Nature Field Trips
“For children, nature comes in many forms. A newborn calf; a pet that lives and dies; a worn path through the woods; a fort nested in stinging nettles; a damp, mysterious edge of a vacant lot – whatever shape nature takes, it offers each child an older, larger world separate from parents. Unlike television, nature does not steal time; it amplifies it. Nature offers healing for a child living in a destructive family or neighborhood. It serves as a blank slate upon which a child draws and interprets the culture’s fantasies. Nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the full use of the senses. Given a chance, a child will bring the confusion of the world to the woods, wash it in the creek, turn it over to see what lives on the unseen side of the confusion. Nature can frighten a child, too, and this fright serves a purpose. In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy.”
--- Richard Louv Last Child in the Woods
Last summer, we embarked on some nature field trips. The field trips were unified by the theme of nature, but each one provided a different experience for children in terms of the aspects of nature children were exposed to and the interaction style between children and nature. Importantly, children learned that Chinese language is related to all of the animals and plants they saw!
