Volunteers as Teachers -- Mar. 27, 2024

Volunteers as Teachers: Interpretation - Unit 23 in your textbook. Optional guided reading page

Chris Ulch, BPTMN Class of 2022

Read Chris's BIO

1. Look over Unit 23 in your textbook. Optional guided reading page

2. Watch the video (63:36) and complete the reflection question

NOTE: This is a relatively long video, but it's an excellent, inspiring presentation, so the time spent is well worth it! 

These projects are optional, but I would encourage everyone to consider signing up. (You earn Volunteer Service Hours for your time spent in preparation and presenting.) At the January BPTMN Chapter meeting, four members of the Class of 2023 reprised their presentations. (And received rave reviews, I might add!) If you missed this meeting, you can watch the recording of the five presentations HERE. 

If you choose to prepare a project, you have three choices: 

1. Prepare and present a "Ted Talk" at our last class. These have a ten-minute maximum. Any topic in the TMN curriculum (your textbook) is fair game! These will be presented during our final class on May 8.  We will have 12 presentation slots.

2. Prepare and record a presentation. These will also have a ten-minute maximum. Again, any topic in the TMN textbook is fair game. These recordings will be added to our chapter education library. Your audience could be children, youth, the general public, or Texas Master Naturalists. 

3. Prepare a "product" such as a brochure, education/outreach trunk, cheat sheet, etc. We have a need for more outreach resources, and we have funds available for building "trunks" for education and outreach.

We will give you more details about these options at next week's class, and the sign-up genius will go live next Thursday, March 28.

Logging Hours

*Make sure that you have recorded last week's attendance in VMS.

(If you missed class, contact your pod guides to schedule a make-up.)  

Opportunity: Init Training-Class 7     

Date: March 20, 2024  

Hours: 3.0 

Description: Meteorology with Dr. David Baker

If you attended the Field Trip to John Bunker Sands Wetlands, enter it in VMS. 
Opportunity: Initial Training: Field Trip (A), (B), or (C)

    Date: March 23, 2024
Hours: 2.5
Description: Field Trip to John Bunker Sands Wetlands (add more details if you like)

If this was your 4th Field Trip, enter it as

Opportunity: AT: BPTMN: Other Pre-Approved Training

Date: March 23, 2024

Hours: 2.5

Description: Additional Training Class Field Trip to John Bunker Sands Wetlands

Snack Sign-up

Have you signed up to bring a snack for class yet? If not, sign up HERE.

Advanced Training (AT) Opportunities

• Online Deep Dive Eclipse 101:  Monday, March 25, 6:00 - 6:30 PM  Click the Link to join the Deep Dive via Zoom More info on chapter home page: https://txmn.org/bptmn/   Approved for half hour of AT to be logged as AT: BPTMN Chapter Deep Dives – Description box: ‘Eclipse 101

• Amy Martin presentation "North Texas Ecotones" at LLELA, March 23rd, 10am-12pm, see registration details on chapter calendar

• See Chapter Calendar for MANY other AT and VH opportunities

Brandon's Prairie presentation slides

Nancy's Priaire Plants brochure

WEEK EIGHT CLASS UPDATE

Good Morning, Class of 2024!

Hope you all learned something new last night with Dr. Baker’s excellent presentation; I know I do every time! As a bonus, we have some interesting weather today! I would encourage you all to investigate the website for the AUSTIN COLLEGE WEATHER STATION that Dr. Baker showed us last night. There are tons of great resources there, most of which he didn’t have time to go into.

If you haven’t signed up for at least a couple of the class Bioblitzes, please do so HERE. These are lots of fun, and you earn Volunteer Service hours, too! Along those lines, I’d also encourage everyone to sign up for as many FIELD TRIPS as you can. Three is the minimum, but not the maximum. Rick and I try to hit as many as we possibly can every year. (In fact, many people say the field trips are the best part of the whole training experience!)

Next week we’ll talk about the End-of-Class Projects that you can sign up for. These projects are optional, but I would encourage everyone to consider signing up. (You earn Volunteer Service Hours for your time spent in preparation and presenting.) At the January BPTMN Chapter meeting, four members of the Class of 2023 reprised their presentations. (And received rave reviews, I might add!) If you missed this meeting, you can watch the recording of the five presentations HERE. 

• Please consider helping out with the Outreach table at the “Eclipse at the Stadium” event in Frisco on April 8. You will not be alone, and don’t have to have any special expertise or knowledge! Just show up and be yourself.  Contact Marla Layne at MarlaL@bptmn.org for more details and/or to sign up. 

I’ve attached a couple of resources from last week’s Prairies presentation. Brandon shared his slide with us, and Nancy created a printable brochure version of the prairie plants activity we did in the breakout rooms. Both are attached. 

Cheers,

Lisa

Lisa Travis, New Class Director

Texas Master Naturalist, Blackland Prairie Chapter

education@bptmn.org

(817) 832-3912

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

  -- Margaret Mead