NATURE
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein
Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. ~Rachel Carson
Nature is the whole focus of my program at A Nest in Nature.
We make it a priority to be in tune with the natural world around us. Children learn the names of species because they are interested and want to. Instead of a bird and a tree, it becomes a Shagbark Hickory and a Black-Capped Chickadee.
There is so much to take in and learn about as we live, it's impossible to state all that we do. We explore, observe, discover and compare on a daily basis.
Some future plans are: to make an open air fort, a trail of beauty, a worm compost,
a new butterfly garden, and a sunflower house, WITH the children :)
The children have a Nature Table where they can handle and display their finds. It changes with the seasons. We go on daily nature walks and they each keep a Nature Journal.
Nature sharpens observational skills and allows the children to really get to know our earth. We need people to have great knowledge and care about our earth in the years ahead. Plus, Nature is good for the soul no matter how old you are.
We read many books about Nature, including books by Thornton Burgess, Jim Arnosky, Milicient Selsam, and Donald Silver.
Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets; and any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of education.
-Luther Burbank
"As children observe, reflect, record, and share nature’s patterns and rhythms, they are participating in a process that promotes scientific and ecological awareness, problem solving, and creativity."
~Deb Matthews Hensley
