The other week I got the opportunity to connect with the VERSO Physical Education Students grades 6-8. It was great to see all the 60+ smiling faces eager to learn who I am and what I was going to talk about. We talked about the Outdoors, Covid-19, and snakes. With the ongoing pandemic it has become more and more challenging to stay mentally strong. I shared with the students what inspires me to continue to go outdoors and explore. I shared pictures of my inspiration (wildlife on the trail). I then asked the students to find something in their house that gives them that feeling of joy when they play a particular sport. Students brought skateboards, swim goggles, fishing lines, and even roller blades.
They shared moments of bliss, the pure feeling of nothing once you jump in the water and race against the others even if it's only 100m that moment would last for ever in their memories. We finished the chat with suggestions on how to stay motivated while vaccines slowly roll out. I look forward to seeing more young children exploring the outdoors with their families during these interesting times as well as beyond the pandemic.
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Just before the smokey season kicked in, and right after Tonkla School finished our Home Based Learning, all the departments at Tonkla School joined in a one-week-challenge to get in as many steps as possible. The aim was to encourage teachers to stay positive after all this time of online learning through getting as many steps as possible before 8pm each day. The departments involved were The English, Primary, Kindergarten, and the Administration departments (over 100 staff). There were mixed feelings regarding this challenge, however, once Fruit Bound got involved people were motivated! Teachers were grateful for Fruit Bound's support in motivating us to get our daily steps in! People got so engaged that one staff member got over 30,000 steps in one day! The daily winners were also surprised to learn that these energy bars are made right here in Chiang Mai, Thailand! In all, the challenge was thoroughly enjoyed and ultimately the English Department won with a total of 770,000 steps! We are grateful for the local energy bar's support and we look forward to doing more challenges to keep us engaged during Chiang Mai's smokey season!
I have completed most of PGCE and so naturally I am getting some time to go out and explore again. my latest adventure took me to a part of Chiang Mai I have rarely visited.
Mae Khanin. our run started and finished at an elephant camp where myself and my friends ran through over 20 different streams and accompanied with some amazing views. It's great to be out and about again and I hope that while I haven't been able to go out, you have. remeber, all you need to hit the trails is a water bottle and some good shoes! look out after yourself! I believe in the power of communication. Getting students from different backgrounds to communicate can be challenging. A method I recently used is known as the Jigsaw Method. Just like a puzzle, every student has a unique part of the big picture that is learning. Each of my students worked to understand how to make outdoor traps. In groups of 3, each one person had to take on a role (Trap Master, Equipment Specialist, Location’s Expert). Each character had a different assignment, which ranged in varying difficulty to accommodate students’ varied abilities. I choose the groups beforehand because I know my students well, and I wanted everyone to enjoy it. Thus some groups had a low- level English speaker and someone who was bilingual and could, therefore, help translate. Ultimately, to know if my students learned about traps, they had to make their own and present it to their peers. I asked different questions based on the student’s language ability to confirm their understanding further.
I recently got back from a little journey in Khon Kaen, Thailand. I spent a short week exploring through bouldering and trail running. It was awesome to just go out and explore the area and get some outdoor climbing experience in! Check out the video on the little bit of fun I had at the bouldering site, Zoolander. Another few weeks have past since i've posted, however,I assure you, there is a perfectly good reason! I've been busy! A lot of camp programs have happened and a lot of learning and fun was had. In this time I had some awesome weekends! Yes, climbing was involved, but also Trail running! I had 2 runs. 1 road and 1 trail. I'm pleased to state that I got 2nd place in my age category at the Ultra Trail Chiang Rai 38km race and 9th place at The Lanna Marathon 10km race! It's been such a long time since I've posted. In that time I've been running, climbing, working, and learning. I re dislocated my shoulder again and got frustrated. I started to lose a bit of hope and tried to look for inspiration in other places. I didn't find it. Instead, I gave up on looking for new activities and adventures and refocused on what is important in my adventurous career and looked for alternative ways on how I could achieve that. I found it, and I couldn't be happier. It's a slow process but I feel like my health is going in the right direction to allow me to do the activities I enjoy at the level I want to be at! That being said, here are some pictures of my adventures since posting my last blog. Keep exploring guys! Keep adding adventure into your lives! And don't let the little things in life put you down!
Stay posted for my Micro Adventure posts! And videos coming as well!
So I missed last weekend on posting a weekend micro-adventure! Hopefully you had a great time outside! I did! I was out hiking in the mountains of Doi Inthanon! I just didn't get time to post about it! Instead I'm going to share with you this little adventure I had today around Doi Suthep-Pui national Park. Check out the video below of my journey!
Find some time this week or weekend and go and explore your local national park! Running was my choice of transport but you could bike, hike, or also run! Maybe bring the pets along? Aim to hike to a waterfall, peak, or even a lake!
Happy exploring! Going outdoors more? I hope these posts continue to inspire you to go outdoors. Their's nothing better than exploring your surroundings and getting a breath of fresh air! My Weekend Micro-Adventure Duration - 1 day Gear - Active wear, Luna Sandals (Oso Flaco 2.0), rain jacket, first aid kit, snacks, lunch, Sawyer Mini, Water bottle, torch Over night - Home This was a great big hike! In total my friend and I hiked 14.7km and explored a few streams and waterfalls! There is a lot to explore in the jungle so you need to make sure you've got enough fuel and enthusiasm to explore it all! My Water filtration system allowed me to bring a limited amount of water, keeping my pack light and comfortable. I brought enough snacks, and spare to share as well! We all know the best snacks are the snacks your friends brought so bring some to share!
We also brought a torch with us to look into dark places and try and find some cool bugs and spiders! Your Weekend Micro-Adventure Duration - 1 Day Gear - Active wear, appropriate footwear (if you're in a rainy environment, consider wearing shoes that are marketed as "Soft ground"), first aid kit, snacks, packed lunch, rain jacket, water bottle Over Night - Home This weekend, you should go out and explore your local national park. Check out a long hike and try and find some cool bugs along the way! Bring a friend, bring some healthy snacks, and bring a good packed lunch! Going outdoors more? I hope these posts continue to inspire you to go outdoors. Their's nothing better than exploring your surroundings and getting a breath of fresh air! My Weekend Micro-Adventure Duration - 2 days Gear - Active wear, Luna Sandals (Oso Flaco 2.0), rain jacket, first aid kit, snacks, active clothing for day 2. Over night - National Park Cabins This weekend I got to explore the highest point in Thailand! I was working with a group however that didn't stop me from enjoying the sites and fresh air! Especially at 2565m the temperature was nice and cool! It's also incredible to see the wildlife that can survive at such high altitudes!
Your Weekend Micro-Adventure Duration - 2 days Gear - Active wear, good shoes, rain jacket, first aid kit, snacks, active clothing for day 2. Over night - Cabins or bring your tent! For the weekend you will go camping at your local national park! Stay overnight at their camp grounds and use the two days to discover the local trails! Even if the trail is a board walk and not on actual dirt, go out and explore! Breath in that fresh air and spot some cool animals! Keep your eyes open! |
About...Here is a space for me to reflect on my work in Outdoor Education. Please enjoy and feel free to share your comments and opinions! Archives
May 2021
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