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RTPI Staff Blog

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Nature Writing Workshop

Posted by: mbaldwin in Untagged  on

mbaldwin
NORTHEASTERN PA – In a workshop titled “Nature Writing Boot Camp,” award-winning authors, illustrators, and editors will teach the craft of writing nature books and articles for children.

The workshop will be held by the Highlights Foundation from April 16 to 19, 2012, near Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

“Kids need great reading in nature subjects,” says workshop leader Andy Boyles. “In the tradition of Rachel Carson, John Burroughs, and Jean Craighead George, we need to help kids develop a lasting connection with nature. We’re here to help writers succeed in that work.”

Through presentations, one-to-one writing critiques, and ample writing time, the faculty will help authors propel their writing careers to new heights. The workshop will also feature nature-journaling techniques for improving observational skills and recording details.

The faculty includes accomplished professionals.

Dianna Hutts Aston is the author of many books for children, including the award-winning An Egg Is Quiet and A Seed Is Sleepy, both illustrated by Sylvia Long. The Moon Over Star, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award in  2009. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama chose The Moon Over Star to read at an inner-city school in Washington, D.C., in February 2009.

Robert Hynes has been illustrating nature subjects for both children and adults for decades. During this time, he has created more artwork for the National Park Service, National Geographic Society, and the Smithsonian Institution than any other illustrator in the United States. His illustrations are also found in the Skipping Stones award-winning title for Exceptional Multicultural and Nature/Ecology Books, Muskrat Will Be Swimming.

Nature-journaling expert Mark Baldwin will lead nature walks centered on the techniques of nature journaling. He is education director of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York. An avid naturalist and educator, Baldwin has been keeping nature journals for twenty years. Since 1990, he has taught his craft to more than 3,000 students, teachers, and amateur naturalists.

Andy Boyles is science editor at Highlights magazine and the company’s trade-book division, Boyds Mills Press. He has worked with Jack Myers, Sarah C. Campbell, Pamela Kirby, Laurence Pringle, Dougal Dixon, Sandra Markle, and many others.

The workshop will be held at the home of the Highlights for Children Founders, situated in scenic northeastern Pennsylvania. Surrounded by a 1,300-acre forest, the property is home to whitetail deer, timid black bears, and a variety of birds and other wildlife—a naturalist’s delight.

“Nature Writing Boot Camp” is cosponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History (RTPI) of Jamestown, New York, and the Highlights Foundation, Inc., of Boyds Mills, Pennsylvania.

RTPI is a national, nonprofit nature-education organization with headquarters at the birthplace of world-renowned artist and naturalist Roger Tory Peterson (1908–1996). Dedicated to preserving the collections and legacy of Dr. Peterson, RTPI’s mission is to create passion for and knowledge of the natural world in the hearts and minds of children by inspiring and guiding the study of nature. The mission reflects the belief that people who develop awareness and passion for the natural world will become committed to its preservation.

Roger Tory Peterson saw himself first as a teacher. He used his exquisite skills in painting, photography, and writing to bring the wonders of nature to everyone. Workshop leader Mark Baldwin continues this tradition, emphasizing that “sharing your sense of wonder about nature with children takes special skills. It takes an alert mind, a keen sense of observation, and a passionate heart to translate nature’s language into words that come alive on a page.”

The Highlights Foundation created its Founders Workshops to raise the level of the offering of writing and illustrating for children. A variety of programs are presented for all levels of writers, from those just getting started to those who are published but wish to hone their skills. These workshops are led by successful, supportive authors and editors determined to help writers achieve their goals.

Limited to thirty participants, the intimate setting is unique. Participants are housed on-site in fully-furnished and comfortable rustic cabins.

For more information, contact the program assistant, Jo Lloyd, at 570-253-1192 or jalloyd@highlightsfoundation.org.


An Ice Age Weekend

Posted by: mbaldwin in Untagged  on

mbaldwin

RTPI teamed up with Jamestown Community College last weekend to continue the nature education benefits of the Randolph Mammoth, a 13,000-year-old Columbian mammoth unearthed near Randolph, NY in 1934 and currently on display at RTPI, on loan from the NYS Museum.

Dr. Robert Feranec, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the NYS Museum and Dr. Tom Erlandson, professor emeritus at JCC, presented a weekend series of programs that enabled participants to visualize landforms, climate and ecological conditions at the close of the last Ice Age.

Erlandson

Bob and Tom presented a round-table seminar at JCC Friday afternoon, Bob presented a program at JCC's Carnahan Theater Friday evening and the two teamed up to take a group of folks on a guided tour of WNY glacial geology. It was an awesome and educational experience!

ErlandsonFeranec


A New Picture Book Biography of RTP!

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mbaldwin
For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson

Written by Peggy Thomas, Illustrated by Laura Jacques

Reviewed by Mark Baldwin, Director of Education

For years we've wanted a picture book to teach and inspire new generations of children about the life of our hero.

Our wait is finally over. For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson written by Peggy Thomas, illustrated by Laura Jacques, published by Boyds Mills Press, is the perfect way to introduce RTP to kids. And lucky us, just in time for holiday giving!

Peggy tells the story simply and clearly, salted with lively bird-related word play. We learn that as a youngster Roger sometimes didn't fit in. Other kids made fun of him. He felt misunderstood by his father. But we're not asked to pity Roger; he also had fun. The story unfolds with truth and sensitivity and in a way that children and adults will understand, especially those of us who are drawn to nature.

Jacques' illustrations are phenomenal. She captures 11-year-old Roger's shock at a startled Northern Flicker exploding into the air before his eyes, and a different kind of shock when at 17 he found himself receiving personal encouragement from his idol Louis Agassiz Fuertes. All with depth and graphic detail that makes you go back to look again and again.

There are extras. Inside the cover is a tongue-in-cheek Topography of a Birder, homage to Peterson's standard field guide introduction to parts of a bird. Peterson's actual notes and sketches are worked into the pages.

This book is a celebration of Roger's life, how, largely by means of his own determination and pluck, he became one of the most positively influential people of the 20th century. It's a great lesson for every kid who feels a little left out. Hang in there, work hard and you, too, can live your dream.

There's also a great lesson for grown-ups: like that teacher Miss Hornbeck, we, too, can turn a young life around by sharing our own passion for life and learning about the world around us. Be ready; you never know when a young Roger Peterson might come your way.

ForTheBirdscover_small


Ignite Kids’ Love of Science and Nature

Posted by: mbaldwin in Untagged  on

mbaldwin
Science and nature books and articles can have a profound influence on young minds. They can stimulate kids to make discoveries, to solve problems, and to become caring stewards of the planet. But before that can happen, kids need to make a deep connection with nature, and they need to understand that science is an ongoing, self-correcting process of discovery. That’s where science and nature writers like you come in!

How can you become an author who ignites the love of science and nature in today’s young readers? Join Highlights and Boyds Mills Press science editor Andy Boyles for Science Writing Boot Camp! This newly created Highlights Foundation workshop will take place April 27–May 1, 2011.

Through lectures, one-to-one critiques, ample writing time, and daily nature walks, this workshop will give you the tools and insights you need to advance on your path to success. Andy will be joined by guest faculty members Mark Baldwin, director of education at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History; award-winning science author Loree Griffin Burns; Patricia Janes, executive editor of Scholastic Inc.’s Science World, SuperScience, and DynaMath; and award-winning photographer and author Doug Wechsler.

Science_Writing_Boot_Camp_PR_Photo

You’ll discover the importance of a sense of story, dig deep into the research process, and uncover the ins and outs of interviewing. You will also explore the benefits of nature journaling for developing observation skills and learn how adding photography skills to your writer’s pack can make your work more marketable.

Science Writing Boot Camp is limited to fifteen participants. To secure your spot before the workshop fills, or for more information, contact Jo Lloyd at 570-253-1192, e-mail jo.lloyd@highlightsfoundation.org, or request an application online. Attendees are encouraged to submit their works in progress for one-on-one critiques to Andy Boyles at least three weeks before the workshop begins. (Deadline for receipt is April 4, 2011.)

Highlights Foundation Founders Workshops take place near Honesdale, Pennsylvania. You’ll stay in your own cozy cabin, surrounded by 1,300 wooded acres and hiking trails. Workshop fee includes individual cabins; all meals (provided by a top-notch chef); airport pickup service, if needed; and an intimate teaching setting at the homeplace of the Founders of Highlights for Children.


Allen, TX teacher workshop

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October 28, 2010

With the help of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History, teachers from Norton and Olson Elementary Schools in Allen, Texas learned how to use mapping and outdoor inquiry skills to infuse their curriculum with place-based learning about the natural and cultural history of their community.

The workshop took place at Olson Elementary School and in the neighborhood within walking distance of the school. Teachers will use what they learned to get their students outdoors for firsthand interdisciplinary learning that also teaches awareness and appreciation for a landscape that is in extremely rapid transition from rural/agricultural to suburban.

 


York U class visits RTPI

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RTPI Research Associate Dr. Gene Morton and students in a conservation biology course taught by Dr. Morton and Dr. Bridget Stutchbury, visit RTPI for a field experience in pond ecology:


Get Outdoors, Get to Know!

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The 2010 Get to Know Contest is now underway! The contest invites children and teens to submit entries in art, writing and photograpy categories on the theme "Celebrating Biodiversity." Plus, in celebration of the 2011 International Year of Forests, this year's contest inroduces a new video category, which invites young people to go outdoors and create videos that convey the theme, "This is My Forest."

Renowned Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman created the Get to Know program in 2000 to encourage young people to connect with the outdoors and their wild neighbors.

Art, writing, photography and video entries can be submitted online at Get to Know through November 30, 2010.

For more information on the Get to Know Program contact Director Mary Krupa-Clark at 250-980-3969, or mkrupa@gettoknow.ca.


Charley Harper Field Trips at RTPI

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RTPI is offering a wonderful field trip opportunity for school kids to learn art, mathematics, language arts, ecology and more while having a great time getting to know the artwork of Charely Harper, one of the most beloved American artists of the 20th century.

For more information or to schedule a field trip contact RTPI's Education Department at 716-665-2473, ext. 235 or contact Tina Nelson at tnelson@rtpi.org.


RTPI Pre-Service Teacher Training

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Educators agree that learning to understand and love nature is best started at an early age. SUNY Fredonia early childhood education professors Dr. Mira Berkeley and Mr. Dave Anderson appreciate this fact and work it into their course pre-service early childhood teachers by taking them on a field trip to SUNY Fredonia's College Lodge in Brocton, NY. There RTPI staff work with the students, teaching them about a sense of place, learning how to use their senses to grasp the world from a young child's point of view, and enjoying being out in the natural world.

rszCollegeLodge9-102

Releasing a Monarch Butterfly back into the wild!

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Honing observation and inquiry skills by keenly observing natural objects


Buffalo Community Foundation Awards Grant

Posted by: mbaldwin in Untagged  on

mbaldwin
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is pleased to announce the launch of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo's new on-line resource for a greener, more sustainable Western New York: www.growwny.org. We're also pleased to announce that CFGB has awarded a grant to RTPI to provide the website with information on great places to go to enjoy and learn about our natural environment. We are doing this project in partnership with the Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center in Hamburg, NY. It's a great opportunity for us both to advance our nature education mission and network with dozens of outdoor education providers throughout WNY.

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