Announcements

Human-Animal-Environment Interactions as a Context for Child and Adolescent Growth
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:
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.
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.