Nature is constantly changing which makes it exciting and sometimes terrifying but often beautiful.
Who is not moved by the array of stars visible on a pitch black night, or by the frosty snow clinging to the bare limbs of trees, or by the rushing water of a stream that seems eager to be on its way, or by the sun streaked sky at dusk , or by the wind blowing through the leaves of trees?
We all appreciate that trees provide shade, but when there is a wind storm the other side of the story is that there are leaves everywhere waiting to be raked. Lesson? You have to take the good with the bad. It’s a lot like working with children.
Some of you may have noticed that trees also have these things called roots. They are needed to hold up the tree and provide a it with a means of nourishment. They are, in fact, essential to a tree’s life. But we have experienced the good with the bad whne it comes to tree roots. It seems that, in all their wisdom, some evaluators perceive tree roots as a tripping hazards.
Yet, in the 35 plus years I have been running Children’s country House I can honestly say I’ve never seen a child trip on a root. Will they trip over their own feet? Yes they will, but they won’t rip over a root. I’ve seen them play follow the leader going up one side and down the other side of tree roots. I’ve seen them sit in the crook of the roots, which makes a comfy, cozy spot to look at a book. I’ve seen them straddle a big root and sit and have a conversation with a friend. Fortunately and amazingly to some, they have the sense to walk over a large root and not trip on. You have to give the credit!
We recently added two goats to our collection of animals, and before long we had three. One of the goats we acquired turned out to be pregnant (which we hadn’t realized). What a pleasant surprise. it was! Nature at work!
The certain thing about nature is that it changes . . . and so do we all. Children make progress, they learn, they grow, they change. At our school children notice that plants grow and change. They see them change from a seed to a plant which then bears fruit or becomes an edible vegetable. The children then enjoy the harvest, and the cycle is repeated.
They also experience the reality that sometimes a pest comes along and ruins your crop. They learn how to take action to be eliminate those unwanted pests and save their work.
Nature gives and takes. Our animals are little eating machines. Food goes in one end and comes out the other end day after day. We all have the constant task of dealing with the odor that is associated with animals. We find that some people find the natural animal odors offensive rather it pleasant proof of the animals’ good health. The day our old pony stopped defecating was the day I we became worried and ran to call the vet. Regularity means health in animals and people . . . after all, we too are part of the life cycle.
Children are understandably interested in this process, and it provides a good opportunity to talk to them about what happens to food when it passes through the body. They all help with the feeding of the animals. they think that the task is not a chore and thinks it’s actually fun. The children bond with the animals we keep and and learn to care for them becaue they learn that they are dependent on us. We use this opportuity to talk about the animals in the wild and how it is necessary for them to fend for themselves. they learn naturally nature provides food for them unless something happens to take it away.
One evaluator told us that we can’t have any rocks in the yard. The rocks we do have form a ledge by the sand pit. We think that some day our children will have the opportunity to walk on some rocks near a beach, and the experience of walking on our rocks to help them enjoy the experience of walking safely on the rocks at the beach. We want them to learn that rocks are not to be feared but that with care they can be navigated.Rocks; roots; trees! they can all provide lessons in balance and control and are natural elements to be found in the world. They should really should be part of a child’s daily experience. How sad it is if if they are not!
If children have to walk on cement or blacktop where will they ever learn agility and an awareness of their surroundings. Let’s not rob children of their natural world in the name of “safety.”
