Ah! Spring
Spring
is often brief here in Houston ,
but it is glorious for a while, isn’t it?
You may
have read some of the recent information and research about the effects of
children being out of touch with nature.
The reasons for this disassociation with one of our most important needs
vary among different regions and groups.
Of
course climate plays a large role: ice,
snow, rain and other wintry weather can keep children inside. In Houston ,
heat is sometimes a factor, although mornings and evenings are usually
bearable.
Some of
the strongest factors however, come from a source we would not expect: parents.
Parents
are busier than ever. Time before and
after work is often taken up with shopping, meals, and planned activities. Also, fear plays a large role in keeping
children inside. Parents fear insects,
traffic, abduction, and germs. We have
become conditioned to feel safer indoors.
In reality fewer than 150 people in the USA die due to reactions to insect
bites each year. Only about 15 deaths
occur from snakebite, and almost half of those are in adults attempting to
capture rattlesnakes. More harmful
bacteria are present on the average fast food inside play area than in the soil
on an outside playground. Nationwide
fewer than 100 children are abducted by strangers each year. Clearly we must be careful, teach children
how to avoid snakes and harmful insects and other dangers, but the numbers do
not support the level of panic we are seeing.
As
educators we can play a critical role in building a love and respect for nature
in our students. The gardens growing all
over our campus have already started the enthusiasm going. On the Elementary campus new P.E. classes are
generating fun and exercise.
Here are some words of wisdom:
Man's
heart away from nature becomes hard; a lack of respect for growing, living
things soon leads to a lack of respect for humans too. ~Chief Luther
Standing Bear
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.
~ Chief Seattle, 1854 ~
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.
~ Chief Seattle, 1854 ~
"I sincerely believe that for the child,
and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as
to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then
the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which
the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the
soil."
Rachel Carson, A Sense of Wonder
"Without
continuous hands-on experience, it is impossible for children to acquire a deep
intuitive understanding of the natural world that is the foundation of
sustainable development. ….A critical aspect of the present-day crisis in
education is that children are becoming separated from daily experience of the
natural world, especially in larger cities. Natural Learning, Creating
Environments for Rediscovering Nature's Way of Teaching, Robin C. Moore and
Herb H.
"If we want children
to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the
earth before we ask them to save it. Perhaps this is what Thoreau had in mind
when he said, "the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are
at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings."
David Sobel, Beyond Ecophobia
“Only as a child's awareness and reverence for the wholeness
of life are developed can his humanity to his own kind reach its full
development."
Rachel Carson, Edge of the Sea
So what can we do to re-connect our
students to nature?
Some easy to implement ideas:
- Plant
seeds
- Hatch
butterflies
- Grow
and release ladybugs into the gardens
- Watch
and listen to birds
- Arrange
flowers
- Repot
plants
- Play
the hoop game (directions to follow)
- Draw,
paint, sculpt, read and write out of doors
- Play
games, preferably non-competitive ones
- Have
picnics
- Collect
nature items to bring indoors for a sharing table
- Observe
insects without disturbing them
We can convey a respect and love for
nature to our students by:
- Picking
up trash when we see it on the ground
- Caring
for plants and animals
- Not
over re-acting to insects: bee
stings don’t really hurt all that much.
With a little ice they are o.k. shortly. It is comforting to a frightened child
to point out how large the child is compared to the insect and note that
the insect is more afraid of the child.
Insects are not usually aggressive and only bite and sting when
afraid. Showing a child how to sit
perfectly still to avoid scaring a bee is a great help.
- Don’t
worry about dirt. Dirty hands and
cloths are washable.
- Verbalize
how beautiful our surroundings are: leaves, flowers, grass, sky, rain,
puddles, and living creatures are gifts.
- Share
your ideas with colleagues.
Resources:
The Hoop Game
Materials:
- A
large 18” or larger wooden embroidery hoop
- A
clipboard with a supply of paper
- Pencils
for drawing and writing
- A
magnifying glass
- A
tote bag to carry the materials
Take the materials outside. Have the child gently toss the hoop
anywhere. The child then records
everything he or she can see inside the hoop.
Pictures can be drawn to illustrate the list.
What Color is Green?
Materials:
- A
clip board with a sturdy piece of paper with the word Green written at the top
- Scotch
tape
- A
small pair of blunt scissors
- A
tote bag to carry the materials
Take the bag outside. The child gathers small samples of all
the different shades of green he or she can find. Only one small leaf or blade
of grass may be clipped. The child tapes the sample to the paper and continues
until no more can be found. This can be extended using any other color found in
nature.
Is This your Tree?
This game can be played indoors or
out. You may use different rocks, sea
shells, nuts, leaves, even trees.
Materials:
- 5
or six samples of the item, all different to the touch, for example a
walnut, a pecan, a hazelnut, a peanut and a Brazil nut.
- A
blindfold
- The
child holds and feels all the items.
If you are using trees, the child walks from tree to tree and feels
the trunk and leaves.
- Have
the child choose one item as “his or hers”
- Let
the child feel the item again carefully.
The teacher can help by asking, “Is it heavy?” “Does it feel cold
or warm? Is it soft or hard?”
- Blindfold
the child.
- Hand
the child one item at a time and ask “Is this your ______________?” If you are using trees, lead the child
to each tree.
- When
the child says Yes!, take off the blindfold and let the child see the
item.
These are just a few games to play with
children. In the classroom a variety of plants and books will help the child to connect with the greater world. Identification books for birds and plants will encourage research an independent learning. Expanding the work with the botany cabinet into the outside world is an important activity as the child explores the world. When possible having classroom animals (mammal, fish, reptile, amphibian) also bring the academic work to life.
Books:
Sharing Nature with
Children: Joseph Cornell
Last Child in the
Woods: Saving our Children from Nature
Deficit Disorder: Richard
Louv
Children and Nature Psychological, Sociocultural,
and Evolutionary Investigations
Edited by Kahn and Kellert
Edited by Kahn and Kellert
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