Aspens along the Snake River sooth most souls. This photo was taken as I made my way down river to visit Wilson Elementary in Wilson, Wyoming. One of my all time favorite schools, it is home to a supportive staff and group of parents as well as a bunch of kids surrounded by some of the most spectacular wilderness remaining in our country. It is easy to walk from the school and see a moose, catch trout, and even see a cougar or grizzly.
Is Wilson, Wyoming and the Greater Yellowstone/Grand Teton area the most beautiful on earth?
My friend Trevor Atkins thinks we should ask kids to take a look around and see how each and every one of them lives in the most beautiful place. He and I have vowed to make this idea a goal in the coming school year --- to help kids see the local beauty and to help in the restoration of places in need of rekindling ancient natural features.
My focus in this is not all that different from how I've viewed previous school years. I try to encourage kids to love their surroundings by taking them out to small streams, ponds, and shorelines. We net fish and other water life and look closely at the beauty in nature.
Water. In Hawaiian, the word is Wai. Recognizing the depth of its importance, Hawaiians also know the word Wai to mean Wealth.....What are we without water. No wealth could sustain without the most precious of all earth's resources.
I love to do this one simple thing, especially when far from the sea. Take a child by the hand and lead him or her to a tiny stream. Lean down and touch the water, then let them know where it flows, asking if they are aware of the path that water takes, all the way into the mouth of whales in distant seas. There is instant magic.
Netting fish, observing invertebrates, and taking water quality measurements are all good science. As a biologist, I can help schools set up watershed projects with this science at its heart. I've learned to bring soulful art projects into this mix and am always searching for new ways to help kids express themselves through art and writing.
If you teach, ask for information about Trevor's projects in Hawaii and my projects there and on the mainland, as well as in other countries. I'll set up projects that can include art and writing contests to see just who does have the Most Beautiful Place on Earth as their school ground, home, or community.
What makes a place so beautiful. The golden aspen leaves make it easy for all to see. But if you go out into a small stream almost anywhere in America, I know you will find a way to gaze into something far more beautiful and some place you can visit each and every day. We owe it to all our kids to find that place and to help them protect or restore its special beauty.
To help find connections in these places, I continue to work to bring schools together, up and down streams, especially along the Scioto and Ohio River in Ohio; Snake River in Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington; and along coastal reaches of the Salish Sea in Washington.
Get in touch to connect with these and other projects.
We were so fortunate to have Ron Hirschi visit our school 2 times - May, 2007 and October, 2008. Ron took the students outside every time and inspired them with his love of the land and seas, as well as for curiosity with nature. The students' learning during the visit was relevant, and from the first visit we created a big book - Snake to the Sea. We integrated with technology - Google Earth - to take a virtual tour from Jackson Hole along the Snake River to the Pacific Ocean.
ReplyDeleteOn Ron's second visit, the students culminated their work with a fundraiser to raise money to protect grizzly bear habitat. The students purchased copies of Ron's book - Our Three Bears - and were encouraged to earn the money used to purchase the book.