By Karen McCall and Jarl Rasmussen | Project Leader and Camp Counselor
As we approach the end of the Afterschool Program Season, we look back at the influence on our students that your support has provided. We are grateful to have reached hundreds of children and worked to develop their lifelong connection with nature, part of Piedmont Wildlife Center's mission.
At the start of every day, we join in a circle to have a moment of gratitude. This gives us a positive start plus a chance to get the students' focused. Students share and connect with something that they love and need. In the beginning, Kyle, from Forest View said, "I am thankful for Star Wars." At Creekside Elementary, Logan eagerly raised his hand to start the gratitude segment with, "I am thankful for Mindcraft and John Cena" (a wrestler from WWE Logan would watch on TV). We hoped with time their gratitude would shift to something a bit more nature or family and friend based.
After a couple months of gratitude circles and outdoor exposure rolling logs looking for creatures, and learning through playing games, we began to notice a change. Kyle and Logan's gratitude this past week is evidence of how powerful the outdoors experience can be. Kyle said, "I am grateful for trees and worm poop because I couldn’t watch Star Wars if I couldn't breathe and trees need worms!” Logan was still thankful for his professional wrestlers, but lately his gratitude has been, "I am thankful for my family, my friend, Cameron, and John Cena."
Because of your generosity, we have strengthened our students desire to be outside and thankful for what is there. Children want to put up bat boxes or bird houses for our community service project at Creekside, since they noticed there is not much understory and want more wildlife to live there. Many students now take a break from technology and regularly go outside to enjoy the nature that surrounds them. They can tell us what they learned about the tree they now call, Sweetgum, and show you which one that is. This is a start to a life-building relationship with the natural world made possible by your support! Our gratitude goes out to you!
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