Nature is the Teacher

By Carroll Ritter, Sycamore’s Environmental Education Coordinator 2005-2014

The early morning sunlight filtered through a light fog lingering in the mighty oak grove. The almost magical scene was one to capture and retain. A link to the primeval makeup of the human brain was instinctive, as mankind has always been part of the natural system of life. How does this work and when do we begin learning and associating with our environment?

The official educational journey is often assigned to the period when a child enters preschool or kindergarten and terminates when the college graduate celebrates their final coursework. Of course, we know that the continuum of learning is experiential from birth to death. Children’s perception of the world is narrow in early years but broadens exponentially as they grow. Concepts begin at the concrete stage of learning where the senses keenly absorb from the surroundings, gradually evolving into the ability to weave together a much larger fabric of reasoning and abstract creativity.

The formative years depend on parental guidance and sustenance. This transitions to add teachers and community members. Throughout the process, one element is often not in the foreground, but one which is already there. The role of the natural world is in the background and has been there from the beginning. Has it been considered as an important innate need? Some parents do realize this and provide that experience, perhaps because they themselves remember those special times in a grand forest or on a mountain pass with the wind rushing over. The fortunate children of these parents will remember those times as well. But many children and even most adults have not been immersed in nature, skirting only its margins but not its depth.

A second grader at Rogers Elementary was delighted by a katydid that landed on her arm during a hike with Carroll at Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve in 2010. Carroll Ritter

What are the possibilities for greater exposure to nature and who should participate? Of course, most thoughts would say we would begin with children. Or should we begin with the adult? An innocent child is open, unknowing, and receptive. But also, the child needs to be led, to be reinforced, to explore, and to get answers to those simple questions. Who provides this guidance? As an adult walking through the magical woods holds the hand of the child, so also are they participants in the absorption of their surroundings and able to point out the pawpaw, ripe and ready, hanging on the bush. They can pick up that deep red, black gum leaf recently fallen from the tree. What about all the woodpecker holes? Why are they there? What creatures hide under the limestone rocks in the creek bed?

If we then agree that the adult has a primary role in passing on the sense of wonder and the knowledge accumulated, how might we prepare ourselves for this important role? Adults may well say that they really do not know much about these things. Our response may suggest that they purchase some guides, identification, and beginning level books. Attend workshops, nature hikes, and walk with naturalists, asking questions yourself. The only simple solution is just to start. Begin the walks, join the hikes, or just take the child to a park, nature preserve, a wood near the home. It will come.

Students at Burris Elementary School participating in Sycamore’s Environmental Education program in 2007. Carroll Ritter

Adults and participants of all ages are often welcomed into studies of a local place where a more in-depth study is needed. A creek being monitored for water quality, a study of pollution, an assessment of trees, how to improve wildlife habitat, or removal of invasive species. This is the arena of what we call “citizen science.” The leader may be a professional, but the learners and teams can be anyone. This is a superb opportunity to engage everyone in hands-on activity and provide a sense of community involvement and contribution.

How is the school doing their part in showing children anything at all about nature? Are they? Can they? If the curriculum is carried out only in the building, they miss a world out there that can be the ultimate classroom. We have shown that most all subjects taught in the classroom can be supplemented by living, hands-on, stimulating, and reinforcing activities outside. By “outside” we can include the playground, the landscaping, and even better any plot of nature. Small woods, large woods, pond, pollinator plot, hilltop, or sinkhole. We encouraged teachers to develop an activity—any activity—as we planned for schools to submit for the Outdoor Lab of the Year Awards. Forming a nature club is also a possibility and can involve parents. Build birdhouses, bat boxes, pull weeds—together.

A student from Bloomington High School South uses a clinometer to measure trees on a field trip with Sycamore’s education program in 2010. Carroll Ritter

How is Sycamore Land Trust participating? This organization has helped lead the way to quality outdoor education since the inception of the environmental education program in 2005. The range of offerings includes all age groups. Schools are visited, hikes for families, participation in exciting citizen science studies of bats, raptors, and pollinators—all of this addresses the need for passing on the sense of wonder to everyone. Our college interns and work volunteers of all ages have been a tremendous asset.

Sycamore properties offer superb outdoor experiences. Beanblossom Bottoms is of course a huge laboratory of study. Porter West Preserve, Powell Preserve, and Amy Weingartner Branigin Peninsula Preserve are three more great opportunities.

In conclusion, we all realize the importance of what we do today affects the mission of “forever.” Pass it on and pay it forward!

A student from Bloomington High School South uses a clinometer to measure trees on a field trip with Sycamore’s education program in 2010. Carroll Ritter

Sample activities for schools or even parents!

Math

How do trees grow? How fast? How can this be measured? Use nature to teach math concepts like circumference and diameter. Games like “Run Like A Rabbit” help students learn equations like distance divided by time equals speed.
As Sycamore’s Education Coordinator, Carroll used nature to teach math and science concepts. On this field trip in 2010, students measured trees to monitor their growth.

Science

Put out a board in the woods and come back later to see what is sheltering under it. Look closely with a magnifying glass at insects on a plant to study their legs, antennae, and more. Play “Zigzag Run” to learn about predator-prey relationships—dodge and weave running from a predator chasing you.
A participant in Sycamore’s education program in 2010 takes a closer look at what she discovered in nature.

Prose

Sitting on a deck or another place in the woods, write about what you see and hear. Look deeper—how does the place touch your feelings and heal you?
On a field trip in 2007, Carroll asked students to spend some quiet time journaling in nature.

Art

Create your picture of what you see in nature or laminate leaves. Make a display on the school hallway walls or in a special place at home.
Carroll helps students of all ages develop a lifelong appreciation for nature.

Students learn about geology at Dishman Preserve on a field trip with Sycamore’s Environmental Education Program. Carroll Ritter