October: Developing a Sense of Place
Where am I? What is the nature of this place? What sustains this community?
These are simple questions. Or are they? To children today these questions might be anything but simple. As our society moves into cities and suburbs, and away from the natural world, our children’s connection to the natural world has started to disappear. Children today spend more time in front of screens, both television and computer, than they do outside. Most do not know what is outside their own backdoor - let alone what is down the street. Also lost is the connection to the community and what sustains it. Where did their dinner come from? Ask a child and most likely they will tell you the grocery store.
What can we do?
Take the classroom outside into the local natural world and into the community. Start with your schoolyard. Look, really look, at what is there. What lives there? How does it live there? What is growing? How are those connected? Try using Project WILD’s “Learning to Look, Looking to See”. We see things every day that we don’t really LOOK at anymore. Change that. You will be amazed at what you will start to notice.
Once you have learned your schoolyard - go further. The pond down the road. The creek in the woods behind the school. The local park. Go into the community. What is grown in your area? What is it used for? How does that support the community? How does the community support the local natural resources? Learn the history of the local land. Have a guest speaker who has lived in the area for a long time, a member of the local retirement center, a community group member, a local wildlife biologist, someone from your local County Conservation Board, or even a member of a local chapter of Pheasants Forever, or Ducks Unlimited.
Next –what can YOU do? As a class what can you do to help the local community? The local natural resources? Is there a project at the local community park that your school can take on? A prairie planting? Tree planting? Community garden? Get children into the community and involved.
Activity Ideas
“Learning to Look, Looking to See” Project WILD – Students write what they remember seeing in a familiar setting, then apply their experience to an unfamiliar setting.
“Adopt-A-Tree” Project Learning Tree – Students “adopt” a tree - deepening their awareness of an individual tree over time and encouraging a greater understanding and appreciation of their local environment.
“Environmental Exchange Box” Project Learning Tree – Preparing an environmental exchange box will give your students a chance to learn more about their own region as they prepare to share it with students from another region.
“Improve Your Place” Project Learning Tree - Students are encouraged to plan and carry out a service learning project that focuses on making positive environmental changes in their community.
Brochure – As a class create a brochure for your local natural resources, or local community, promoting the area. Students learn about their local area as they “sell” it to others.
