HAE Interactions as Context

As part of vocational education, Green Chimneys School students are working at local businesses. This image shows 3 individuals under a car at Brewster Shell, two of whom are Green Chimneys students.

Transition Planning Helps Students Prepare for Adulthood

April 16, 2021

This study is the first in a series of qualitative studies, and focused on describing the essence and nature of special education teachers’ lived experiences in incorporating nature-based interventions as a tool to improve youth social-emotional learning outcomes and promote positive youth development. It is also one of the first to examine nature-based interventions that are being implemented in a positive youth development context. This approach uses a strengths-based lens that views youth development as a process of mutual influence between youth and components of their social, constructed, and natural environment.

Almost universally, teaching staff perceive nature-based interventions to effect marked improvement in:

Prosocial behavior

Caregiving and nurturing

Connection to animals, plants and humans

Curiosity and excitement about learning

While staff acknowledged occasional or temporary challenges and barriers to student participation, overall, the nature-based activities are viewed as an essential component of the Green Chimneys education and treatment model.

Jack & Jill

These Katahdin sheep twins were orphaned at birth and came to Green Chimneys during the chilliest part of winter. The children and farm staff carefully nurtured the babies following a strict schedule of bottle feeding, even into the night. Measuring formula to feed baby lambs helps teach children math and measurements, and is very important because baby lambs can get very sick if they are fed too much. The pair grew healthy and strong and is very popular with the children.