A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.
Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye -- it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.
- Edvard Munch
This week, look for signs of animals sharing your environment. Can your child find a spider web, a feather, a cracked nutshell? Where has the animal gone? Look under rocks or fallen logs to discover what might be living beneath.
Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you. - Anja
"If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man's future"
- Maria Montessori
What is the first goal of teaching young children? Is it academic standards, or nurturing the heart. In The Tao of Montessori, Catherine McTamaney asks the question why we put so much emphasis on reading and math. "... what kind of adults are we preparing them to be, if we are always telling them that what they know is more important than how they behave?" What comes first? Do we sacrifice the heart in exchange for the mind?
At our preschool, we take our children on regular "treasure walks" through our preschool garden. Only the other day we found, in the time frame of fifteen minutes and an area of only a couple of square meters, several fascinating "miracles". We found fungus growing on pine cones, worms digging under a rock, acorns sprouting out of the ground, spiders hiding under a log.
We looked, we marveled, we carefully touched, we shared and delighted in the experience. The children were mesmerised and fully embraced the sweet and short moment of stillness and wonder. A powerful moment for both of us. As a teacher I am expected to teach our children their sounds and letters, build words and read books, I am expected to teach them numbers, to tallycount and perform mathematical operations. But what we were experiencing at this moment was something very different.
The children at our preschool are exposed to a rich language and math curriculum, but just as important, if not more, is the nurturing of their heart. By taking them out on nature walks, exposing them to the earth, connecting them with nature first hand, the children learn about the interconnectedness of all living things and the great responsibility each of us shares in the ecosystem. As a teacher of young children it is my responsibility to nurture the mind, the hand and the heart.
"When you are facing the child whose heart is open and overflowing, find yourself in that child. Remember the adult you loved dearly. Respond as you wish that adult had responded to you. When you are facing the child whose heart is locked away, find yourself in that that child, too. Remember the adult who you feared. Respond as you wish that adult had responded to you."
- Catherine McTamaney (The Tao of Montessori)
Feeding the heart of a young child is an important task. There is no second chance, there is no "money back guarantee", no warranty, no exchange. So how do you know you are doing the right thing?
Benjamin Zander, whose famous 2008 TED talk about Music and PassionI have written about before, talks about the conductor of an orchestra, who doesn't make a sound but depends on his power to make other people powerful. It is our role as early childhood teachers to empower the children in our care. Zander mentions the "shining eyes".
"To awaken possibilities in other people, look at their eyes. If their eyes are shining, you know you are doing it. If their eyes are not shining, who am I being that my children's eyes are not shining?"
- Ben Zander
This is what I believe, we as early childhood teachers, need to be doing more. When we are creating new footprints on our children's heart, we should be looking at their eyes. Can we see any shining eyes? Maybe it is time to take the child outside, to introduce them to the ladybugs in the garden, the butterflies on the flowers, the worms in the soil, the grass underneath their feet. And when you do so, look at your children's eyes. Nature is bound to make many eyes shine. - Anja
The Tao of Montessori. Reflections on Compassionate Teaching (2005, 2007) by Catherine McTamaney, Ed.D. iUniverse Star. Lincoln, NE
A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.
The world will never starve for wonder, but only for want of wonder.
- G.K. Chesterson
This week, when outside with your child, look for a cocoon, an anthill, a spider nest, a bird nest. Marvel at it and talk about the little miracles that are taking place.
Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you. - Anja
In New Zealand, the Winter Solstice, the longest night and the shortest day, is on 21 June. This is when the Sun is at its most Northerly point in the sky, and reaches its lowest altitude, from the Northern horizon, for the year. We also call this time of year mid-winter although it is not always when the coldest weather in New Zealand starts.
The people of Aotearoa, New Zealand, celebrate the beginning of Winter with Matariki, the Māori New Year. Traditionally, Matariki is the time of the first new Moon after the Matariki, a small clusters of stars known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, appears in the sky. Matariki lies within the Taurus constellation and rises only once a year. This year Matariki is on June 24.
Matariki is a special time for all people of Aotearoa to share, a time to come together and celebrate our unique place in the world. A time to give respect to our mother earth, Papatūānuku. A time to remember our ancestors, those who came before us. Matariki is a time of change, a time of growth and new beginning. Matariki is a time to celebrate the diversity of life, its culture, its language, its spirit, its people.
At our preschool we know Winter has arrived when we find frost on our outdoor tables and ice in the pond. In Wellington, we seldom have snow at ground level, but sometimes we have snow in the surrounding hills. So when we do find our preschool grounds covered in white frost and ice on our pond, we have a moment of magic we don't want to pass on. So outside we go.
We examine the frost and discuss what causes the frost, what it is and what is likely going to happen to it:
"Frozen water, it means that the water is so called that is its actually going to freeze. And when it is freezing it turns into ice". - G, 5 yrs
"When the sun gets close to the water it doesn't turn into ice. It makes ice turn into water. Because it is really bright. The sun makes it warmer. The ice starts melting". - D, 4 yrs
Those comments just asked for a spontaneous experiment. Nature never lets you down when it comes to experimenting! It was a glorious typical Winter day in Aotearoa, crisp, clear, blue and a sun making its way up. The children scraped some frost of the tables and took some ice out of the pond and placed it in two separate bowls. One bowl was placed in the shade, and one bowl was placed in the sun. Then we discussed our hypothesis, which we all agreed should be: The ice in the sun will melt first". During the experiment we had several eager minds checking up on the ice in the bowls every so often. To nobody's surprise the ice in the sun did melt first, although we were surprised about how long it took, saying something about the temperature that day.
Ice in the sun --------------- Ice in the shade
Children don't seem to feel the cold as we, adults do. While they do need to be wrapped up warmly with suitable clothes that will keep them dry, here in New Zealand, they should be able to play outside in all temperatures. It is a myth that children catch a cold by being out in the cold -only catching a virus causes colds. Actually being outside might protect them from colds, as the viruses are more likely to pass from child to child when they are all kept inside. At our preschool, we make sure we go outside every day, unless the Southerlies, which in New Zealand come from Antarctica, are too strong.
While Winter time is a quiet time in the garden, each season has got its own charm. Even in Winter there is still enough to see and do in the garden. Many birds are still around and they will be more than keen to visit your bird feeder. We have waxeyes and fantails visiting us in our garden, together with our usual blackbirds, thrushes, and sparrows.
Obviously, snow is a magical component of the Winter season. I do miss the first snowfall of the season, which, as a child, I found magical and exhilarating. I remember waking up in the morning and opening the curtains to find a white blanket of snow had covered the earth. Every child should at least once experience such magic moment. It was even more magical to wake up in the middle of the night, look outside at a world in darkness and quietness, and see silent snowflakes falling out of the sky. If you live in an area where snow is part of your season, share it with your child, even if that means waking them up at night. The magic moments of watching snowflakes drift through the sky, will last a lifetime with your child. - Anja
"The very purpose of life is happiness, the very motion of our life is toward happiness" - The Dalai Lama
Previously I wrote about happiness: Happiness is all about experiences. Happiness for your child is giving them experiences that will enrich their lives, create long lasting memories and cultivate wisdom. Let me share two such experiences with you, all in a day's "work" at our preschool.
Last week, one of our youngsters at our preschool brought something very special to share with her friends. No, it wasn't the latest Ben 10 or Transformer toy. It was something far more exciting and precious, a pair of real life geckos. They arrived in a beautiful set up reptile tank, with moss, bark, branches and plants. Our four year old youngster enthusiastically told us about the geckos, what they eat, how they move, but also that they are reptiles and are coldblooded. We were allowed to hold a gecko very carefully in our hands so we could feel their skin, and how delicate their body is. We had to be sooooo careful. The children were mesmerized. Geckos are common in New Zealand, but it is not often you really see them, unless the cat drops them onto the doormat ... :(
Later, that same day, the sun disappeared behind the clouds and it started raining. We were on our outside deck and listening to Vivaldi's largo movement from Winter (the Four Seasons), performed by Gheorghe Zamfir on panflute. The rain was ticking on our roof and the beautiful panflute music was coming out of the player, creating one of these seldom found moments of serenity, where you can dream away and feel your inner core of love inside yourself. When our daily "meditation" time finished, we where ready to go inside, after all, it was raining. But the children had other plans. They wanted to go for a walk in the garden, something we often do after our meditation. "We have raincoats", they argued, "we want to go into the garden". I was pleasantly surprised that the rain was not deterring them at all, and that they were adamant to go on their walk, rain or sunshine. So, I too, put on my jacket and joined them.
We spend a good amount of time in the drizzling rain. The logs were slippery, the rocks were wet. We looked at the lemons, which are ripening on the tree, they surprisingly looked more shiny and a bit more yellow. We found grubs underneath the rocks and somebody spotted a hole in the ground, speculating it would have been a worm. We were getting a little bit wet, and a little bit more muddy, but we were having a real good time. None of the children wanted to go back inside. They were literally soaking up the experience. They came up with one idea after another: "Lets look at the compost, lets move this log, lets see what is in the weta hotel". When they found a worm, they wondered whether the geckos would eat worms.
Experiences with the natural world, inside and outside, is an essential part of our children's holistic development. The natural world is a means through which children find well-being and happiness, as well as physical, intellectual, spiritual and emotional stimulation. At our preschool, there are infinite treasures in our outdoor garden. Joy and happiness are abundant, wisdom is nurtured, friendships are formed and memories are created. All in a day's work! - Anja
A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.
All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within.
- Horace Friess
This week, rain or shine, take your child outside. Point out to your child the warmth of the sun on their face, or maybe the frost on the grass, or the rain puddle in the mud, or the wind blowing through their hair. All seasons have their own beauty. Feel it, touch it, embrace it.
Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you. - Anja
Philosophers since Aristotle have questioned the meaning of happiness. We are all in pursuit of happiness. Some find it, some find it and loose it, and some never find it. People tend to relate happiness to money. Social scientists have always warned that more money does not mean more happiness. People who have enough money to buy food, and other basic life necessities, are not always more happier with more money. While more money may enable you to buy more things, these things do not always give you a more happy feeling.
A recent study at San Francisco State University has found that buying experiences, such as holidays and going to the movies, gave people more happiness than buying material things. The initial joy of acquiring a new object fades over time as people become accustomed to seeing it every day. Experiences, on the other hand, continue to provide happiness through memories long after the event occurred. An experience that gives richness to your life will create a feeling of happiness that will last for months or even years to come. For whatever you can afford, you'll maximise your happiness, and the happiness of others around you, if you spend it on a life experience, experts say.
How many of our children today have shelves, cupboards and boxes full with material things or toys at home? While already possessing plenty of toys, how many of these children are regularly receiving a new toy or object? What message are we giving our children if we place so much importance on material things. We say, "Look at me! I have a Barbie doll, a Dora the Explorer backpack, a Ben 10 t-shirt." We are giving these children the message to measure their self worthiness on what toys or material things they have. If they haven't got the latest toy craze they feel inadequate.
"[Children] are not understood, because the adult judges them by his own measure: he thinks that the child's wish is to obtain some tangible object, and lovingly helps him do this: whereas the child as a rule has for his unconscious desire, his own self-development. Hence he despises everything already attained, and yearns for that which is still to be sought for...His own self-development is his true and almost his only pleasure."
- (Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method, 1912, p.356)
Children in our "rich" countries do not need more toys or more gadgets, they need experiences to aid their self-development. Barry Schwartz in his recent 2009 TED talk on our loss of wisdom, talks about the lack of practical wisdom in today's society: "Wisdom depends on experience, and not just any experience". Schwartz continues how we need practical wisdom "because it's what allows other virtues -- honesty, kindness, courage and so on --to be displayed at the right time and in the right way."
Driving your child from soccer practice to ballet dancing, from piano lessons to language lessons, may make your child more knowledgeable or skillful or even brilliant, it will not make your child more wise. While children do need to become knowledgeable and skillful to be successful later in life, they also need unscheduled free time to have a childhood of play and exploration where they can have experiences that will give them wisdom and enrichment.
Two trends are developing: children's health is declining with an increase in obesity, diabetics and depression and children's exposure to the natural world outside is diminishing. Research is showing there is a link between these two trends. The spirit of nature runs through all living things and connects us to each other and to our natural environment. Research shows that outdoor experiences help reduce negative stress and protect psychological well being in children. Access to the outdoor world of nature is crucial to a child's healthy development. We, as adults, can change the trend of children's disconnection with nature.
Rather then buying more toys, we can "buy" our children more experiences. And the good news is, this can be free. Your own backyard, and your own neighbourhood provides plenty of opportunities for your child to have meaningful authentic experiences. At our preschool we do not have a shed full of outdoor toys. But we do have a whole yard full of experiences. There is weeding to be done, compost to be turned, holes to be dig, logs to be climbed on, seeds to be scattered, pets to be fed, grass to be cut, insects to be observed, flowers to be watered, rocks to be turned over, stumps to be jumped of, bark to be ripped and a whole lot more. Bethe Almeras (the Grass Stain Guru) writes in her blog about "10 can't-miss childhood moments" and "10 more can't-miss childhood moments", moments that create long lasting childhood memories. Positive childhood memories contribute to a feeling of happiness in later life.
Happiness for your child is giving them experiences that will enrich their lives, create long lasting childhood memories and cultivate wisdom. And with the world of nature at your doorstep, you can start right now! - Anja
A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.
It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.
- Rachel Carson
This week, find a quiet place outdoor and introduce your child to the realm of stillness and their inner core of love. Appreciate in the child the quiet moments to imagine, to question and to dream, to be alone with their own thoughts.
Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you. - Anja
Last weekend, during a long holiday weekend, my family and I were visiting Rotorua, renown for its thermal activity. We were walking through one of the thermal parks, following a track that was leading to a lookout, with Esmee bouncing ahead of us. At the end of the track, near the lookout, was a sign, displaying pictures of the birds that frequently inhabit the surrounding areas. "Look, there is a Tailow", said Esmee, pointing to the swallow. "It is a swallow", I said, thinking she struggled with the pronunciation. "No", Esmee said, It is a Tailow, it looks like a Tailow. It is a Pokemon." Just then, as Esmee was pointing out the so called Pokemon to me, the people who had been walking ahead of us turned around and headed back. "I want to go back to the shop", I heard the boy, similar in age to Esmee, saying to what, I assume, was his mum. They were only tens of meter away from the lookout.
Here I was, in the middle of one of nature's wonderlands of active geysers, boiling mudpools and glorious lakes and one child is seeing Pokemons, while the other child is more interested in the souvenir shop. I am not too worried about the Pokemon child. After all, she is my daughter and I know how far her Pokemon passion goes (or is allowed to go). Whilst she is a huge fan of Pokemon (much to my dislike), I personally make sure she gets a good dose of outdoor nature exposure to balance her electronic fantasy with healthy nature reality. Esmee loves her gameboy, but she also happily plays with stones, climbs on dirt piles and catches tadpoles. It is Esmee who, on this same walk, spots the tiny toad stoles under the tree. I am not sure what the other child spotted on his walk, if anything at all.
This makes me wonder how many children we are raising today, in a culture of mass consumerism and instant gratification, who feel uncomfortable in the natural world. Sadly, more and more children are further removed from nature then ever. They are tied up in a world of computer games and fantasy cartoons and driven between sport practices and music lessons. Their parents do not expose them to the outdoor natural world, either because of lack of time, lack of knowledge, lack of information, or simply because of fear and ignorance. These children do not know about nature first hand.
In 2008, Benjamin Zander, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and a speaker on leadership, presented at TED on music and passion. If you haven't seen his talk but have twenty minutes to spare, his talk "Classical music with shining eyes" is absolutely worth watching.
In his 2008 TED talk, Zander talks about the perception in the music industry that classical music is dying; "only 3% of the population likes classical music". However, "Classical music is for everybody", Zander continues, "Everybody loves classical music, they just haven't found out about it yet".
Think about that, "They just haven't found out about it yet". Can we say this too about children and nature? Remember the youngster in Richard Louv's book "Last child in the woods", who says he preferred playing inside "because that's where the electrical outlets are." Could it be that this youngster "hasn't found out about nature yet"? Many young children today spend their formative years in daycare centres whose outdoor environment provides no more then rubber matting, plastic playhouses and steel climbing equipment. How many of these children find out about nature and have opportunities to experience it first hand?
A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.
Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.
- Albert Einstein
This week, find a rock, or two. Can your child lift it up or roll it over? What can you find underneath the rock? Slaters (pillbugs), ants, spiders, cockroaches, weta? Maybe even an ant nest? Are there any trails (worms), or other signs?
Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you. - Anja
