Under direction of the Associate Program Director, naturalists work to plan, prepare, and carry out an integrated (综合的) science curriculum. This curriculum emphasizes basic principles of conservation biology, develops environmental awareness, imitates YMCA core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility and is aligned with the California state framework and the Next Generation Science Standards.

Naturalists lead groups of fifth-and sixth-grade students from diverse backgrounds through a 4-day learning experience that is appropriately adapted to the needs of the group and seasonal climate.

Naturalists are assigned to work with 2-6 cabin leader volunteers a week and provide an evaluation of the volunteers. Naturalists share in a variety of camp- and program-related duties, including running of meals, recreational programs/activities, and evening duties.

Minimum Requirements:

• BA or BS, preferably in the field of science or environmental studies.

• One year of teaching experience or 2 years’ working on a science-related field project.

• Strong human and public relation skills required.

• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with students, staff, volunteers, teachers, and parents.

• Must have good decision-making skills, and the ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.

• Ability to manage group sizes between 20-250 students.

• A background in natural sciences, environmental and recreational activities is preferred.

• A familiarity with outdoor education and teaching techniques used outdoors is preferred.

• Must have general knowledge of needs and behavior of school age children.

• A bilingual in Spanish/English is preferred.

Compensation Information:

• $520-560/ week, depending on experience.

• Full medical benefits and paid holidays and sick time.

Do you know an outstanding educator? Nominate (提名) them today! Prizes up to $250 are available. The wining essays will be published in our magazine!

Just follow these simple steps to nominate your educator:

First create or log into your Teen Ink account and fill out a form. Then select “Submit Form” and you’re done! You must submit before May 11, 2022 and the winners will be announced on May 31, 2022.

Overall winner: Educator

• $250 Amazon gift card & Certificate & Copy of essay

Category winner: Educator

• $100 Amazon gift card & Certificate & Copy of essay

Overall winner: Nominator

• $50 Amazon gift card & Published in Teen Ink magazine

Category winner: Nominator

• $25 Amazon gift card & Published in Teen Ink magazine

Details

All submissions to the form will be uploaded to your account on our website and published online.

Remember our activity is designed for only middle school junior high or high school educators. You must be age 13-19 to have the right to nominate someone. Your essay must be typed uploaded and shouldn’t include any inappropriate content. At the same time, the nominator must have a Teen Ink account and is required to complete the nomination form.

Nomination category must be selected. All nominations will be considered for the overall winner regardless of category. And there are such categories as math, science, English, history/ social studies, creative arts and school support.

Before writing the essay, see our general submission guidelines for more essay information and remember to give examples with specific details and that the essay must be around 500 words.

Giving is one of the main ways of understanding the value of money—but it often gets ignored. When we pay close attention to what we want for Christmas or birthdays and spending lots of money on our loved ones, why not take the time to teach your sons or daughters a little bit about giving back? Here are 4 activities which can help your children know what is the real meaning of “giving".

Donating （捐赠）Online

Because your children have seen all the fun and games from the charity organization Children in Need fundraising, it's the perfect time to show them how easy it is to donate money to charity online and how rewarding this can be. If they have a go Henry card, they can even do this themselves directly using their own money earned from playing the games that develop intelligence （智力）.

Time： Saturday every week

Giving Things to Charity

Giving their extra things to charity can help kids see how much value their things have. Explaining the money from selling their things and helping others can make them feel how lucky they are.

Time： Sunday every week

Volunteering within the Community （社区）

Whether it's clearing rubbish from a park or visiting the elderly, volunteering is certainly the most direct way for your children to understand what we mean when we say “giving". This really helps understand the value of giving some of their time.

Time： Monday every summer vacation

Getting Them to Actively Raise Money for Something

Help them discover something they really care about and get their mind set on how they could raise some money for people in need. Making cakes and selling them at school, selling some of their own things or even washing the neighbors' cars are great ways in which children can make a difference to something they care about.

Time： Tuesday every winter vacation