plan to teach my lesson plans or administer it through other individuals. These lesson plans are
straight forward and could be taught by any member in our group or by the Boys and Girls Club
employees.
18
Rocky
Mountain
Raptor
Program
Naturalist
Program
Wildlife
Games
ELC
City of Fort
Collins
CSU
Students
1. Learn
natural
history and
wildlife facts
from a
guide.
2. Exploring
nature.
1. Food chain
predator vs.
prey
awareness.
1.
Behavioral
issues that
decrease
future public
assistance.
2.
Unsatisfied
with public
speaker's
information.
1. Subject
content not
age
appropriate.
1. Direct visual
and audio
experience
with birds of
prey.
2. Aesthetic
pleasing
appreciation.
1. Conflicting
schedules for
field trip
dates.
2.
Unimpressed
with
witnessing
birds in
captivity.
2.
Camaraderie
and
enthusiasm
from playing
educational
games
outdoors.
2. Minimal
participation.
Communication and Leadership Strategies for Wildlife Lesson Plan
Simply by communicating wildlife facts such as physical description, preferred habitat, or
chosen prey these kids will gain the basic understanding of local predators and prey. The first
19
game can be recognized as “Marco and Polo” but replaced with predator and prey sounds and
movements instead of saying Marco Polo. The other is more of a “20 questions” game tailored
to wildlife specific facts. The only problem I foresee with the message to specific publics is the
lack of participation. Older children may be less likely to act out animal noises and movements
because of their “too cool for this” attitude. The more appropriate channels of communication
would be guided tours by a master naturalist and instruction through the Environmental
Learning Center or the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. Every educational service listed above
is free of charge. Each public must address interesting wildlife facts or related information for
the program’s objectives to be accomplished.
Action Strategies for Wildlife Lesson Plan and Implementation
Our strategy will be to start with a professional outreach educator. The master naturalist is a
perfect introduction to our nature program. From there, each individual lesson plan within our
group will be implemented. I don’t believe we’ve chosen a specific sequence of who’s going to
teach first between our curriculum of trees, plants and shrubs, wildlife, hydrology, and
weather. Our lesson plans should be taught individually then reinforced with a field trip to the
North Shields Pond Natural Area or pay the Environmental Learning Center a visit to experience
the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. I will be responsible for teaching my wildlife potion. To
continue the wildlife curriculum after graduation, I’ll have to call upon the staff of the Boys and
Girls club to continue my lesson plans. The administrators will be responsible for teaching our
lesson plans after the semester comes to a close because unfortunately, I’ll be moving out of
state.
Evaluation Strategies for Wildlife Lesson Plan
Our outcomes will be measured by the amount of information each child absorbs. If we
reached 70-80% of the class, I’ll consider the project a success. Overall my hope is that these
children will gain an appreciation for the outdoors, want to spend more time outside, admire
and preserve their community wildlife. My recommendation for the cooperators is to make
learning as fun as possible. Children resist what they think to be work so if it’s done in a playful
manner they’ll be more likely to participate and enjoy themselves.
Reporting on Wildlife Lesson Plan for Program Adjustments Needs
I’d like to administer a survey prior to our first lesson plan and then once again after our
program is through. The transition of knowledge should be given to the program managers as
proof of progress. My recommendations for improvement would be to give lesson plans more
frequently than once a week to encourage retention.
Trees Lesson Plans by Alia Berezenak
20
Program goals for Tree Lesson Plan
Encouraging the kids of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Collins to have the direct experiences
with trees, and some of the unique situations that happens with them in Colorado, that are
provided in the sample lesson plans in appendix __ (other great lesson plans involving trees can
be found at http://woodmagic.vt.edu/kids/), is a direct result of the overarching goal of
encouraging the kids of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Collins to have an increased interest in
nature. These activities with trees also are to be accomplished with the goal of, sparking an
interest in the kids about the local ecosystems of the areas that surround them every day.
Another goal is to introduce the kids of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Collins to possible future
careers in ecology, botany and dendrology. Looking into perpetuity and the continuation of this
set of environmental education programs within the Boys and Girls Clubs, our cooperators have
a goal to have a continual, long term influence on the kids in the field of nature, and ingrain the
next generation with a self-motivated explorative wonder.
Our resource contributor of the Boys and Girls Club would like to find a set of programs that
exposes their kids to the wonders of nature, and the uniqueness of trees in this case, while still
maintaining a manageable level of required inputs in the form of financial resources or staffing.
After this program is implemented, it would be expected that the kids of the Boys and Girls Club
of Fort Collins would take an initiative in getting outdoors more often and noticing the types of
trees around them. They would also be expected to have some kind of base like knowledge
about the trees that are prevalent in the Fort Collins Area. It is expected that some of the
information would be communicated to the parents of the kids and that they would be
convinced about the benefits trees have on our society and encourage or support their kids to
learn more about them and to experience them first hand. The group leaders at the Boys and
Girls Club would be expected to have a commitment to continue the education of nature and
trees in the future of their club’s activities, and to do whatever they can to provide the best
possible experience for their kids.
Target publics for Trees Lesson Plan
Implementing a lesson plans involving trees into an organization like the Boys and Girls Club of
Fort Collins gives us the opportunity to involve many different publics in the process. Some of
the publics that will need to be recognized are: the Boys and Girls Club leaders, the volunteers
who work in the club, the kids who attend the club, the parents of the kids, the United States
Forest Service, Colorado State University and its forest/nature based organizations, the CSU
Arboretum, …?
A list of the contact information for these publics can be found in appendix __.
21
The best way to contact the publics is marked with an (*) after the contact information.
Objectives for Trees Lesson Plan
In order to accomplish the broad goals that have been mentioned earlier in this report, some of
the specific publics need to act in specific ways. Most of the actions that can be done by the
publics involve enthusiasm, interest, and commitment to promoting the idea of getting out of
doors. The partners at the Boys and Girls Club need to try and habituate the idea of playing
outside into the kids minds, so there is a continual influence to try something outdoors. The
parents can also encourage their kids to play outside more often. They can additionally act
interested when the kids convey something about the outdoors to them, this way the children
can begin to feel that this is an overall pleasing subject. The professionals that are in the
dendrology industry can help this process by presenting their specialty matter to the kids in a
way that glorifies the work, and make it interesting to a younger age group.
These same goals need to be supported by smaller, quantifiable objectives, which will allow us
to properly plan and track our progress against our desired outcomes. One of the objectives for
the tree section of the lesson plans is to expose at least 20 kids in the Boys and Girls Club to the
possible careers in the forest service industry during the course of these two lesson plans.
Another objective is to increase the base knowledge of the kids on the subject of local flora by
10% within 6 months after the start of the program. A third objective is for the kids of the Boys
and Girls Club to be able to recognize 40% more local tree species from pictures and facts after
their trip to the Arboretum than they could before the trip.
Communication and Leadership Strategies for Tree Lesson Plan
Starting from the beginning of the process of implementing these field trips, we, as an
organizing group, need to be in constant communication with the group leaders in the Fort
Collins Boys and Girls Club. By constantly communicating back and forth we can bounce our
ideas off the representatives of the Boys and Girls Club, and get their feedback and
preferences. This process is usually best accomplished by email in this situation, if there were
sufficient time available, personal interview and conversation would also be very effective.
In order to get the program up and running, a communication needs to be made to the
organizations where the field trips will be taking place. This would include the Boys and Girls
Club contacting the CSU Arboretum and the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Center. Times and
dates that would work for both parties would need to be discussed and decided upon. This
conversation would be most appropriate either over phone or email, with only a few exchanges
being needed back and forth.
22
After the dates had been set, the Boys and Girls Club would need to start their communications
with the kids and their parents. For the kids, the employees would just need to implement
communication techniques such as a poster or brochure (please see example in appendix __)
for the kids to look at and read on their own, and an announcement made to the kids about the
possible up coming trips to build the excitement and anticipation among the kids. For the
parents of the kids, the same brochure can be sent home in order to inform the parents of the
up coming trips. The communication from the parents can also be obtained through the
permission slip, then the parents sending the slip back to the club signed can be considered
feedback on how the accurately interpreted and decoded the message.
Because these are educational institutions that the field trips will be taken to, they will most
likely donate the time to accommodate the Boys and Girls Club for 45 minutes. There are no
major new purchases that need to be made for the trips. The club already has paper and
crayons that can be used; just some reward candy would need to be provided for. The other
main costs that would be associated with taking these field trips would be the time needed for
supervision of the kids from leaders or volunteers from the club, and the transportation costs of
moving the kids to the location and back to the club. But even that aspect of the cost should
not be to high because both of the locations are in Fort Collins.
In order for the specific objectives that were discussed earlier to be accomplished, there are
several different rolls that the publics involved need to fulfill so that the kids can increase their
understanding and appreciation of the natural environment.
With the group leaders at the Boys and Girls Club in Fort Collins, they need to have the
motivation and support behind this project to do the planning and implementation that is
required for this type of project. They need to organize dates and times to make the field trip
happen, work out the transportation to and from the location, create and distribute permission
slips for the kids, and they need to promote the activities to the kids enthusiastically so that
they kids feel some kind of excitement for the potential event.
The Publics that are involved with the different agencies that the kids will be going to (the CSU
Arboretum and the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station) need to be prepared to deliver
their information to the kids in an appropriate way for the kids to understand. They also need
to be enthusiastic when presenting their specialties so that the kids can feed off of that
excitement. It is also better if the presenters can make their topics relevant to the kids by
providing a plethora of locally founded examples.
The parents of the kids need to be willing to allow their children to experience this opportunity,
by seeming interested in the idea of them going to these different places and getting their
permission slips back to the club in time for the kids to go on the trips. And then, after the kids
23
have gone on the field trip, the parents should ask follow up questions. Even basic questions
such as, ‘did you have fun?’ or ‘what did you learn?’ can reinforce the experience in the child’s
mind and make them think more highly of the experience (given that it was a positive
experience to begin with).
Another one of the publics, the kids themselves, just need to remain open to the idea of trying
something new and different, and that afterward they may realize that they enjoyed it.
Action Strategies and Implementation for Trees Lesson Plan
There two different action strategies with several different steps that need to be implemented
in order for these two lesson plans to be put into action, and in order for our objectives to be
accomplished.
Group member Aila needs to call the CSU Arboretum to ask about the feasibility for this type of
activity. Then it is the responsibility of the coordination (Kate) in the Boys and Girls Club of Fort
Collins to contact the CSU Arboretum and determine a date that will work for both parties.
Next the Boys and Girls Club would need to communicate the trip to the kids and their parents
by displaying posters, personally communicating the activities to the audiences, and passing out
permission slips. These action strategies will lead to the possibility of the kids experiencing the
local trees in Fort Collins first hand, which can lead to the accomplishment of some of our
objectives such as, increase the base knowledge of the kids on the subject of local flora by 10%
within 6 months after the start of the program.
Group member Aila needs to call the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station to ask about the
feasibility for this type of excursion for the Boys and Girls Club. After that information has been
passed on to the coordinator, Kate at the Boys and Girls Club, it is her responsibility to contact
the USFS RMRS and determine a date that will work best for both parties to make the field trip.
Then the Boys and Girls Club coordinator needs to communicate to the kids and parents about
the field trip by means of posters, brochures, personal communication, and permission slips.
Then the parents can give feedback to the Boys and Girls Club by returning the signed
permission slip. This process is necessary for making this trip to the USFS’s office in Fort Collins
a possibility and working toward the objective; exposes at least 20 kids in the Boys and Girls
Club to the possible careers in the forest service industry during the course of these two lesson
plans.
Evaluation Strategies for Trees Lesson Plan
Follow up for both of these extended action strategies can be achieved by talking to the kids a
week after the events take place. Just to reinforce the activities and lessons that were learned
during the trips. Using this type of method of multiple mention of the topic is something that
24
will be tried to do through the project because it is a good way to instill the information in the
kids minds as a daily life type of topic, not just something for a one time field trip.
The parents can also be asked very casually when they come to pick up the kids, whether or not
the kids said anything about the trips that they took to learn about trees. Through these few
methods, the administrators will be able to determine whether or not they met their
objectives.
Reporting for Trees Lesson Plan for Program Adjustment Needs
This plan will be evaluated based on personal communication with the kids of the Boys and
Girls club of Fort Collins and their parents. The kids can be talked to immediately after the
events and asked questions that are in direct relation to our objectives for this section of the
course. These questions could include what they learned while on the trips, what their favorite
facts were, if they have told anyone else about what they learned, etc. Along with asking the
kids, the employees of the Boys and Girls Club can also casually ask the parents if their kids had
told them anything about the field trips that they had taken, or some interesting facts about
trees. The kids’ responses to these questions, as well as the information that can be extracted
from the parents, will tell the coordinators whether or not their objectives were reached. Then
they can expand their analysis to see if they have achieved any of their more general goals.
After the field trips have been completed, feedback can be obtained from the kids themselves.
After the program has been completed, verbal communication needs to be used on the part of
the coordinators to find out what the kids thought about the trips. Did they learn anything? Did
they think it was interesting? Did they have fun? These sorts of questions can provide the
qualitative information so that the coordinators will know what kinds of programs were
attractive to the kids, and what type of programs they can implement in the future about trees
and dendrology education.
Aquatic Lesson Plans by Tim Moos
Program goals for Aquatic Lesson Plan
These sections goals on water were to get the kids to understand the basics of the water cycle
and the movement of it on the planet. The game with the water tube and the movement of
water explains the water cycle and the different step to it. The second game was to teach the
kids about some of the animals in these types of areas like rivers, streams, lakes and wetland
areas. This design plan for the water section was to get them a basic understanding of both
aspects so that the kids can go home and expand their learning on their own. We wanted to
give them a spark about something in nature and in a fun setting so that they will want to keep
learning and exploring nature.
25
Target publics for Aquatic Lesson Plan
This program was developed for kids between the ages of 8-16 in the Boys and Girls clubs of
Fort Collins. This program can be implemented into other cities and clubs if it works. This
program was created to affect the learning and involvement of nature in the kids’ lives within
the Boys and Girls Club. If the kids go home and explain what they did today at the Boys and
Girls Club the residual information may be pasted on to their parents and other siblings about
nature, which in turn gets people thinking about nature more and exploring the options that
they have in nature. In the water section and the games can be facilitated by a Boys and Girls
club representative or even a volunteer that the club has. The planning and development of the
games is all done within the lesson plans in this section. This is a smaller public coming more
from the inter public range then the outer. This is ok, because that is what is in this section and
the whole project was based for and at. Also the kids and their learning and thinking about
nature are the target audience for this project.
Program Objectives for Aquatic Lesson Plan
To have the water sections meet the goals that it was created. The main thing is to keep the kid
thinking about nature and getting them out into nature itself. The understanding of the
material in the section should be simple and easy with the fact sheets that are given to the kids
at the end of games. With the fact sheets explaining the information will also give the kids the
ability to take the information that they have learned and expand on it which is achieving the
goals of the project which was to start a spark about nature in the kids learning and helping
them to see the opportunities that nature has for them. Within this project there were no real
expectations for an outcome. This project was more for getting the kids outside in a fun
environment and away from the ordinary daily life that they live and the video games that
many kids are playing. The leaders of the games are the ones that will make the objectives of
this program reach the goals that where set out. The kids and their ability to get into the game
and make it fun and enjoyable to play will also have an effect in the information retained and
understood.
The trust factor of this plan and the objectives being used have been proven by the outdoor
adventure programs. Many of these programs have played many of the same games with
different goals in the purpose of increase the understanding and learning of the information.
This way of learning has been proven to work. Remembering that the kids have to get involved
and the facilitator need to keep the big picture in mind the objective of the program should be
meet fine with the lesson plans that are given in this section. The down fall to this may be that
the facilitator may not know the basic information to explain the topics to the kids but with
some simple reading the information research can be found to help the facilitator explain the
games information if they do not feel conferrable with it. Also the information that is given in
26
this section is very basic information about nature and most people should have some
understanding of it because it is in their everyday life. Also the objectives of the games are
more to have the kids outside and having fun in nature first and then sparking their learning
second.
Communication and Leadership Strategies for Aquatic Lesson Plan
The message and content for this section are all in the lesson plans given to the facilitator in the
project packet. With the lesson plans being given if they are followed and explained well then
the content will be explained within the games that are being played. Also the fact sheets are
also helpful to show pictures of the content and as an over cap of the content within the
lessons and this section. The publics are the facilitator, the kids and with the message being
delivered to the kids through the games. The fact sheet going home with the kids after the
games are there so there is no loss in information between the facilitator and the kids and the
learning that has happen in the games. The cost of this section will be inexpensive for the Boys
and Girls clubs to get. The supplies needs are also all explained in the lesson plans. The Boys
and Girls Clubs may already have some of these supplies in the supplies that other actives need.
The other part is the copies of the fact sheet for the kids to take home with them when the
game is done. The strengths and weakness for this section of the project are a few. One
weakness is that It is focused on a specific age group but other age groups can help with this
age group. You may also have an older age group run the program for the facilitator, with the
Facilitator as a supervisor this is teaching lessons to two different age groups turning it in to a
strength. The main weakness in this project is that the participation for the kid’s needs to be
there or the learning of the information in the game to take place. The benefits of this section
are that the kids are learning without thinking about it so it does not seem like the learning in
normal school. This in turn will overcome the biggest weakness in this section, of having the
kids participate and have fun. The games and lesson plans are having them do there learning in
a fun environment and getting them outside as well. The communication between the kids and
the facilitator is the “who” in this section of the project. The “what” is the lesson plans about
water. The “when” is in the spring/summer time so that the games can be played outside when
the weather is warm and the kids can have fun in the water. The “why” is getting them out in to
nature and having fun learning about nature. The “how” is the lesson plans and the fact sheets
that the kids are getting and taking home to expand their learning.
Action Strategies for Aquatic Lesson Plan
The strategist that need to be taken are first you will need to read through the section on water
and the rest of the project so that the facilitator has the basic understanding of how to plan out
the timing of when you want to do the different sections and when you want to do them.
Second you will need to have a sign up for the kids to participate in the sections and sign waver
27
forms if they are needed. Then when you know the number of kids that are going to participate
in the program then you can plan for involvement of the kids and the supplies that you will
need like copies of the fact sheets and other supplies. Once again the facilitator will be the one
in charge of the program and will implement when and where the lesson plans should fit into
the schedule for the program. The work that is going to be needed in this program is the
planning of what needs to happen and when it needs to happen because the lesson plans are
given to the facilitator and if followed then the facilitator will have all they need for the kids to
learn and be outside or in nature. The lesson plans have a follow up section to them to ask the
kids if they are learning and have fun in the outdoors. But you as the facilitator can also make
notes to what when good and bad and change them for the next time if needed.
Evaluation Strategies for Aquatic Lesson Plan
The outcome of the lesson plans can be evaluated with a numbering system at the end of the
lesson plan this evaluation table will help to see if the kids are getting the information that the
facilitator is giving them and if the kids are having fun doing the game and being in nature.
After this evaluation is done then if something did not go well then the changes that need to be
made for the next time can be implemented to make the lesson plan better or if a game when
well then it can be expanded on or even cut out and replaced with a different game if it did not
go well. The cooperators in this section are not really need as long as the facilitator is prepared
for the two game and leading and know the small background stuff. If the facilitator is ready
they will not have problems and the kids can enjoy the game/learning experience.
Reporting for Aquatic Lesson Plan for Program Adjustment Needs
At the end of the program period you could check with the kids that participated in the
program and their thoughts on how the program went. Also the facilitators should be ask or
questioned on if they think that the information that the kids got in the program was helping
them to learn and enjoy the natural aspect of the planet. Once the questions are asked of the
two groups about how the program went and what was needed and how the program could be
changed to make it better. There can be a report presented to the project managers to have a
plan on how to change the program in a better way, and if there are parts that are good and
don’t need to be improvement then let the project managers know this to. At this time sense
the program has not been implemented yet the only recommendations that I can give is if the
games work and the kids like it there are more adventure games that you can look for in books
called Quicksilver Adventure Games.
28
The other recommendation is that the participation of the kids in the games is still getting them
outside and on the goal to get them out into nature so even if the games are played in the
school field you are getting them out from inside and breaking their everyday retinues which is
a start and can be built on which is the important part in the goals to get them outside an
involve them in nature.
Grasses and Forbs by Peter Helmuth
Program goals for Grasses and Forbs Lesson Plan
Target publics for Grasses and Forbs Lesson Plan
Objectives for Grasses and Forbs Lesson Plan
Communication and Leadership Strategies for Grasses and Forbs Lesson Plan
Action Strategies for Grasses and Forbs Lesson Plan
Evaluation Strategies for Aquatic Lesson Plan
Reporting for Grasses and Forbs Lesson Plan for Program Adjustment Needs
Solid Waste and Packaging Products Lesson Plan by Nathaniel Budd
Program goals for Solid Waste and Packaging Products Lesson Plan
The goal of this specific lesson plan is to raise awareness among the younger children of the
Fort Collins Boys and Girls Club of solid waste issues, namely packaging as natural or manmade. To understand that manufactured packaging uses resources. To lay groundwork for
further discussion of recycling and recyclable packaging material.
Target publics for Solid Waste and Packaging Products Lesson Plan
What is the desired behavior of the publics involved?
i. For the B & G Club Supervisors
1. To follow the general guidelines of the lesson plan laid out for
them, while adapting it to the children who they know best
2. Convey an excitement about the subject matter (solid waste
issues & recycling) to the children
3. Carry the lessons outlined in this activity into the day-to-day
goings on at the B & G Club
29
a. encouraging recycling behavior
b. reiterating key lessons from the activity
ii. For the B & G Club Children
1. To begin to get excited about nature
2. To retain some of the facts from this lesson which will hopefully
influence their solid waste and recycling behavior in the future
iii. For Us (the creators of the plan)
1. To create a plan succinct enough that it can function without our
assistance
2. To follow up and ensure that the lessons being learned are the
ones se intended and adapting the curriculum as needed
Target Publics (Internal and External Audiences): the important people have to have on your
side and win over.
b. Who must your program respond to, reach, and affect?
i. Children, Children’s Parents, The Garbage Garage Education Center
c. Have you made lists with contact information for the most important groups and
their leaders
i. The Garbage Garage is located at the Larimer County Landfill, 5887 S. Taft
Hill Road, Fort Collins. The center sits just north of the recycling bins. For
more information, visit the Larimer County website or call 498-5772.
ii. B & G Club has contact info for parents and children, and transportation
means to GG
Objectives for Solid Waste and Packaging Products Lesson Plan
d. What must be achieved with each public or individual to accomplish the program
goals?
i. Garbage Garage
1. Call and arrange a time that a group of X children can come in and
take their tour
e. Did you make lists and/or tables of measurable outcomes that are expected?
i.
f. Have you evaluated the proper time frame for action and created an action
calendar?
i. It will primarily be on the B & G club to find a time frame that the lesson
plan can be implemented within
30
ii. Our only suggestion is that the field trip portion be planned in advance so
that it is scheduled around a similar time to the other sections of the
lesson
g. Have you found listen and better yet spoken with, the leaders who can help to
reach goals, objectives, and desired actions toward intended outcomes.
i. Information for contacting the Garbage Garage is laid out on their
website at http://www.larimer.org/SolidWaste/GG/GarGar.htm
Communication and Leadership Strategies for Solid Waste and Packaging Products Lesson
Plan
h. What message content must be delivered to achieve the outcomes stated in the
objectives
i. We produce much more solid waste than is necessary
ii. We can make small changes every day to reduce our solid waste output
iii. Solid waste can also be reduced by practicing simple recycling behaviors
iv. Ill disposed of waste can pollute our environment ecologically and
visually
i. Have you clearly tied together the problems with the messages for the specific
publics in the body of your report and in the placement of specific
communication products found later in this section
j. What channels of communication are most appropriate to use for the intended
public(s)
i. Children: Direct communication, hands on activity
ii. Garbage Garage: A Phone call
k. What will each strategy cost?
i. Cost for this section of the program are very small to cater to the B & G
Club non-profit nature
1. Any specific examples of solid waste you may want to highlight
(Cereal Boxes, Fruit, various paper products, etc.) will have minor
costs affiliated with them
l. What must be achieved with each public to accomplish program objectives?
i. Children must be excited about the program
ii. Garbage Garage must be communicated with ahead of time in order to
effectively plan the field trip
m. Which techniques of communication will reach targeted publics best?
n. Again use a SWOT analysis, Benefits and Barriers evaluation or other form of
critical and thorough review to critically sort out the best options
31
Strength
You are
communicating
with the Garbage
garage in a way
that they have laid
out as the most
effective for them
Weakness
Calling the
garbage garage
and showing up
once does not
create the type of
lasting
relationship that
can easily be built
on in the future
B & G Club already Some parents
possesses a list of
may not me
parental contacts
willing to let their
for children at their children travel
facility
with B & G Club
Opportunity
Showing up at the
Garbage Garage
could further the
connection with
them and make
field trips in the
future easier to
attain
Threat
Parents not filling
out permission
forms
This may be an
opportunity to
reconnect with
some parents that
may not be quite
as involved with
their children/ B &
G Club
Some parents
may feel they are
being judged for
not doing
something like
this already or
not allowing their
children to do
what the others
are
o. Apply WWWWWH again to holistically tie together the outcomes for the desired
situation
Action Strategies for Solid Waste and Packaging Products Lesson Plan
p. How will appropriate strategies be selected
i. Someone will determine lesson plan order
q. What is the appropriate sequence of events
i. Follow the lesson plan, split into 2 lessons 1-6 then 7-9.
ii. The garbage garage should be its own lesson plan and follow the previous
2
r. Who will be responsible for implementing each of the communication strategies
i. The B & G Club Workers and the garbage garage workers
s. Who makes sure that work gets done
i. The head that we worked with the most at the B & G Club (Kate)
t. What are strategies for follow up
i. Ask about children’s satisfaction with lesson and field trip
32
ii. Has it had an effect on the children’s behavior? Survey, observed
behavior
Evaluation Strategies for Solid Waste and Packaging Products Lesson Plan
u. How will outcomes specified in objectives be measured?
i. A report on children’s recycling behavior will be taken before the
program is implemented.
ii. Then their observed behavior after the lessons will be recorded directly
after, 1 week, and one month later
v. What will you do to evaluate progress
i. B & G Club employees will record observed behavior
w. What do you recommend to be done by cooperators
i. Encourage behavior after lessons are done, remind children of certain
lessons
Reporting for Solid Waste and Packaging Products Lesson Plan for Program Adjustment Needs
x. How will/should the results of the program evaluations be reported to program
managers.
i. Actual behavior change
y. What recommendations can you make for improvement
i. N/A until program implemented
33