I'm a big fan of getting students outdoors without an immediate objective. I love how, in this class, we have just been sitting outdoors for our discussions and experiencing nature while having our discussions. There have been interesting moments during my outdoor classes - experiences where other students have shared their knowledge of plants, times when spiders or bees have distracted us and begun a conversation on whether or not these bugs are a "good" thing, and beautiful moments when someone notices an eagle flying overhead, or a hummingbird in a tree. These are moments that won't happen if you are just sitting in a classroom, and the best part is that they are student-driven. They are not forced as the students notice it and naturally begin a conversation.
Most schools have some kind of outdoor space. It may just be a field for sports, but there will usually be at least a handful of trees or landscaped flowers and that is enough to just get out and enjoy. Experience. Connect. Even those spaces will grow and change with the days, weeks, months. They will attract insects and animals, and the plants themselves will change and interact with one another.
Sitting with my plant every day has made me feel a connection to it - I felt a connection from day one and was heartbroken when someone walked through the little greenspace without thinking. I can imagine students wanting to protect their surrounding plants - clean up any litter and remind their friends to not tear the plants apart without reason.
An ongoing journal as well as just using the outdoor space as a place to learn and experience would do a lot to make students (hopefully even the most city-dwelling of them) feel their connection with the living things around them every day. Drawing attention to their place and their connections that they may already have with it, or with the plants in it (even just the oxygen they breathe) would be a great place to start. Discussing gardens, parks, forests, beaches, etc. that they love, as well as *why* they love them.
In other words, they are already connected to the living things around them. They just need to realize it.
Most schools have some kind of outdoor space. It may just be a field for sports, but there will usually be at least a handful of trees or landscaped flowers and that is enough to just get out and enjoy. Experience. Connect. Even those spaces will grow and change with the days, weeks, months. They will attract insects and animals, and the plants themselves will change and interact with one another.
Sitting with my plant every day has made me feel a connection to it - I felt a connection from day one and was heartbroken when someone walked through the little greenspace without thinking. I can imagine students wanting to protect their surrounding plants - clean up any litter and remind their friends to not tear the plants apart without reason.
An ongoing journal as well as just using the outdoor space as a place to learn and experience would do a lot to make students (hopefully even the most city-dwelling of them) feel their connection with the living things around them every day. Drawing attention to their place and their connections that they may already have with it, or with the plants in it (even just the oxygen they breathe) would be a great place to start. Discussing gardens, parks, forests, beaches, etc. that they love, as well as *why* they love them.
In other words, they are already connected to the living things around them. They just need to realize it.
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