Richard Louv has argued persuasively in Last Child in the Woods and the Nature Principle that children in particular, and modern urban and suburban society in general, suffers from a debilitating nature-deficit disorder. Progressive, innovative educators must adopt some version of a place based, outdoor, environmentally aware pedagogy as a key plank in any kind of educational platform that will be part of radical social change. When you get outside regularly, exploring, learning, and growing outside becomes “second nature.”
September is such a tempestuous month. We have some very hot days right at the beginning of the month, and then toward the middle the first cold rains, followed by some glorious not the end of summer, not the beginning of fall days. The sluggish green cast of the late summer river gives way to a turbulent, chocolate brown. Mary Holland suggests that “creatures that are more tuned in to the seasons to a greater degree than humans are preparing for the months ahead by migrating, laying eggs, breeding, gorging, catching food, and finding shelter.” Something is in the air.
With September being the start of the new school year I get way too excited and want the children to experience everything all at once, when what I really need to do is slow down and remember, “first things first.” Getting to know your students and helping your kids get to know one another should be your first priority in the new school year. Caring, supportive relationships are the foundation for all the learning, growth and exploration your children will do throughout the year. So the “theme” of the first month of any school should be building relationships and getting to know one another, but this doesn’t happen in a vacuum. If you want your children to find their place in the world, develop a sense of curiosity, wonder and adventure, and you don’t want your kids taken over by the artificial, vacuous, media culture that dominates the modern world, there is no better practice than getting outside, playing outside, and making the natural world a primary place, the primary place, to learn about oneself, each other and the world.
So we are getting to know one another, we are making making friends with each other, and we are exploring our own “backyards” and the natural areas that are closest to our homes and schools. We are getting to know the local plants, trees, and animals, and building a relationship with Mother Earth. We are learning about the reoccurring rhythms, the dominant events, the processes and interconnections that make our lives possible, beautiful, wonderful and meaningful. We are right on the cusp of summer and fall, so some of the things that are happening are dramatic changes in the weather, a grand dispersion of seeds ( acorns, nuts, other seeds), and the harvesting of the summer’s bounty. This is a great time of year to explore and experience the abundance of the natural world. Be sure to note what your children’s interests are, what fascinates them and intrigues them, and integrate that into your curriculum. So on the very first day some of my kids were fascinated with the lavender and the mint in the yard so we are making lavender sun tea. Another child was collecting different shaped leaves so I am going to help her get a collection going.
My specific plans for the month are: 1) nature names/spirit animals: “assigning an animal to each child and helping each kid make a special connection with a local animal 2) exploring, surveying and seeing what’s happening and what can be done in the playground/backyard 3) introductory walks to East Rock Woods ( the local park/woods near our school), 4) scavenger/treasure hunts where I give the kids a list of possible treasures and I set out a table or a blanket and we gather all our treasures and marvel and reflect on them, 5) making moon sticks with the kids where we mark the passage of time on a stick with each Full Moon, 6) and exploring the four elements (earth, water, air, fire): playing in the mud and water, breathing mindfully, and building a fire. Other “events” to think about are integrating all the country fairs that are going on around the state in September, enjoying the last songs of the crickets, grasshoppers and cicadas before they go to bed, and learning about the shore birds and raptors that are beginning to migrate South.
Other activities might include: games the bring us in closer touch with the natural world and each other, collections, nature journals, gardening projects, monarch butterfly caterpillars, weather projects, and mapmaking. As you and your children become attuned to observing and paying attention to the outside world, many other interests, questions, problems and possibilities will arise. What I need to do is take my cues from the rhythms and patterns of the natural world, the children’s emergent interests and my sense of a repertoire of habits, attitudes, skills, competencies and strategies that will well serve the child as she or he grows as a human being and learns about who she or he is in relation to the world. The most important thing is to help each child develop a sense of comfort and adventure outside, and have FUN!
