Often, school teachers are telling kids to be quite, sit down, learn. In this school, and others around the country and the globe, are doing quite the opposite: they are telling the kids to get outside.
Read more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/nyregion/30forest.html?_r=1&hpwFrom a personal perspective, my 3 1/2 year old son goes to a Waldorf School here in Seattle, at the Fremont Community School. He plays outside every day, rain or shine (and it is usually rain), and loves it. He stays dry, gets some activity, and eats well.
In today's hectic and urban world, it is nice to know that there are places he, and other kids, can go to be... well, a kid.
I imagine you are familiar with the term, Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv claims the term, but Dewy was talking about this years ago. So was Jesus and Plato.
ReplyDeleteIf you are not let me know and I can set you up with his book and email. I have meet him at a few conferences in the past and he is rather good about writing back.
Would love to talk more about this next term over beers. Spent a lot of time showing people wilderness and feel strongly that part of our current problems are from this disconnect.
Kids! Yay! Thanks for sharing this great snippet of story. Holistic education is such an essential part of any sustainable future.
ReplyDeleteI remember that my Dad sort of espoused both. On one hand, he's the one that encouraged me to get outside, taught me about various things in nature, and knew that learning happens much outside of the classroom. On the other hand, he was a staunch believer in the "training" the structured (not outside) atmosphere of the traditional learning environment provided. It's true, I probably couldn't have a job with an office and basic "rules" with out years of training...but where does it stop?
Can we re-create education and simultaneously change the working environments today's children will face?