MEXICO — Fifteen teachers from Meroby Elementary School and School Administrative District 17 based in Paris are part of a pilot project to create outdoor math lessons based in nature.

“Through this pandemic, for the kids who have been learning remotely, there’s going to be a lot of anxiety about coming back to school,” Meroby teacher Karen Wilson said. “Getting them engaged again is going to be a challenge. And kids don’t spend enough time outside. They just don’t.”

Cheryl Tobey, one of three facilitators from the Maine Math and Science Alliance, said, “The focus is on K-5 students with the math content of state standards. It’s thinking about bringing math outside, using anything from counting to fractions. These teachers will be creating some resources to share with others in the state and beyond.”

Maine Math & Science Alliance offers targeted professional learning opportunities for schools and school districts.

The project involved creating three groups: Grades K and first grade; second and third grades; and fourth and fifth grades.

Using grade-appropriate ideas, students used outdoor learning spaces that have been part of Meroby’s curriculum for years.

The K-1 group worked on creating a path, measuring by steps instead of feet. Second and third grade teacher went to the soccer field and measured distances to guess how far players run in a game. Fourth and fifth grade teachers measured the walking trail and where trail markers would be placed.

Why Meroby?

“Well, I knew Karen from a coaching project at the University of Maine at Farmington,” Tobey said. “She had a blog already on math outdoors. So when we were starting this, I immediately thought of Karen because I love her blog. I share her blog everywhere.”

The blog is called Math Alfresco! – Connecting Math & Nature. It’s available at athalfresco.wordpress.com/.

“I haven’t added a lot to it lately,” Wilson said. “Because of COVID, we haven’t done a lot in the woods. I’m excited about this whole process here and what it’s going to lead to.”

Tobey said the project will continue into November. Teachers will meet Aug. 18-19, followed by three virtual meetings when school starts.

“We are seeking additional funds to bring more western Maine teachers together, as well as teachers across the state,” she said. “Our goal is to provide a resource bank for teachers. It’s play spaced in nature so that what you’d be able to do in western Maine is something different than what you can do if you’re living on a coastal area in Maine.”

The project received a starting grant of $30,000 from the Betterment Fund to cover stipends for the teachers, materials,  lunch and refreshments. The fund was created for charitable purposes by the will of the late William Bingham II of Bethel who died in 1955. He was a philanthropist with an abiding interest in education and the improvement of health services in Maine, according to the fund website.

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