ODSS recently went live with Lisa Poe, owner of Little Bugs Nature Preschool in Maryland. The mission of Little Bugs Nature Preschool is to foster appreciation for the children’s native, natural world while providing children with hands on experiences and learning for skill development in all areas of development.
Let’s dive in and get to know Lisa, more about her program, gear preferences and other fun topics …
All about Lisa
- Her program is located in Maryland. She offers both morning and afternoon programs and caters mainly to preschool ages.
- She has been licensed for 10 years, starting as a traditional childcare program until she noticed that not all the children were thriving. She then went back to her roots in Germany where she herself as a young child attended an outdoor school.
- Lisa began to take workshops in nature-based programs and learning as much as she could to develop her curriculum for an outdoor classroom.
- She currently holds her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education.
- Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools is one of the places that got her started with nature- based education and has been an amazing resource for her professional development and personal growth.
- Lisa and Heather Quinn, along with other collaborators started Nature Learning Collective in Maryland to provide additional nature-based conferences, workshops and training. Their mission is to get more children outdoors across their state while also providing high quality training for educators and childcare providers.
- One of her educational philosophies is believing that childhood should be joyful and wholesome; that the earliest, most memorable kind of learning includes climbing trees, catching frogs, and making mud pies.
- Her theory on mud is Muddy Hands = Happy Hearts!
- She believes in the power of PLAY and learning though PLAY.
Conversations about Gear
Lisa discovered ODSS by online searching – she has particular brands that she is fond of and loves that ODSS has them all in one location. This was the exact goal here at ODSS – to make it convenient for outdoor school families, educators, and every outdoor loving-kiddo to find the gear they need readily available in one spot. During this interview, Gina from ODSS, took a moment to ask a few questions we were all wondering:
- Lisa, what are the benefits to
bulk purchasing gear for children at an outdoor program?
- Having the kiddos all in the same color. Lisa picked yellow for easy visibility.
- Having all students feel like they are part of a community
- Parents may forget to bring items each day- when this happens the program might be affected for one or more students. When they have their gear at school these kinds of hiccups are avoided.
- Taking the guess work out of figuring out what to buy for busy and stressed parents.
- Helping support all income levels; some lower income families may not be able to afford the higher quality brands that are necessary for a successful outdoor school experience for their child.
- With all that mud we see on
your Instagram feed, how do you clean the gear?
- Hose it down outside and use a scrubber or sponge cloth if needed
- Lay it out afterwards
- Hang it on the fence to dry
- Avoid using the washer/dryer if possible
- How do you ensure that gear is
maintained and can extend the life for longer wear?
- Wiping by hand
- Avoiding washer if possible and never put in the dryer because that will tamper with the fabric
- The NOSO patches sold by ODSS are easy to use to fix any rips or tears -always have a few on hand.
- Replace bootstraps from time to time due to wear and tear of putting on/taking off – always have a few on hand. ODSS is happy to provide these to Lisa!
- What are Lisa’s favorite gear
options & what would you recommend as a start if you could only
buy a few starter items?
- Lammikko Rain Bibs from Finnish brand, Reima– Affordable price & great quality
- Puddleflex Jacket and Bibs for lined winter wear from UK forest School brand, Muddy Puddles. Keeps the kids dry and warm in colder wet months in Maryland. Plus they have pockets!
- Bergen 2.0 from Helly Hansen, an unlined rain set for intense puddle sitting and mud slide time and more mild temperatures.
- Rain mittens! They are needed for all kids and now ODSS has them for adults too! Also, from brand Muddy Puddles.
- Where are the basic items a child at outdoor school needs? A rain set and rain mittens will get you started and guarantee dry kiddos outdoors.
- If you have more budget to spend- use lined bibs and jackets for winter and an unlined set for fall & spring. Maryland’s climate is more temperate so waterproof options are the most important to Lisa. The kids can layer underneath for warmth as needed.
- Lisa’s favorite for adults is the Helly Hansen adult bibs which she purchased from ODSS.
- Additional tips from Lisa:
- Buy in bulk for discounts.
- Save up for larger purchases.
- Go to thrift stores to find extra layers/fleece for the lending library.
- Add a Gear Fee to tuition to finance bulk purchases,
- Pursue Grants for gear purchases if you are able.
- Ask parents and local community for donations.
- Fundraisers
- How about tips for the process
of dressing the kiddos?
- Kids can put on the gear by themselves after a bit of practice- build in some time to have them put on by themselves and it will help build their confidence.
- Think about incorporating a song into the process that the kids sing every time they get dressed. Like the clean up song we all know and love.
- How do you reach teachers
across the country?
- Instagram is a great way to connect with other teachers. Put out great content like Lisa’s epic mud videos ….
- Reach out to other programs that have started in your area.
- Create a community of educators (cohort or collaborative) in your area.
- Training / conferences tailored to outdoor school educators.
We here at ODSS are thrilled to work with Lisa and be able to share her experiences and advice with you. For other questions on gear or bulk purchasing, do not hesitate to reach out. We love to help! Alyssa is our dedicated bulk coordinator and can be reached at [email protected]
