Kansas Association for Conservation & Environmental Education on the GMCF Community Hour Show- Episode 323

We talk with Kansas Green Schools Director Rachel Wahle about why getting kids outdoors is one of the fastest ways to counterbalance rising screen time and student anxiety. We share how KACEE supports teachers across Kansas with practical training, standards-aligned curriculum, and student projects that create real change at school. 
• what KACEE is and how we train the trainers in environmental education across Kansas 
• why outdoor learning fits what teachers already teach rather than adding extra work 
• how phones, attention, and youth mental health connect to the “anxious generation” conversation 
• the scale of the Kansas Green Schools Network and what partnerships look like in districts 
• how Kansas teachers co-develop curriculum by grade band to match standards 
• the screen time and outdoor time gap and why it matters for learning and well-being 
• free professional development and curriculum guides teachers can use right away 
• Green School Investigations on energy, waste and recycling, water, and air quality 
• why the message stays simple through strong partnerships and an “arsenal” of resources 
Visit k-a-c-e-e.org to sign up for free, find professional development, and use the donation link for one-time or recurring support 

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Transcript

Meet Rachel And Define KACEE

SPEAKER_00 0:00

News Radio K M A N. Rachel Wally is the Kansas Green Schools director for the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, which is the longest title I've seen this week.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

For a job. Right. How are you? Fantastic. Fantastic. Always fun to see you.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Yeah. Rachel also does a little bit of radio work. So you're you're no stranger to a microphone, so thank you for joining us here this morning. So let's talk a little bit about what um do you have a nickname for this? Casey. Casey.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Casey. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Casey. I like that.

unknown 0:39

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Tell me what Casey is.

Training Teachers In Outdoor Learning

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Oh man. So Casey, our primary, excuse me, our primary audience is teachers. And so we train the trainers in environmental education across the state of Kansas. Like why getting kids outdoors matters, how environmental education already fits what they're already teaching in their classroom. It's not something extra. But yeah, we work with zoos, nature centers, nonprofits, and teachers across the state on environmental education.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

How's this coincide with your gig at Sunset Zoo?

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Well, I was at the zoo for about 10 years and I worked with Casey during that time. And when an opening happened, I was super excited to be able to make that transition because my heart is the more impact I can make, the better. And in this role, I'm directly working with teachers all the time, and it's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

You know, and education's different these days because kids have these things called phones in their hands, and there's, you know, attention issues. There's also, you know, big some will say it's because of the phones and all the social media mental health uh issues with kids, and and that's got to be a challenge for people in this work.

Technology Anxiety And Nature’s Counterbalance

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Yes, it really has uh changed. You know, t the the teachers that we work with are actually super excited about phones going away because they feel like they can actually teach again versus it kind of felt like a lost cause for a while. And the big word um is correlation, that there's a correlation with all those um attention deficit disorders, um, mental health on the rise as technology is also on the rise. And the cool thing is um nature outdoors has never changed, and how it basically um fights, for lack of a better word, how it just counteracts all the negative impacts happening with technology, you know, the outdoors and in environmental education is one of the quickest ways to counterbalance those effects.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

And I understand you work with a lot of different schools, manhagnogan schools, you know, for one, you know, talking about our our you know, local listenership here. They're registered. And and what does that partnership look like on an annual basis?

Kansas Green Schools Network At Scale

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Yeah, uh well, with the Kansas Green Schools Network, we have about 600 schools and 20 plus districts registered. All of Manhattan schools are a part of that. And Casey, we actually are always a part of the professional development days. Um, and sometimes schools call us directly to do uh PD day at their school. And so we run sessions, uh, we help what's called the Anxious Generation. Um, there's a book called The Anxious Generation, and um it's all about this correlation um with technology. And so we go in and work with the teachers on activities that they can instantly use in their classroom. Um, whether they're high school chemistry or a kindergarten teacher, uh, we already have just honestly a thousand at least curriculums that are nationally awarded. And so we train the teachers on whatever you're teaching, environmental education isn't something extra. You're just using, you know, these activities to still accomplish the same goal.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

Goodness. Uh uh this may surprise a lot of people about just how big this organization is and all the different things that uh all the different types of topics that you're able to work around or work with.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Yeah. Today I'm at a in Salina. Um there's a technology trainer or a technology trailer that's in the works of being developed all about water. Um so Casey's here today just with our expertise on water education and what would need to be included in that trailer. Um, so whether it's water, energy, uh basic good old outdoor education, whatever it is, like we help people design or or connect the dots to make it really easy for them. So if they're doing a water festival for fourth graders, then we can say, great, here's your top 10 best activities uh to meet your goals and objectives for that.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

So what's involved in that relationship between your organization and the teachers?

Building Kansas Made Curriculum With Teachers

SPEAKER_01 5:21

What is it? What? Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

What's what's that connection like between you and the teachers? What is all is involved in developing this?

SPEAKER_01 5:28

Oh, it's so well in developing it, we do have like a lot of times we'll get grants and we'll um have the teachers co-develop curriculum with us. Um, so it's made by Kansas teachers for Kansas teachers. Um, like, and we'll do that in grade bands, so like K2, 3-5, middle school, high school. Um, so it's very specific and relevant. It's meeting their next generation science standards uh or math standards, whatever it is. So everything we do is is again accomplishing what they're already doing in the classroom. We're just helping them use environmental education as the tool to get it done for all the benefits.

Screen Time Stats And Outdoor Benefits

SPEAKER_01 6:12

You know, teachers are are experiencing burnout at a rate higher than ever. And outdoors and nature, you know, 20 minutes outdoors can can make all the difference for your mental health.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

And so we really nothing like getting outside to restore the soul. So true. Unless it's 116 degrees in Kansas.

SPEAKER_01 6:33

Yeah, then it's a little bit more difficult for you to be choosy on your time to go out.

SPEAKER_00 6:39

It's all about planning and scheduling, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Yep. I think that the average right now is the average uh teen outside of school is on technology eight to ten hours a day, um, outside of classes, eight to ten hours. The average kid outside of sports and all the required activities, the average kid is only spending 30 minutes and unstructured time a week just outside playing. And the average kid is spending half as much time outdoors as their parents did. And so that's like why we're always talking about outdoor education and teachers, you know, um, zoos, nature centers, other nonprofits? I mean, it's like they're the connecting piece that can really make all the difference for their students, mental health, well-being, education, also environmental education, having access to green space, um, testing scores increase. So all kinds of benefits for just outdoor education.

Free Tools And Student Investigations

SPEAKER_00 7:42

So, what kind of initiatives can teachers in their own respective communities undertake in order to help advance this uh this uh concern of you know trying to get the kids involved?

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Yeah, well, we do have KC on our website. It's just um k ace.org. We have all kinds of online professional development that's there that teachers can take. And we even have some that are sponsored, and so it's free. So teachers can get all these curriculum guides for free. Um, so there's the professional development we offer, but also just for the students, we have uh green school investigations that is accessible for free, and it lets students actually explore their schools in energy, waste and recycling, water, um, indoor and outdoor air quality. So they can conduct these investigations, develop an action plan, and they can make changes directly in their school.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

You know, you're working with a lot of individuals. You're working with teachers, you're working with people that are staffs of, you know, some of these outdoor places like Sunset Zoo and others, um, people that are involved in clubs, all these different things.

Keeping The Message Simple Through Partnerships

SPEAKER_00 8:55

How big of a challenge is it to try to not just coordinate, but keeping that message simple and effective and consistent?

SPEAKER_01 9:08

You know, I feel like what we do is pretty simple. You know, getting kids outdoors, connecting people to nature, it's a pretty simple message. And I feel like even connecting the dots for people is our superpower. Um so I really do think it's like we have an arsenal ready and we can meet the need of whatever it is, you know, that teacher is needing or that nonprofit is needing, or USD 383, they come to us and it's like we have a specific objective. Can you help with this? And because it's such a well-filled arsenal, we can and it really is about partnership. I mean, we're small but mighty, um, and we really do care. And so I think that goes a long way just in connecting and supporting.

Donations And How The Community Helps

SPEAKER_00 10:03

Anything uh that that the community can do to help, specifically maybe in the financially side, financial side.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

Oh, yeah. I mean, um when the uh Grow Green Match Day happens every year, I think we're called the Green Apple on that. And that's always great because those funds go obviously specifically to our work with teachers in the Manhattan Ogden School District. But we also always have on our website um you can sign up for free and and really know what's happening in the world of um environmental and outdoor education. Um there's a donation link on our website that can be one time or reoccurring. But um, you know, being a nonprofit, uh it is challenging because we don't have a place that our money comes from. Uh sometimes we have money and sometimes we like we've all gone down to halftime before in the past because we had no money. Um so any kind of support, you know, is always amazing and just furthers the work of what we can accomplish as a small but mighty staff for sure. And again, that's casey.org.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

Well, I certainly respect and appreciate the effort you are undertaking in order to help kids through these. And obviously, you know, you help the parents and and the teachers. So it's a it's a good effort that has a lot of people, a lot of bodies included.

Links Recap And Closing

SPEAKER_01 11:24

For sure. It's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

Rachel Wally with the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education. That's KC for short, k-a-c-e-e.org. And she is the Kansas Green School Director. Always a delight to visit with you. You have a wonderful day. All right. We're gonna be back with Jana in just a couple of minutes. We're gonna talk about some things that are happening in the community and also give you a preview of next week's show on the GMCF Community Hour here on News Radio KMAN.