Over the last nine months, Kelly Magerkurth has served as an educator at the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, leading educational programs that encouraged visitors to get outside, explore nature and discover the world around them.

Outdoor education provides opportunities for appropriate risk-taking that support children’s physical and emotional development. Kelly brought these opportunities to life through a STEAM teaching model, allowing children to explore complex subjects in an approachable, hands-on way. Nature teaches us about connectedness. Kids learn that living things depend on one another, and that learning can happen through observation, exploration and play.

Kelly’s work was about more than teaching children about plants, bugs and water. It was about helping children and families see their own connection to the natural world.

“I appreciate the opportunity this partnership provided me to engage with children and families in activities that spark curiosity and enthusiasm about our interdependence with the natural world. Environmental Education encompasses every aspect of our lives. It’s good to see organizations working together to raise that awareness and I am grateful to have been part of making that happen,” Kelly said.

While focusing on outdoor learning, Kelly’s activities emphasized how water, bugs and plants play a part in our world, bringing together the idea that the place we live is also a place we care for. Connection to the land is an important part of Kansas history, with many farmers growing up in open spaces where they learned the importance of local ecosystems and how those ecosystems support the land.

Kansas’ prairies are an important part of that landscape, providing habitat for wildlife, supporting healthy soil and water, and helping us understand the connections between plants, animals and people. For children, time spent outdoors can offer a chance to build that connection through firsthand experiences, whether they are observing an insect, exploring a plant or simply getting comfortable with the natural spaces around them.

Kelly’s role at the Discovery Center was made possible thanks to AmeriCorps. KACEE leads a program that places AmeriCorps members at organizations throughout Kansas “to focus on increasing environmental literacy for PreK-12 students and building capacity for environmental education in the region.”

Caitlin  Luttjohann, Vice President of Play and Learning shared, “Kelly did a wonderful job bringing outdoor learning to life at the Discovery Center. She created meaningful experiences for our guests while also sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with our staff. Her work helped us think about new ways to connect children and families with the outdoors, and we’re grateful for the impact she had on our team and our museum.”

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Kelly for the incredible learning opportunities she brought to the museum and for inspiring curiosity about the world around us. We’re grateful for the time, creativity and enthusiasm she shared with our visitors and staff.

Her work is a reminder that sometimes the best classroom is the one just outside the door, where children can explore, take appropriate risks, ask questions and discover their connection to the world around them.