Part of our mission is to create learning environments both indoors and outdoors that encourage connection to nature. We believe that Nature Connected Learning is possible in any environment, as WE ARE PART OF NATURE, as is every single thing that human beings have manufactured. Here are a few of our favourite ways to help bring that message into the learning environment:
INDOOR GARDENING PROGRAMS
VERMI-COMPOSTING
MICRO-GREENS
VISUAlIZATIONS
NATURE JOURNALING
Indoor Gardening is fast becoming one of the best ways to connect children, youth and adults to where their food comes from, as well as lifecycles and the magic of nature. The Little Green Thumbs program offered in many parts of Canada gives students and teachers a chance the grow plants from seed to salad - engaging in the whole process. As both a coordinator and educator involved in this program, Adrianne has a lot of experience with garden-based learning both indoors and outdoors, and Little Green Thumbs continues to be one of her passions. You can grow so many plants indoors and with a small grow light set up, can be eating some healthy greens all year round!
Vermi-Composting is an amazing way to have class pets that eat your wasted food AND produce castings to feed to your plants! Red Wiggler worms are some of the hardest working worms on the planet, and they can thrive in a container in your home or in your classroom. The Compost Education Centre in Victoria, BC has some amazing fact sheets to help you get started!
Growing Micro-Greens might not be something you've thought about doing with your students or children, but they are delicious, nutritious, fast, and really fun to watch grow! The Little Green Sprouts program is offered in Saskatchewan. This is something that you can do easily at home as well! For some instructions on growing your own micro-greens, click here!
The Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature by John Young, Ellen Haas, and Evan McGown describes one of the core routines that enhances nature connection to be Mind's Eye Imagining and they introduce a game called Talbott's Game. This is a simple and easy routine to expand awareness of the natural environment around you and can be done ANYWHERE! The aim is to have one person instruct the others to close their eyes, and ask a question that will challenge them to recognize how aware of their surroundings they are. Some example questions could be,
"How many windows are open right now?"
"Point at the nearest plant to you"
"Where is West?"
John Muir Laws has created some incredible resources to help you get started on your Nature Journaling practice. Here is a link for Nature Journaling resources. We also love making Phenology Wheels like this one that Megan posted on our Instagram page. The Bateman Foundation also has some great workshops to get folks into nature sketching and they have many digital resources to help you get started with your pencil and paper!
Have fun connecting to nature INDOORS as well as OUTDOORS this fall!
Author:
Adrianne Begg
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