A Winter Classroom in the Woods
Last week I had the opportunity to lead Shore's youngest students on a walk through the woods behind my house in Wenham. When the Pre-K class arrived, the kids spilled out of the van and ran down the dirt driveway to the first frozen puddle they found. Shrieks and squeals erupted from their mouths as they exclaimed over the ice! The excitement in the very first moments held strong for the next two hours of walking through the woods.
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The Pre-K class came to the woods for a winter walk. We were eager to find out which animals are active in the winter. Rather than looking for the animals themselves, students were encouraged to look for evidence of animal activity, including tracks and scat. We weren't disappointed! A stampede of turkey tracks led us into the woods and spurred a conversation about how many toes a turkey has (three in the front and one in the rear, if you're curious). The heart shaped track of a white-tailed deer criss-crossed the trail throughout our journey, along with a stray five-toed print of a raccoon! The most frequent track was canine (we could tell because canine tracks have nail marks, whereas feline tracks don't), but was it from a coyote or my dog?
At each track, students huddled around to get a closer look. They noticed that some turkey tracks were smaller than others--could there be babies? When we got to the pond, there were tracks going across it! They weren't clear enough to identify their maker, but we knew someone had taken a shortcut across the ice.
At each track, students huddled around to get a closer look. They noticed that some turkey tracks were smaller than others--could there be babies? When we got to the pond, there were tracks going across it! They weren't clear enough to identify their maker, but we knew someone had taken a shortcut across the ice.
After a walk around the pond and a visit to the beaver lodge, I mentioned that there was a playground with toys further down the trail. "You have a playground in the woods?" the students asked in amazement. "Oh yes," I replied. "Just wait and see." The "playground" is an area where several trails meet and huge logs lay on the ground, ready to be climbed on. When we arrived, the children scrambled to try out every log, branch, and stick. They climbed aboard logs larger than a child, found natural trampolines in bouncy branches, and built forts from downed sticks. At one point, every child had two sticks in their hands, and they drummed on the logs to create a forest rock band!
After some play time, one student said to me, "You said there would be toys here". "Well," I answered "are you playing with those sticks?" "Yes," she replied. "If you're playing with them, does it make them a toy?" "Yeah!" she shouted, and ran off to make more forest music.
The child advocacy expert Richard Louv, in his influential work Last Child in the Woods, writes about a staggering divide between children and the outdoors. He directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature-deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. His important book brings together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.
The child advocacy expert Richard Louv, in his influential work Last Child in the Woods, writes about a staggering divide between children and the outdoors. He directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature-deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. His important book brings together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.In the SAIL classroom, I aim to inspire the curiosity and passion for the natural world that is so important for educators such as Louv. When children explore in nature, they make discoveries and connections for themselves. They own their experiences because they witness them first hand. As we led the children through the woods, we responded to their interests and curiosities in the moment, a rare treat in today's fast-paced environment. All of the teachers agreed that our walk in the woods was special. A far cry from tables and chairs, the children were learning furiously in another type of classroom, one that is equally important. We hope to go back soon, perhaps when the skunk cabbage blooms!
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