Trout Lake Nature Center

Presenters: Eileen Tramontana tlnc.director@gmail.comVicki Crispcrispv904@gmail.com

Trout Lake Nature Center520 E. CR 44Eustis, FL Phone: 352-357-7536Website: troutlakenaturecenter. com

Staying Current

Trout Lake Nature Center

Focus

• Meeting education standards• Developing materials• Training volunteers• Implementing

Trout Lake Nature Center

Assess• Current materials and

programs• Staffing, may be volunteers• Feedback from users:

teachers, students, schools district, Board, and staff/volunteers• How it meets the needs of

the agency/center, community and schools

Trout Lake Nature Center

Beginning Questions• What’s working well?• What needs adjustment?• What needs to be

discarded?• What needs to be

created?

Trout Lake Nature Center

More Questions• Do I use paid staff?• Volunteers?• Both?• Do teachers teach entire

or parts of the program?

Trout Lake Nature Center

And More…• What has been/is student

response to activity?• What has been/is teacher

response to activity?• How is this activity

helping you to achieve your mission?

• What do your Instructors say or want?

Trout Lake Nature Center

More…• What standards, course description, or degree

program does it meet?• Does it meet community needs—scouts,

homeschool, adults, families, etc.?• How is it meeting your mission, objectives, etc.?

Trout Lake Nature Center

First Steps• Do in “baby” steps

or big steps• Set priority

Trout Lake Nature Center

Takes longer than you think!

Trout Lake Nature Center

Change is hard

Trout Lake Nature Center

Next Steps• Select small activity• Who is writing?

❖ In-house❖ Contractor

• New or rewritten• Decide what needs fixing

or rewriting

Trout Lake Nature Center

Stepping Along…• Look at education standards, course

description, etc.❖ Don’t stretch it

• May need to shift grade level• Look at logistics

❖ Movement❖ Indoors/Outdoors❖ Connect to your resources

• Get creative—write it

Trout Lake Nature Center

Your Resources• What’s on hand?• What needs to be replaced?• What needs to be thrown

away or recycled?• What needs to be developed?

❖ How can you do it differently?

❖ How can you make it educational and fun?

• How can you use your natural or on-site resources?

Trout Lake Nature Center

Preparing for the Runway• Set your style

❖ Formatting❖ Spelling, acronyms,

etc.❖ Write it down

• Make Instructor-friendly• Make Teacher/student

friendly• Be CONSISTENT!

Trout Lake Nature Center

Trout Lake Nature Center

Getting Ready to Implement• Whose going to deliver activity?• Do you need to develop or adapt a training

program?• Whose going

to do training?• When and how

long does training need to be?

Trout Lake Nature Center

Implementing…• Do a pilot with audience, if

possible❖ Gather feedback from

everyone❖ May do by observation

or more formally• Revise as soon as possible

❖ Be open to ongoing future revisions

Trout Lake Nature Center

Grab a new activity and do it again