Send 30 Children to Afterschool Nature Program

With the wrenches the winter weather has thrown at us, we finally find ourselves at the end of another session at Githens Middle School and the cusp of the last one. The students' enthusiasm has sparked interest in their peers so we will go out with the largest group of students we have had this school year. An adult who went to observe was amazed at the transformation from slow walking, almost catatonic students as they entered the cafeteria, to excited, interested, engaged, and knowledgeable once they got outside.  I take both these events as signs we are reaching our goals of getting kids outside, interested in their environment, and hopefully making strong connections to the natural world.

As I mentioned in the last report,  the students are really responding and enjoying the challenges we have been presenting them.   It has taught them how to work through their frustrations and build confidence. We think this has been a wonderful way to connect them with nature. Some may wonder if that means they are truly making that connection?

To find out, I thought it would be a great idea to ask the students to write down what nature is.  I figured we would get responses that may appear obvious, like nature is plants and animals; not answering with respect to themselves .  Part of the joy of working with students is the unexpected ways they can move you and surprise you even with a short sentence. Adrian wrote,  “Nature is everything”; Joe wrote, “Nature makes me feel creative”; Min wrote, “Nature makes me feel happy”.  But the best answer we got was so moving it confirmed that we are accomplishing what we set out to do with these kids, and too good to keep to ourselves.   Emma wrote, “To me, nature is the basis of everything alive.  No matter where you come from, we are all products of nature.  Every ecosystem, every living thing is somehow connected.  This to me is a beautiful thing because wars and hate are caused by differences, when in reality we all have something in common.  The interconnectedness of nature has the power to bring people of all races, religions and souls together as one.”  What great answers from students we often perceive as just interested in clothes, their looks, friends, smart phones, TV, and maybe sports.

Now I pose this question for you to ponder:  What does nature mean to you?

Thank you all for the opportunity you have provided to these students who wouldn't have been able to afford this program on their own.  We are only a little over a thousand dollars short of our goal.  Please share your interest in this program with others who may help us reach it. 

Links:

• http://www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org

Thank you for all your support in 2013, and for all the new donors in the last few weeks!  If you read the last report this one will seem a bit redundant, but I wanted to be sure you were able to read a little of the instructors' observations on how the students were progressing especially since it is the time of year for reflection.  Unfortunately, the last report was sent out prematurely and the instructors' views did not get included. 

We closed out the semester with a teamwork activity that served as a test.   After our ritual of holding our opening circle, the students were given a challenge of working as a team to make a fire without any help from the instructors.  They succeeded!

We then transitioned to working on challenges in specific paths (subjects that connects the students to nature through teaching them skill sets).  We began Fire and Tracking last session and turned our focus to two paths: Plant and Hunting.

The first step in the plant path is to identify one plant that is both edible and medicinal. All but one student made it past this step using plants like pine and wild strawberry. The second step is to identify three different plants: one that feeds, one that heals, and one that kills. About half the group passed this step using plants like poison ivy and poke for kill, chestnut, dandelion, and orchids for feed, and pine for a medicinal. While we were focusing on plants and hunting we continued to look at the fire and tracking paths as well. On the plant walk we found several footprints in the mud and tried to figure them out.

The first step in hunting is to hit two targets with a throwing stick. Most of the students were able to do that. The second level was to hit a moving target  which proved much more difficult.  It was great to see the students persevere despite their frustration as opposed to giving up.  The instructors saw students give each other encouragement and those that were extremely successful (on levels 2 & 3), were passing along their knowledge and know-how to those that were feeling stuck. Near the end of the day, we encouraged students to return to a path they were dying to work on and most returned to Fire or Hunting. 

During the last two sessions, Mary and Adam, the instructors, saw a dramatic change in the students after the introduction of the paths with a stucture of challenges and encouraged them to try each of the four paths. The idea of challenges really resonated with the students.  It lit a fire under those that were already passionate about a certain topic and enticed others to have an open heart when it comes to trying something new. 

All of the students expressed interest in returning in January, and carried their coup sticks (sticks they made to mark off their accomplishments at succeeding at each level of a path) home with pride. We hope to see all of them again! 

On your next wander through the woods or yard, see if you can identify a plant most would call a weed, find out its uses, and see how differently you look at it after that.  If you need help – attend one of our adult classes and change your perspective! 

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!