The last crickets have stopped chirping. There is a startling, almost unsettling, shift and rapid change which happens in November in New England that always takes me by surprise. Whereas during October we were waiting for the leaves to change color, it seems like one week the trees are on fire with yellow, green, gold, red and purple and the next most of the leaves have fallen and the lawns, streets, parks, and forests are covered with dead, brown, crunchy Maple and Oak tree leaves ( the yellowed leaves of the Beech trees oddly stay put until the following Spring). Mary Holland in her book Naturally Curious characterizes November as the month of “quiescence.” After a beginning to the month where animals are assiduously preparing for winter, November ends up a time of quiet, quiescence and stocktaking. (Be sure to follow Mary Holland’s Naturally Curious website for a close look at what is happening each and every day in New England, https://naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com/ ).
Adults brace themselves for the coming of winter. Children, forever always more in the moment, are more curious, interested and open to the changes in the landscape, and in general, are not nearly as fearful as adults are of the coming cold. They tend to enjoy the changes in the air and the changes in the land. At school our nature theme for the month is animal preparations for winter, changes in the land, and investigating the sort of quiet and vigilant silence that settles in. The song birds have migrated, the insects die, disappear and lay eggs, and the prodigious tumult and activity of summer dies down, replaced by methodical, studious-like preparations for winter.
Animals do one of, and/or a combination of, four things: hibernate, migrate, adapt and stay active. It is worthwhile to explore all four of these strategies for dealing with the coming winter. I like to divide the kids up into four groups( say squirrels, snakes, Canadian geese and rabbits) and have each group emulate the species they are identifying with. It is a remarkable exercise to see the kids find the warmest spot in the yard or the woods ( a down and dirty form of “migration”), find a cozy dark spot to cuddle up in and hibernate, adapt ( by putting on warmer clothes!), and just staying active like the ubiquitous gray squirrel. Choose a particular animal to study in depth to learn more about how animals prepare for, adapt, migrate and hibernate during the winter.
The fresh, cooler air is invigorating and makes it a great time for walking in the woods and playing outside. Walking through the crunchy leaves and then suddenly coming upon a grove of Pine trees and feeling the difference underneath your feet gives kids a visceral sense of the textures and contours of the natural environment that they are a part of. Because the deciduous trees are dropping their leaves it is easier to see birds in the trees and their abandoned nests. It is as if the primary occupants have gone on vacation and we are free to explore their homes and look at the forest in an entirely new way. I have been able to let the kids do some amateur, off trail, “orienteering” because they are able to see through the thickets and tree stands to places that are familiar to them. With one class we built a huge “eagle’s nest” and made it our base of operations in the woods as the little “eaglets” ventured out and explored their surroundings.
With the late coming of the leaves changing colors and dying, leaf projects are still relevant and worthwhile pursuing. As the leaves fall off the trees it is a great time to do both leaf rubbings to get at the intricate organic patterns of the leaves, and draw and look at the shape of trees as a whole. Plus there is something very satisfying about getting your kids to rake up some huge leaf piles and then have fun jumping and rolling around in them. You can also explore the seasonal changes of what trees are actually doing during fall and winter, and explore the differences between evergreens and deciduous trees. So for instance, “the little buds that will blossom in spring are already fully formed little packages of miniature leaves, stems and sometimes flowers, and will remain protected by bud scales all winter” (Holland). Once the leaves fall off it is also an excellent time to look for birds nests and think about animal homes in general.
The November Full Moon is November 23 and is called the Beaver Moon because the beavers are making their lodges in preparation for winter ( they stay active in their lodges throughout the winter living off of stored food and cleverly designed water tunnel trails to the shore to take advantage of temporary thaws). So continue to nurture each child’s curiosity and explore, draw, and build nests, homes and other structures with your kids.
This is a good time to “survey” your yard, clean it up, throw away junk, put other stuff in storage and check out what’s happening, what’s going on. Most of the insects are gone, worms are still active, redbacked salamanders, the last of the active amphibians, will begin to go deeper down in the ground to find places in the earth that don’t freeze. Walk every inch of your yard and notice and explore everything. Get the kids involved in cleaning up your yard and thinking about what ways you can use and explore your yard as it gets colder: more organized outdoor games, kite building and flying, collecting stuff (rocks, seeds, leaves, etc.), taking nature indoors (worm farms), etc. And continue to get out and about in the natural places nearest to your homes and schools so that the children can develop an intimate familiarity with the changes that are going on all around them.
Finally, Thanksgiving is a unique, much beloved American holiday within our culture that has also has been the scene of some of the ugliest and insipid representations of Native Americans in United States history. So much of my earth and placed based understanding of culture comes from Native American stories, practices and beliefs. Every school and families of all cultural backgrounds should be consciously exploring how Native Americans are understood by their children and proactively doing projects that address, acknowledge and explore Native American culture in relation to the United States in ways that are developmentally appropriate. Without whitewashing the violence that has been an integral part of American society since its beginning, we can make early childhood education a locus of positive social change by 1) expressing and cultivating our gratitude for the blessings of nature, family, and community, 2) working toward a truly peaceful, multicultural society based on respect, justice, curiosity, cooperation, and collaboration between different groups, 3) and developing a regular practice of gratitude and giving thanks based on the interconnectedness of all living things. And don’t read any racist, stereotypical “first thanksgiving books” or dress the kids up like pilgrims and “indians.”
Lets try to heal cultural conflicts and build on positive cultural traditions by seeking out ways we can learn from one another, make wrongs right, and express gratitude for our shared humanity and shared existence with all the living beings that make up this good earth. Let’s craft our curriculum out of our children’s interests and what is going on outside. Let’s take risks, try new things, help each other, learn from each other, be inspired by one another. Set your intention each morning around your deepest, most compelling values and around the specific challenges and opportunities of this day! “Happy teachers (and parents and child care givers) change the world.”
