Today at the Saint Emmelia Homeschool Conference, I had the privilege of co-leading a session with a wonderful colleague on incorporating nature study and outdoor play in the home school. Elizabeth Lewis did a fabulous job discussing the hands-on details of gardening with children. While I don't have her material to share, here are the notes from my part of the presentation dealing with outdoor life and nature study:
Research & Trends—Nature Time
Is Critical to Spiritual, Psychological & Physical Well-being
- Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder (2005) drew attention to the alarming, growing divide between nature and children.
- Screen time is replacing outdoor time and is leading to depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, low academic performance, and other problems. (See www.waituntil8th.org/why-wait/.)
- A growing profusion of studies continue to investigate the psychological benefits of the natural world:
- People who lived in city neighborhoods with at least 20 to 30% vegetation cover showed reduced levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.[1]
- The number of visible birds of any kind in an urban neighborhood correlate with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.[2]
- The Japanese forestry ministry coined a phrase—shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing”—for the increasingly popular pastime of intentional relaxation in forest environments which has been shown to heighten feelings of well-being, lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress hormone production, and even improved immune system functionality.[3]
- Even short visits to urban green spaces have positive results and benefits.[4]
- There is a “forest school” movement in western European with roots reaching back to the 1800s; currently there are over 1,500 waldkindergartens (forest kindergartens) in Germany which have resurrected educational reformer Friedrich Froebel’s ideal of children learning through hands-on outdoor experiences.[5]
- Building on the Scandinavian heritage of friluftsliv, literally, “fresh air life,” hundreds of nature schools similarly thrive in Denmark and Sweden.[6]
- More than one-hundred Japanese waldkindergartens (a number that was expected to double by 2014) address the worries of many parents “that Japan is becoming too stressed and high tech and there is not time to communicate with nature.”[7]
- In the U.S., a small but growing number of forest kindergarten leaders have joined together to found the American Forest Kindergarten Association which shares information about the many benefits supported by “the growing body of compelling scientific evidence” which indicates that “introducing children to the natural world at an early age has a profoundly positive impact on their mental, physical, and social well-being.” A handful of similar organizations—such as Natural Start Alliance, Nature Explore, and Forest Schools USA—are also devoted to helping establish nature preschools throughout the country.
Foundation for Nature Learning in the Christian Home
- Many Orthodox saints have shown us how holiness reunites us with nature: St Herman of Alaska, St Seraphim of Sarov, St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, St. Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste, and many more!
- The garden of Eden remains an important image of a full life with God. Like Adam and Eve, we are entrusted with stewardship over creation. And, like Adam, our vocation begins with wonder and enjoyment.
- The natural world directs us to the Creator and heaven—C. S. Lewis describes nature as a “first sketch” of “that greater glory”[8] promised to those to thirst and who overcome. “We are summoned,” says Lewis, “to pass in through Nature, beyond her, into that splendor which she fitfully reflects.”[9] God summons us to experience a foretaste of his glory in the riches of his creation.
- Familiarity with nature awakens and sustains the aesthetic sense, a right sense of beauty, and also a love of creation that motivates stewardship.
- “Forest Schooling” approaches involve a deep respect for children that is essentially compatible with an Orthodox understanding of persons as image-bearers and participants in divinity. Nature learning flourishes with child-led exploration where teachers are guides and fellow learners before God, the Creator.
- Many contemporary homeschoolers are revisiting the writings and wisdom of Christian educator, Charlotte Mason, who advocated for nature immersion play, or “out-of-door life for the children,” in 1886, long before it was trendy.[10]
Nature Study & Outdoor Life in Practice
Charlotte Mason’s recommendations from
more than a century ago remain sound. She suggests ways to weave in informal,
age-appropriate lessons during outdoor time in subjects as varied as language
arts, geography, botany, biology, physical education, and world languages.
1. Meals
& days in the open—Mason recommends dining outside whenever the weather permits
and also taking the children out for “long hours” (4 to 6 hours) on “every
tolerably fine day” or as much as possible. Children should be allowed to
wonder and explore for most of that time, but some “vigorous play” and a short
“lesson or two” can also be worked in. This applies mostly to children under 9,
but is wonderful for all ages.
2. “Sightseeing”
& “Picture-Painting”—Habits of attention and observation can be honed
through narration games/activities and “taking mental photographs.” E.g., “Tell
me all you can about [an object or “some patch of landscape”].” Supply names
for flora, fauna, items, or concepts so that vocabulary and concepts expand.
3. Flowers,
Trees & Living Creatures—Explore, identify, and learn to recognize and name
the flowers and trees, birds and insects, lizards and mammals of your
neighborhood and region. Use field guides, keep nature notebooks, and track
cycles of growth and change in a “Nature’s Firsts” calendar. Don’t underrate
the “kindly fellowship” of family pets. Encourage careful observation and
beginning habits of deduction.
4. “Living
Books”—Read books, fiction and non-fiction, that portray facts about flora and
fauna in a beautiful and compelling way that sparks the affections and
imagination.
5. “Out-of-Door
Geography”—Parents can weave in informal lessons in geography by drawing
attention to and naming geographical features of the land and waterways;
directing children’s attention to observe the position and movement of the sun,
moon, and stars; asking/answering questions about clouds, wind, and weather;
introducing children to concepts of distance, time, and direction, as well as
to compass and map skills.
6. “The
French Lesson”—Mason encourages oral instruction in a modern language starting
informally at a young age. The lesson should be short (~10 minutes; 2 to 6 new
words per day + review) and worked naturally into the outdoor time as the words
taught tie into the sights, sounds, and activities at hand.
7. “Noisy
Games”—Part of the outdoor time can be devoted to vigorous games that involve
the whole body and contribute to well-rounded physical health, e.g. jumping
rope, climbing, and various games children select for themselves and pass along
to each other.
8. Scouting,
Stalking, and Imaginative Play—In the outdoors, children can track small
animals and birds by sound, scat, paw prints, etc. They can re-enact adventures
from their readings and role-play characters who captivate them such as Robin
Hood or Sacagawea.
9. “Walks
in Bad Weather”—Mason encourages parents to not only take their children outside
in intemperate seasons but also to celebrate the unique offerings of each
season. She suggests “an hour and a half in the morning and as long in the
afternoon.”
10. “The Child
and Mother-Nature”—While Mason encourages parents to integrate short lessons,
she is firm about respecting the child’s personhood. She insists on child-led
exploration with a caregiver near to answer the occasional question or provide
the occasional name or fact. “The mother must refrain from too much talk” so
that Mother-Nature can teach directly. Mason encourages the infrequent “look
and gesture of delight” as the parent models delight in God’s creation.
Practical Considerations & Resources
Finding nature:
·
Your back yard and the street where you live
·
Neighborhood parks and green spaces
·
Local arboretums, Audubon societies, parks, and
nature preserves
Scheduling nature time:
·
Regional climate
·
Homeschool routine and yearly rhythm
Staying safe:
·
Weather-appropriate clothing
·
Bug spray/repellent
·
Sunhats & sunscreen
Nature study supplies:
·
Nature notebooks
·
Pencils, colored pencils/dry-brush watercolor
tools
·
Nature’s Firsts calendar
·
Field Guides
·
Living books
Challenges:
·
Start wherever you are, and do what you can.
·
“Don’t let the best be the enemy of the good.”
·
Play to your strengths, and consider outsourcing
for non-strength areas.
“It
would be well if all we persons in authority, parents and all who act for
parents, could make up our minds that there is no sort of knowledge to be got
in these early years so valuable to children as that which they get for
themselves of the world they live in. Let them once get touch with Nature, and
a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all
meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a
world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of
these things.” — Charlotte Mason
Resources
Books & Links for the Parent:
“Nature Study.” Ambleside Online. www.amblesideonline.org/NatureSch.shtml
Kenny, Erin. Forest Kindergartens: The Cedarsong Way.
Cedarsong Nature School, 2013.
Mason,
Charlotte. Home Education: Training and
Educating Children Under Nine. Tyndale House, Wheaton, Illinois, 1989
(1935).
Sobel, David.,
Ed. Nature Preschools and Forest
Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning. Redleaf Press, 2015.
Living Books to Read Aloud:
Ambleside Online: (geography/natural
history/science by year) amblesideonline.org/curriculum.shtml#years
Simply Charlotte Mason: simplycharlottemason.com/planning/curriculum-guide/individual-graded-subjects/nature-study/
Nature-Immersion Learning Support
Organizations & Research (Benefits & Best Practices):
American
Forest Kindergarten Association: forestkindergartenassociation.org.
Arbor
Day/Dimensions Foundation: dimensionsfoundation.org/research/research-findings/
Natural Start Alliance:
naturalstart.org
Nature Explore: natureexplore.org
North American Association for
Environmental Education: naaee.org
Orthodoxy & Nature:
Aidan Hart Sacred Icons, Icon
commissioned by Panorthodox Concern For Animals, aidanharticons.com/this-is-a-new-icon-commissioned-by-www-panorthodoxconcernforanimals-org-two-of-its-themes-is-that-we-ought-to-treat-animals-with-love-and-respect-as-creations-of-god-and-that-christ-has-come-to-red/
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Orthodox
Environmentalism—www.theoria.tv/orthodox-environmentalism/
Orthodoxy and Animals—facebook.com/orthodoxyandanimals/
Theology and
Ecology: English Saints
and the Animal World— orthodoxengland.org.uk/ecology.htm
Safety Standards:
“Child Care Weather Watch,” Iowa
Department Public Health, Healthy Child Care Iowa. Champaign Urbana Public
Health District. 2009. c-uphd.org/documents/wellness/weatherwatch.pdf See also
usa.childcareaware.org/advocacy-public-policy/crisis-and-disaster-resources/heat-index/
Texas Master Naturalists:
Texas Master
Naturalist certificate program, Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation: tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/master_naturalist/
Texas
Master Naturalist organization, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: txmn.org/
[1] Daniel T. C. Cox, et al. “Doses of Neighborhood
Nature: The Benefits for Mental Health of Living with Nature.” BioScience,
vol. 67, no. 2, 2017, pp. 147-155. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biw173.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Livni, Ephrat. “The Japanese Practice of 'Forest
Bathing' Is Scientifically Proven to Improve Your Health.” Quartz, 12
Oct. 2016, qz.com/804022.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Quetteville, Harry de. “Waldkindergärten: the Forest
Nurseries Where Children Learn in Nature's Classroom.” The Telegraph,
Telegraph Media Group, 18 Oct. 2008,
www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3357232/Waldkindergarten-the-forest-nurseries-where-children-learn-in-Natures-classroom.html.
[6] Guy, Geoffrey. Forest
School Essays. Academia.edu, www.academia.edu/4813212/Forest_School_Essays.
[7] Quoted in Neate, Rupert. “Campfire Kids: Going Back to
Nature with Forest Kindergartens.” Spiegel Online, 22 Nov. 2013,
www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/forest-kindergartens-could-be-the-next-big-export-from-germany-a-935165.html.
[8] Lewis, C. S. “‘The Weight of
Glory.’” The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses. Simon & Schuster,
New York, 1996, 25–40.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Mason, Charlotte. Home Education: Training and Educating
Children Under Nine. Tyndale House, Wheaton, Illinois, 1989.
(and the rest of the 
)
(and others in the Focus on the Family 
(and the other five books in the 
(About Laura Ingall's great-grandma. This is the abridged version. There are others in the series following the stories of the great-grandma, the grandma, and the mother.)
(and all the 
, but the plot line got too sad for her tastes. 
,
.
as a read-aloud, but it might be time to revisit it as independent reading in the next year or so. Same for 
