By Alyssa Abaloz
At the start of the new year, the Every Day Outdoors series was resurrected.
“Just go outside!” Intern coordinator and front desk lead Katie Stannard remarked. In her quest to spend time outdoors every day, Katie completed creative prompts like ‘Explore shadows made by streetlights in the snow’.
When asked what her favorite prompt from the month of January was, Stannard answered, “The wild/free spaces, because it just seemed like often I’d be out and about and would spot something interesting to photograph. Every Day Outdoors encourages curious, creative exploration for families and children–as it does for the contributors, too!”
The 2022 campaign welcomed a larger variety of staff to participate in Every Day Outdoors. Conservatory / greenhouse technician Emma Machcinski and visitor services associate Shazmin Khan completed a large portion of the prompts for January, such as ‘hug trees’, ‘hunt for plants that still have leaves’, ‘take a walk in a new place’, and ‘find seeds’.
The spindly shadows of tree limbs cast on freshly fallen snow. Photo: Katie Stannard.
“#EDO in 3 words: inquisitive, centering, whimsical,” remarked Machcinski. “Looking for seeds was one of my favorite topics to teach students about when I worked as a garden teacher. Love going on seed hunts and seeing the promise of future plants out in the landscape, and the variety of seed head structures is so beautiful.”
Emma Machcinski admiring the leaf of a tree that hadn’t yet shed its leaves. Photo: Emma Machcinski.
Check out this gallery to see all of the prompts completed in January!
