The sun, the warmth the birds chirping outside—Spring is here! Finally! After weeks of rain we are finally moving into warmer weather and Stretch is alive with excitement and enthusiasm for how to continue to incorporate the natural world into our learning. We are lucky to have our resident birds and their new babies again nesting under the stairs in San Francisco. This is their 2nd year and 3rd nest, bringing an authentic opportunity for the children to investigate a small wonder of spring right in our backyard.
The study of living things has been a large thread in the learning that has taken place this year in both our San Francisco and our Marin locations. Whether planting, watering, or harvesting our organic garden or exploring questions such as “What is nature?” our children have been invested in nature. We are educating children in an urban setting so it is always a question and priority for us to find ways to bring nature into our classroom.
In recent years much research has been done to examine the need and importance of nature in the experiences of young children. In years past the concept of “play” was often attributed to experiences that included the natural world. In fact, most of the fondest memories from my own childhood involve the outdoors. I return now to where I grew up and those natural trails to the beach are now the driveways of large homes. The woods behind my childhood home afforded endless hours of watching deer, digging for bugs and building forts. There were no houses to be seen and now, unfortunately there are no trees to be found.
How do we balance an understanding of growth while still protecting the wonder that nature instills and the imagination it fosters? Raising my own family in this wonderful yet urban setting forces me to ask this question often and find ways to bring my own children into the great outdoors.
As Stretch moves this fall into a full preschool we have made the commitment to create more ways to experience the natural world. One important development will be our “Natural Classroom”. We are committed to meeting as a community in nature once a week to learn and explore our curriculum in a natural setting. This will bring lessons of problem solving, communication, imagination, respect, and wonder. Actually there are endless experiences to be gained when incorporating nature into the early childhood setting.
I encourage all families to find ways to bring the “natural classroom” into their experiences and explorations. Try exploring the same trail or natural setting over an extended period of time. For example, try taking a walk on the ecology trail in the Presidio or head over to Tennessee Valley and investigate what you see and notice. What flowers are blooming? What creatures are crawling? How does this change as you revisit this same natural setting consistently over time?
Grow flowers, herbs or vegetables in your home or backyard. Even a windowsill, front step or small garage can have room for one planter box. Growing an urban garden or box gives children the chance to dig in the soil, water, and watch their plants grow. It also teaches important lessons such as the responsibility of caring for something living.
Another easy way to get out in your neighborhood is to play a game of I Spy on a neighborhood walk. Get out into your community and find the hidden natural treasures close to home. Challenge yourself and your children to notice the details: examine the spider web on a fence or drain pipe and question how the dandelion can manage to escape through the concrete, pushing its way into the sunshine.
We are lucky to have so many wonderful natural “playgrounds” in the Bay Area. Have you considered visiting the farm of some of your favorite local foods? Did you know that Saint Benoit and Cow Girl Creamery welcome visitors? There are other wonderful growers in our area who welcome families interested in learning how to sustain and support our environment. Last fall I visited the Farmers’ Market at the Ferry Building in search of a farm that welcomed apple pickers. I loved apple picking in New England and wanted to expose Kielson to the experience. The local growers were so welcoming and generously shared their knowledge of farms to contact. In fact, I have often found that local farmers are a great resource for family field trips into agriculture. Finally, don’t let the weather turn you away from nature as we head into the foggy season. There are many wonders to discover that feed off of the damp and chilly climate we in San Francisco call summer.
The environmentalist Rachel Carlson wrote:
“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” ([1965] 1998, 54–55).
Let us all be that adult for the children we love!
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