Tallgrass Land & Learning

10/20/2026

🧠🔬 LET'S GET SCIENCE-Y!

What if one of the best things we could do for attention is simply go outside?🌿

We spend a lot of time talking about what's competing for our attention.

But what does the research tell us about environments that actually support it?

A 2022 systematic review published in Educational Psychology Review examined research on how exposure to nature affects cognitive functioning in children and adolescents.

Researchers found substantial support for benefits in three important areas:

🌱 Selective attention: The ability to focus on what's important while filtering out distractions.

🌱 Sustained attention: The ability to maintain focus over time.

🌱 Working memory: The ability to hold and use information while completing a task.

These aren't just academic skills. They're foundational to learning, problem-solving, following directions, and navigating everyday life.

And here's what we find particularly interesting.

Nature may help reduce cognitive overload and stress while giving our attention an opportunity to recover.

Think about how different it feels to walk through a quiet prairie compared to navigating a crowded, noisy environment filled with constant demands.

Now consider what that might mean for children whose brains are still developing.

Maybe outdoor time shouldn't be something we squeeze in after the learning is finished. Maybe it should be part of how we support learning in the first place.

At Tallgrass Land & Learning, that's a question worth exploring. 🌾

📖 Today's peer-reviewed research:

Vella-Brodrick, D. A., & Gilowska, K. (2022). Effects of nature (greenspace) on cognitive functioning in school children and adolescents: A systematic review. Educational Psychology Review.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09658-5

Nature isn't a distraction from learning. It may be one of the environments that helps make learning possible.

There is growing interest in understanding the extent to which natural environments can influence learning particularly in school contexts. Nature has the potential to relieve cognitive overload, reduce stress and increase wellbeing—all factors that are conducive to learning. This paper provides a...

10/20/2026

Planting seeds for conservation🦋

We’re collecting showy milkw**d seeds, swamp milkw**d seeds, and butterfly w**d seeds for our future Monarch Waystation. Now is the perfect time to harvest seeds, and we would appreciate any donations.

At Tallgrass Land & Learning, we’re passionate about connecting people with the land and protecting the natural world.

Let’s grow something wonderful together 🌱

10/19/2026

🧠🔬 LET'S GET SCIENCE-Y!

Your phone doesn't need your attention to steal it.

Ever been completely focused on something, heard your phone buzz, and immediately lost your train of thought?

Here's something fascinating: You don't even have to pick up your phone for it to interrupt your attention.

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that simply receiving a phone notification could significantly disrupt performance on an attention-demanding task, even when participants never touched their phones.

And the distraction was comparable in magnitude to what researchers observed when people were actively using their phones.

Think about what that means for our daily lives.

For children trying to learn. For teachers trying to teach. For parents juggling work, responsibilities, and family life.

We've created environments where interruptions are practically constant, and then we wonder why concentrating feels so difficult.

Maybe the solution isn't simply asking people to focus harder. Maybe we need to create environments that make focusing easier.

That might mean silencing unnecessary notifications, protecting uninterrupted learning time, or intentionally stepping away from devices.

Small changes to our environments can create meaningful opportunities for sustained attention.

And perhaps that's where we should start. 🌾

📖 **Today's peer-reviewed research:**

Stothart, C., Mitchum, A., & Yehnert, C. (2015). *The attentional cost of receiving a cell phone notification.* Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance.

https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000100

**Less interruption. More intention.**

It is well documented that interacting with a mobile phone is associated with poorer performance on concurrently performed tasks because limited attentional resources must be shared between tasks. However, mobile phones generate auditory or tactile notifications to alert users of incoming calls and....

10/18/2026

🛡️ Sheet metal to prevent the diggers 🛡️

🚫🦊🦝🦡

10/18/2026

Making progress! 🐔 🐥

Old chicken wire off! It will be replaced with hardware cloth.

10/18/2026

🐔🔒 Operation: Mission Imp-HEN-etrable 🌾

Follow along today as we turn our Tallgrass chicken coop into Fort Knox! Keeping the chickens IN, the prairie predators OUT, and the kids learning along the way.

Is this overkill? Probably. 😂
Are we having fun with the kids while doing it? Absolutely!

🐓🌾

10/18/2026

Collaboration 🤝

Some of our best connections begin with a simple conversation. A friend knows someone who knows someone. A community member hears about Tallgrass and connects us with an agency. Another nonprofit shares a grant opportunity.

Every introduction, recommendation, and shared resource helps us grow our reach and strengthen our mission. 🌾

We’re grateful for the people who believe in what we’re building and help connect the dots. From our local community to partnerships across the state and country, we’re building relationships that help Tallgrass Land & Learning grow stronger together.

Know of a resource, organization, or connection that aligns with our mission? We’d love to hear about it! Please share it in the comments below or send us a private message.

10/17/2026

The work continues! Propane tank, septic system, A/C, chicken coop, dog kennel, and our natural playground 🪵🌳

10/17/2026

Just another day in the classroom ❤️