The Dater Montessori School Nature Center has seen a lot of school children enjoy the outdoors as they learn about nature. We have gathered dozens of outdoor activities suitable for students in Kindergarten, Grades 1 to 3 (ages 6 to 9), and Grades 4-6 (ages 9-12) into an instructor's manual that we call E.N.C.A.S.E., which stands for "Enjoying Nature Center As School Extension." The instructor's manual includes lesson plans and activities for every season, and even some indoor activities for rainy days. Click on the links below to download the PDF files for the various sections of Dater's E.N.C.A.S.E. manual. The TOC and Introduction will give you a good overview of the E.N.C.A.S.E. manual, and the Appendices provide ice breaker activities, plans and diagrams for many of the lessons, tips for adapting lessons for other age groups, and information about how the lessons can be used to meet academic standards.