The reason I write this blog is manifold. Primarily, I believe in reflection and this is my journal. I use the lens of how I am raising my children and helping shape my community be aware of urban nature and how the choices my family and others make effects this environment. I also try to document ways that I am can become a better environmental educator & hopefully enter in a conversation about how to do that.
Yesterday I attended a workshop on a curriculum about how to bring environmental education to young people. My biggest take aways were:
That every child should have access to a nature center or nature based preschool. This idea is not new: it only reinforces why kindergarten came into existence.
That since many children and their parents have become disconnected from spending time together in nature that we need to model & learn to do it together.
That maybe there is another type of "park" we should have in our communities, something like adventure playgrounds, but natural exploration areas for children--by creating something new perhpas we can get away from some of the standardization that has occurred in our playgrounds.
That books and puppets are absolutely wonderful tools to help kids learn about nature.
That touching the REAL thing is always the best. An example is that it felt wonderful to be touching real sea shells for a counting, measuring, sorting activity.
Use natural materials as often as possible, even in art projects.
Add essential oils (and even objects) to playdough for another sensory experience.
This class also made me reflect again on why I am struggling so much to organize my Urban Nature Family Play and Learn. Our location is basically an empty lot. The area we hike is three blocks away. It is not a simple transition; but the challenge is actually a microcosm of what so many experience on a daily life and so it adds urgency to showing families that it can be done. I think I have been caught in the trap that I need to be entertaining during play in learn, when actually the acts of small discoveries (or new friendships) right in a lot and then taking an urban hike is as much of the experience as is the time in the woods. This is critical because in the ideal community I envision, children will never have to ride in cars as they will be able to walk or take mass transit in their communities. It is an ideal that my family has largely lived by--and it has not hurt our boys rather only given them true adventures & connections to their community.
Just yesterday while I had the car to attend an out of town workshop my boys experienced urban trekking with their father including a ride on a light-rail train and two busses. They hadn't even meant to do so much of it: but on their journey to downtown they ended up walking a couple of miles- because when they finished their activities they were going to take a different route home than when they came. However, they are putting a new street car track in on the road with their return bus and the signs at the stops said, "this bus stop closed, head south two blocks" however, when they would get to that stop they would see another sign saying "this bus stop closed." They never found their bus and finally found another route to get back home but not without seeing: "a crane,and signs that said keep going southbound"says T "then we found a full bus"says both boys.....and more and more that I have been hearing about since yesterday. These boys know their city. They are learning how it works/ and also some of its challenges. They are engaged citizens at just three years old!
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