play in the rain – Woods & Wetlands

Nature Adventures with Cannonsburg Elementary

A few weeks ago when my (retired) dad was ranting about how miserable it is for a person to have to go to work, thus interrupting their enjoyment of Life, I responded cheerfully that I actually really love both of my jobs and enjoy going to them. He paused, just barely, and with hints of both mock horror and admiration tucked into his smirk, he exclaimed, “Well, you must not be doing it right!” I beamed at him. It’s true. Woods and Wetlands continues to evolve and I learn ways to improve it with every single program, but the senses of purpose, joy, and meaning it gives to me are full and shining. Even in moments when I notice that I am being too hard on myself, wishing I had said or done something different, I catch those harsh thoughts and reframe them. Now I know this. I did not know it before. I will try again. I return home feeling like what I do matters, and it’s getting better all the time.

I also try to remember to ask the students at the end of their program, “What do you know today that you did not know yesterday?” (I frequently do forget to ask this, or I run out of time because time management is evidently something I will have to work on for the rest of my life.) Last week I got to take two classes, each, of kindergarten, first grade, and second grade out into the beautiful, hilly woods behind Cannonsburg Elementary for an hour and a half per class. It is a lovely little space, though it would be much better if it wasn’t split off from the creek in the wilds of Townsend Park by a loud and somewhat busy road.

Before today I did not know that nature could be peaceful.

I did not know that there are tiny things that eat dead stuff and turn it into soil, and that new things can grow in that soil.

I did not know that we should get our hands dirty to protect frogs and toads if we hold them.

I did not know there was this bad plant we should pull out because it is pushing out plants that are supposed to be here.

Now I know what poison ivy looks like.

Now I know it’s okay to get my hands dirty.

I did not know that some bees live underground.

I did not know there are flowers people can eat.

Imagine your eyeballs could pop out on stems and pull back in whenever you want.

As for me, now I know that if I want the students to really explore and get curious about the diverse array of nature, I should wait until later in the program to show them how bizarrely satisfying it can be to pull out garlic mustard plants! Because once they knew, it was all they wanted to do! I also now know that just a few classes of children can fill massive bags with this terribly invasive and aggressive plant in a short amount of time! Of course, I was pleased on behalf of native plants and animals, but somewhat aghast that I had inadvertently short-circuited my own program plans. Oh well. Now I know.

The kindergarten classes chose to keep their scheduled day and time despite the rain, and I allowed the kids to pick (not pull) just one May Apple leaf to use as an umbrella, just as I loved to do in our lane when I was their age. We had a grand time playing in the rain.

One boy accidentally pulled out a plant that was not garlic mustard, nor did it resemble it in the slightest, but as I began saying so, it hit me that I must remember that to one who has no experience, one plant may very well look very like another. I also recalled that pointing out what has been done wrong should be done kindly, with credit given for good intentions. This was a chance to teach and learn. So we found a spot of soft soil and used our hands to dig a little hole. I showed him how to gently set the plants roots down into the hole and we tucked them all back in again, patting the soil tightly at the base of the plant. Now he knows how to plant something. A day later, another student did the same thing, and I was ready for it. Now I know exactly how I want to handle this in the future. We should all get such do-overs whenever we can.

I adored every single one of those K-2 class programs. The kids were enthusiastic, respectful, engaged, and brave. If I could have stayed there with them all day, I would have. I will never tire of seeing kids transformed by the magic of our beautiful, one-and-only, Earth.

We never cancel for rain, only for thunder/lightning, so we were out in the rain this morning with almost no let-up. At first it was a novelty for the kids to play in the rain. But after about an hour and a half they were starting to feel they’d had enough. Frankly, so did the teachers! I will admit to being puzzled as to why only a couple of our explorers wore raincoats, given the forecast. It’s not fun to play outside when we are wet and, after a while, cold. At the very end one of the boys who had been pretty miserable for the last 45 minutes suddenly announced, “I forgot! I have a raincoat in my backpack!” !!! Sigh. I wonder how many others had ponchos or raincoats in their backpacks the whole time?

We did manage to have a good time, regardless. We greeted each other just before it down-poured by finding the person with the matching tree leaf and saying good morning to them. I intended to have them trade leaves with someone else and greet each other again as I introduced some different kinds of trees and how we tell them apart by looking at their leaves or bark, but as the clouds above us opened we ran for the protection of the tree canopy instead.

Beneath the protection of a leafy beech tree I gave a mini lesson about trees, comparing them to humans. Trees have crowns and we have heads. Trees have branches and leaves while we have arms and fingers. Both trees and humans have trunks. Trees have roots while we have legs and feet. Trees have bark and we have skin. Trees of a family are stronger and healthier when they live nearby each other. Human friends and families are stronger and healthier when we remain connected than when we are isolated. Human skin bleeds when cut. Trees “bleed” sap when cut. Both blood and sap are released to protect us and trees from germs or diseases getting in. Trees and humans develop scabs to heal over a wound. Trees take in the air we breathe out and we take in the air trees breathe out. Trees (and other plants) store carbon dioxide in their roots, which is another reason their roots need to stay underground! We still have so much to learn about trees and humans, but we know that we need trees!

We explored a couple of new sections of the woods this morning. Everyone got to pick a beech nut or two. We examined their spiny-looking shells and broke open a few to see the two, green seeds inside. Interesting mushrooms were popping up all over the place. The weirdest fungi we saw today were a kind of coral fungi that I think are called, “white worm coral” or (my favorite) fairy fingers! But they could also have been crown tipped coral. My pictures of it are blurred from the rain on my lens.

Yesterday a large, dead, branch fell from a tree not too far from where we were playing, so today I talked a lot about dead branches and dead trees. We practiced looking up before remaining in one place very long, checking to see whether there were any dead limbs above us. I always warn our explorers to never trust a dead branch with your full weight and to stay out of the woods in strong winds.

It was while we were checking out a new area that I noticed the most amazing interaction between 3 of the girls. One girl had walked away from her little group and was sitting on a log looking unhappy. Another girl (their evident leader) went to her and they talked for a few moments. The leader then went back to the group and spoke with one of her friends and they both went over to the girl sitting on the log. Using a kind and gentle voice, their leader encouraged the girls to talk out their conflict, and she gave them wording and support. And then?
“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to make you sad. Will you forgive me?”
“Yes, I forgive you.”
And all 3 girls hugged each other.
I was stunned. Their leader glanced at me and I smiled at her and told all three that I was so proud of them for their problem-solving and kindness toward each other.

With the older kids’ camp gone this session we went farther afield, so to speak, and discovered a much shallower and more easily accessed bend of our creek! I was grateful for this new space because it kept the kids interested for just a little bit longer when they were all sick of being wet. We splashed around in it for a little while and then headed back to our Meeting Log. The sky brightened even as the rain continued to fall and we returned to the field a bit early in case any parents guessed that we might need to end camp prematurely.

I invited anyone who felt like it to come with me for a walk down the road to look for black raspberries since we saw so many last week, but unfortunately a truck had come through this morning and mowed them all down. Nevertheless, to my great amusement, half of the group moved on to excitedly jumping up and down in the puddles along the edges of the road. How they could still be delighted by water when we were so deluged already was beyond me, but at that point I was happy for anything that took their minds off of being drenched to the skin. Even our fingers were all pruned up!

Thinking back on our session today I believe this group was uniquely suited to the situation we found ourselves in. They are an upbeat, happy, active, and connected little group of kids and it takes more than a couple hours of rain to dampen their spirits for long!

Just the same, I won’t lie; I do hope we have some dry, sunny, mosquito-less days next week!

Tag: play in the rain

Something I know now that I did not know yesterday.

Nature Adventures with Cannonsburg Elementary

Woods and WET WET WET lands!