1. GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS Steve Amos, Executive Director Healthy World Healthy Child and Green Ribbon Schools Houston October 8, 2012

2. Increasingly, children's books are where the wild things aren't … natural environment and wild animals have all but disappeared … suggests this sobering trend is consistent with a growing isolation from the natural world. …

3. Source: Children at Risk

4. CATALYST FOR GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS Nature Deficit Disorder BOUT

5. WHY GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS? Before the What…Lets talk about WHY Green Ribbon Schools Reduce obesity...... stewards of resources...... improve test scores...... trim budgets!

6. What is GRS?

7. GRS - PERMISSION BASED – PURPOSEFULINTERACTIONS Green Ribbon Schools – Children in Nature Coalition www.greenribbonschools.org

8. GREAT PUBLISHED ACTIVITIES Great Published Activities

9. JOY OF DISCOVERY Student Voice http://greenribbonschools.org/activity-detail.php?id=488 4 th Grade Fishing Trip Zelma Hutsell Elementary - Katy, TX

11. HEALTHIER, HAPPIER, SMARTER Its About the Kids – Wellness - Future 0

12. Steve Amos Steve@4cw3.org 512-970-7443 www.greenribbonschools.org Healthier, Happier, Smarter

13. PARTNER TO IMPACT CHANGE Extend the Walls As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. President Abraham Lincoln

14. Kids dont think about their health Not cool … not discussed … District Teacher of the Year and a Culinary Arts Teacher Extend Healthivores Within Fabric of the School Establish a Culture of Wellness Where it is Cool to Think and Act Cause YOU are Worth It

15. KNOWENOUGHTOACT "Engaging children in nature exploration and play helps prevent obesity and related diseases, nurtures physical fitness, enhances overall development and well being, and adds fundamental dimensions to learning science concepts not available in the confines of classrooms. Dr. Joe Frost, the Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus in The University of Texas at Austin College of Education's Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Texas Children in Nature Coalition member

16. " Children...may spend their childhoods with little or no opportunity to play in clean dirt, swim in clear, running streams, hear and see animals in their natural habitats, feel the sensations of walking through meadows and woodlands on dewy mornings, climb trees, and explore wild places. These are the experiences that bond children to the natural world, sharpen their senses, inspire a sense of beauty, build emerging concepts of biology, geology, physics, and language. And they are critical brain building experiences for complementing the physical, social, and cognitive skills developed in recess, free playground play, and compact nature areas in backyards, schoolyards, and neighborhood parks." Dr. Joe Frost, the Parker Centennial Professor Emeritus in The University of Texas at Austin College of Education's Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Texas Children in Nature Coalition member

17. HEALTHIER, HAPPIER, SMARTER, KIDS Next Steps- Using the GRS website Sign up on GRS site – no charge Start a project relating to YOUR project Include your organization name in the key words, tags when the teacher sets up a project Students publish photos and videos Tip: Have teacher include you as moderator to help review work and approve publishing Publish project results and show progress over time Tip: check out the intro videos on home page and help Have fun www.greenribbonschools.org