Connecting Kids and Nature
Stream Water Quality Day. I believe there is nothing more inherent in being a child than looking for bugs. The giggling, screams of delight, splashing water, and yes, bugs! In this case we are looking for Benthic Macroinvertebrates. A big name for a little bug. These bugs help our students to determine the quality of our local waters, they are learning (but don't tell them!) about how to use observation skills, and that science relates to the world we live in. The real beauty of this curriculum though, is that it seamlessly marries science, math, language arts, history and art. Students have told me things like “Wow, we are actually doing what we learned about in class!” They get the opportunity to have hands on experience with scientific equipment and understand the reasons to study the natural world around us. But the real beauty, the reason I do these classes is deeper than that. I believe that if a child can have a deep connection to our Earth, they will grow to respect and care for her. So many of us have the illusion that humans are not “natural” and this can lead to a separation from the Earth, making it easy to abuse and misuse. Programs like Rivers and Birds' Watershed Classes are more important than ever to encourage our youth to have real authentic connections with nature.