Green Education

I have been deep in research mode lately, since my camp doesn't start up for a few more days and I haven't been working directly with any kiddos recently. This means that while I don't have as much direct experience or stories to offer at the moment, I do have tons of ideas and resources to share. First of all, I've been reading and investigating more on Richard Louv's concept of Nature Deficit Disorder (remember his book Last Child in the Woods from this post a while back?). I picked up his follow-up book, The Nature Principle as a graduation gift for my little sister who is starting at Sterling College next fall, a small alternative school in Vermont that puts the need to connect with the natural world at the heart of their curriculum. She is still in the middle of another book so I decided to dig into it first--we are sisters after all, we share stuff all the time anyway, particularly our favorite books. Well, this book is just as incredible as the last and I want to share with you a quote Louv recorded on page 72....

In addition to the benefits to physical and mental health, there's the added spiritual value of green exercise. The theologian Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, "Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement, to look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; to be spiritual is to be constantly amazed."

I love this idea, and I completely agree, there is magic all around us, every day if we just open our eyes and hearts to it. Just yesterday I was trying out my new binoculars and struggling just to get it so I was no longer seeing double, and in a bit of frustration let them drop and hang around my neck. Just then I noticed that a few feet in front of me, a little brown bunny was watching me from next to the purple and white bell flowers that surround the trunk of the old maple tree in our yard. The rabbit froze as we locked eyes, but since I didn't move, he stayed there for a moment rather than hopping immediately away. He hopped around a bit as I watched him and then scampered off to the crab apple tree toward the back of our small piece of land. He continued to watch me and I continued not to move, content in the moment just to see what he might do next. The sweet little bunny went about his business of munching on clover leaves and sniffing the air as I went back to messing around with my binoculars. He was still hanging out when I got bored and headed inside and back to my computer.

Oh how I miss working in the garden with K, the best little lima bean (and pigeon pea) sheller I ever knew. She is a girl after my own heart, as plucking peas from their pods was my favorite task too back when I was my mother's little garden helper

I was so inspired by my experience with the rabbit, that I went on the hunt for what other bloggers, teachers, parents, and writers had to say on the subject of getting out into the outdoors with kids. Ever since I had the opportunity to teach in an outdoor classroom, on the farm in Hawaii with little K, I can't stop thinking about the value of green education. Louv's books are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the literature available on this subject and although his work and a few others are the only ones I've delved into so far, I am so impressed by and excited about what I foresee learning over the next however many months, (or more likely, years) it takes me to get through it all. And not only is there literature available to satiate my own hunger to learn, there is just as much, if not more geared toward the most important audience, the children themselves.

Being a long-time lover of children's literature, I am well aware that such stories exist and I have used many of them in my classrooms quite regularly, but I had no idea just how many books are so well suited for green education. This is what I am calling a nature-based program that is rooted in a belief in a sustainable lifestyle that is in harmony with rather than opposed to the natural world, while at the same time encourages and supports technological and economic innovation and development through an interest-driven program fostering a life-long love of learning. Green Education is my new philosophy and passion, though it seems this is where I've been heading all along, I just didn't know quite what to call it yet. The name has probably been around for a while, I'm fairly certain I am not the first to think of it, and the concept is certainly not my own creation, but either way I am advocating for it like crazy, regardless. I firmly believe that a green or sustainability focus is exactly what is necessary to breathe new life into the education system, and in turn the economy after that.

So now that I've rambled for a bit, it's time to get to the good stuff...

Check out more about this incredible book here

• Here is Joyce, from Inner Child Learning and her 5 tips for exploring nature with the kiddos. I love this post because it offers a lot of really simple and easy tips for getting outside with kids for the every day parent. Don't have expensive camping gear or a whole weekend to spend, then this post is for you!
• Check out this gardening and growing plants themed list of amazing children's books, I love them all!!
• Here is the Amazon.com page for David Sobel's excellent book, Childhood and Nature, one I have repeatedly used to help explain the Reggio concept of natural materials and the infusing of nature in classroom design.
• If you live in an urban area or have struggled to get outdoors, this awesome indoor growing system offers kids an up-close-and personal view of how plants grow that requires little beyond the initial planting and regular watering but can provoke tons of inquire and exploration into the process of plant growth
• and the gem of all gems, the Center for Ecoliteracy and their publication co-written by Daniel Goleman (remember him from his work on emotional intelligence?), Ecoliterate: How Educators are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence

Blocks, Building, and Beyond!

The right accessories can add so much depth to block play.

There are nearly six weeks between my last day working with K in Hawaii and my first day working with my new group of sweet little munchkins at the Battenkill Summer Camp starting July 8th. That is a long time for me to go without hanging out with little ones, but it has given me a wonderful (and rare) opportunity to catch up on all those projects I've been meaning to do but never have enough time to work on. I get to hang out in the children's section at the Northshire Bookstore, one of my favorite places in Manchester, VT to check out some new children's books and look over a few classics to provide inspiration for a few aforementioned projects, which I'm sure I'll tell you about later this summer. While I was there, I found this awesome block play set which I couldn't not share because it inspired me to get on Pinterest and pull together an entire board dedicated to block play which I have titled, Blocks, Building, and Beyond.

Plain wood blocks of varying shapes and sizes inspire creative, innovative play

There are so many different kinds of blocks and building toys and accessories to accompany them and they are so important to play and the development of creativity, innovation, and provoking children's interest in concepts of mechanics, engineering, physics, and design, among other things. If you don't have a block & building station in your classroom and/or playroom, then check out my pinboard immediately for inspiration to create one today. There are so many benefits to playing with blocks, and though they are often marketed to boys, girls get just as into them and get just as much out of them. When it comes to blocks and accessories, I say the simpler the better. The simpler the blocks the less restricted kids will feel when deciding how to use them. Too much detail and too specific of design means fewer ways they can be used and the more parts are needed to reach the same level of creativity and really, who has the space and money to fill an entire room with different blocks and accessories?

Set up a track with the kiddos and watch story after beautiful story unfold.

Building isn't limited to just blocks either, when I was a kid I loved playing with Lincoln Logs and Brio Trains as well. When I was in college I used to nanny for a family down the road and their son, little Ray, who was a toddler at the time, had a near-obsessive love of Thomas the Tank Engine, like so many other little ones have and probably still do. Ray and I used to play trains for hours together and when we weren't playing with his train table and set, we were watching train movies and reading Thomas books. He knew the stories so well that he would set up the scene on his table just as it happened in the stories and then point, shouting at me to "read it!" I did not know the stories as well as he and so often when I would try to "read" the story to him he would correct me and tell me what really happened. This was my first experience narrating a child's play and from little Ray I learned just how powerful this practice can be. Together we brought his favorite stories to life and after a while, it didn't matter as much how well I knew the story because I could simply watch him move the trains and narrate the scene as he unfolded the action. I would put a train table, or something like it in every classroom and home if I could. If only I had a picture of that sweet boy playing at his trains to share.

Posters and photos in the block station are a must.

Block play has more benefits than simply provoking interest in an array of scientific concepts, though I'd be perfectly happy if that was the only one. Little Ray build his vocabulary from playing with trains, he worked his memory and learned the literary concepts of storytelling, and he brought something from his imagination to life in a way that left his filled with joy and satisfaction. Block play builds motor skills, dexterity, balance, and concentration and it teaches kids to think outside the box and pay attention and care to their surroundings else they might knock over their creations. Building together with friends creates invaluable opportunities to practice social skills, problem-solving, out-side-of-the-box thinking, cooperation and teamwork, and so much more. I really cannot say enough about this kind of play, which is why I finally created a pinboard on which to showcase all the exciting block and building related materials I come across in my research, including complementary books, accessories, building materials, organizational tips, and so much more. I have seen so many projects and extended learning evolve from block and building play over the years, there is no limit to the benefits that come from these kinds of open-ended, child-directed activities. If you have any stories to share about blocks and building with kids, please share you experiences in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you!