Understanding and Umbrellas
Greetings! I’m sticking with an Outdoor School RAD path, as
you will hopefully be reading this on Thursday, while I’m still at Outdoor
School! If not, I’ll post it when I get home on Friday! Today we’re talking
about Understanding and Umbrellas.
Umbrellas are not allowed at Outdoor School – too many
things can go wrong (makeshift sword fights, favorite Umbrellas that were gifts
from Uncles or second cousins twice removed – drama ensues, I kid you not), and
using them removes students from the experience of...experiencing. No matter
the weather, Outdoor School goes outdoors. We all prep for this, and go outside
and learn, experience, and start to Understand. The one regret I have for no
Umbrellas at Outdoor School is I can’t use that opportunity to get some of my
more musical students to do a rendition of “Singing in the Rain” with me, which
is a sad state of affairs. *moment of silence* I’ll deal, though, to help my
students Understand more and better.
Understanding their nature-based surroundings is not
something these kids are used to doing if it isn’t at a mall or home in front
of a game console – or taking care of younger siblings while parents work long
hours to make ends meet. This is one of the many reasons why I love that we
have an Outdoor School program. Take a bunch of 5th graders, give
them an opportunity to learn Science outside, away from the school, their
families, their responsibilities to everyone and everything except being a kid
who is learning…and you get amazing results. I’ve had students who thought they
would ‘simply die’ – their words – without their precious cell phones who take
said phones from parents when they are picked up, tuck the cell phone away, and
ignore it. A few have even handed it back with a ‘nah’ – much to their parents’
shock. More students tend to want to go outside after Outdoor School, so our
potential for students who move, exercise, and get fresh air increases
wonderfully.
Having students Understand themselves better after Outdoor
School – yes, they CAN survive away from home for a couple days, and even have fun!
Yes, they can try new foods, go to bed at a reasonable hour, and not overdose
on sugar and caffeine every day. They can go outside and try new things. They
can learn science where it lives – what a concept, right? They, too, can become field researchers in
science, and even those who have the greatest trouble with it otherwise, can
Understand an amazing amount of information and number of concepts.
So, their hair may get messed up by the rain since they have
to go without Umbrellas, but that rain sinks into their brain and sloshes
around with some ideas Until a new Understanding is born.
It’s a gorgeous sight to see!
Thanks for your time,
J
