Stephanie, PreK
Year 1, Cohort 1, Non-Rural Alaska
Child-Nature Points of Interest (2018-2019)
Demographic Information
- Ethnicity: White/Caucasian, Black/African American
- DOB: September, 2013
- Gender: Female
- Birthplace: Ft. Wainwright, AK
- Family Members: Mother, Father, Brother (age 3) Brother (age 1)
- Years Parent Lived in Alaska: 5
- Parent’s feeling about place lived: 10 (1-10 rating; 10=extremely happy, 1=extremely unhappy)
- House Location(s) in Fairbanks: Outside Fairbanks City Limits
- Family Outdoor Activities:
- (Ranked frequently and almost always)
- N/A
- Child’s Outdoor Activities:
- (Ranked frequently and almost always)
- Bike, scooter, or skate
- Make believe/free play (outdoors summer)
- Pick flowers
- Collect/Find things
- Favorite Family Activity (Written response): "Play in yard"
- Child’s Favorite Summer Activity (Written response): “Swing set/bike"
- Child’s Favorite Winter Activity (Written response): “Skiing in yard"
- Description of outdoor experience when child was afraid/scared (Written response): “None indicated”
- Description of outdoor experience when child was excited/happy (Written response): “Field trip school"
Child's Drawings
Fall 2018
Title: Digging in the dirt pile near her house
Child quotes:
“Play in the dirt and dig for fossils.”
“At my house ‘cause there’s a lot of dirt.”
“My brother just plays with me and my dad just ask me to go outside.”
“I want to look for treasure rocks. I decorate a lot of rocks and they’re still outside.”
Family Feedback: Stephanie’s mother writes that Natalie plays in the dirt pile that is in the “back yard and driveway” “on weekends and when parents doing yard work.” She writes that Natalie usually plays with her “little brother” “about 1-2 [times] per week in summer.” She writes, “there is a large rock collection and the kids ‘look’ for dinosaur bones.”
Spring 2019
Title: At the ice park
Child quotes:
“At pioneers field they had it [a windmill] for a decoration.”
“I saw a butterfly that was like so beautiful and I saw a little mosquito.”
“At the ice park.”
“There was lots of pretty decorations and there was fun slides.”
“They had a little maze but I did not run in that maze.”
“I climbed all the way to the top to get the birthday cake.”
“Fire but it’s just made out of ice there’s a light in it.”
Family Feedback: N/A
Fall 2018
Class Nature Tour Video Highlights
Emotional and Behavioral Points of Interest:
Demonstrated strong competency in climbing tree – Observed higher than peers, played make-believe game on tree, “there’s a tree monster up here,” Reflected on climbing, “I love climbing those trees.”
Observant and curious about flora and fauna in the environment- “Where’s all the tiny fish?,” Made connections with environmental features: “fish lay eggs,” Noted softness of ground, “So squishy like a bed”
Expressed enjoyment going through the log area (twice) with James- “Wanna go again?”, “we’re doing this again”, “cause it’s so fun”;
Stated fear in forest- “It’s so spooky;” Negotiated fear, “but now we’re together [with peer]” Looked at trees and noted, “They look so scary.”
Spring 2019
Class Nature Tour Video Highlights
Spring 2019
Family Nature Tour Video Highlights
Emotional and Behavioral Points of Interest:
Challenges herself in the environment- crawling under thicket, climbing trees, testing boundaries with sticks; admires leaves in winter forest, singing songs while climbing trees
Child Reflections on Educational Activities
“I like to play in the long grass.”
“Play with crow and hiking through the forest.”
“Cereal in the grass because the grass is like cereal.”
“The grass is cereal.”
Child Quotes:
“Going and getting lost so I had to go under a tree that was bent.”
“Finding big sticks and breaking trees.”
“I fell down and gotted my hair all wet.”
“Go on the side walk with no snow. Can’t go into the forest.”
This project is funded by the National Science Foundation. Award # 1753399, CAREER: A longitudinal study of the emotional and behavioral processes of Environmental Identity Development among rural and non-rural Alaskan children