Why is this this program important?
Connection. Connecting with nature is integral for our well being and has a plethora of benefits. Developing rich, meaningful connections with peers and with the subject matter is a major factor for schooling to have a positive and lasting impact.
The CHS Roams program is about preparing students for life, work, and leisure in our world; at the same time, it’s an opportunity to connect with course content differently and approach school from a different angle; namely, the angle of significant time spent outdoors. How will we prepare these students? We’ll focus on meeting many of the elements of the curricula through the lens of the outdoors - let’s get out of the classroom and into nature. Plenty of research demonstrates that spending time in nature is beneficial for quality of life and that spending time unconnected to the natural world can be detrimental. One researcher, Richard Louv, coined the term, “Nature deficit disorder” to help identify the issues that develop when humans become disconnected from nature and spend too much time indoors. Focusing on the positive: Children who spend more time outside appear to perform better physically and emotionally; “The research strongly suggests that time in nature can help many children learn to build confidence in themselves, calm themselves, and focus” (Suttie, 2012).
Additionally (and maybe most importantly), we will protect what we love, but we cannot love what we don't know. We need to get to know our natural spaces. Our natural world is in need of protection and stewarding, investing extended time in natural spaces allows us to develop a relationship that will drive us to desire reciprocity with the earth; we'll desire to find ways to give instead of solely taking. Spending significant time in natural spaces and discussing our place in it helps us understand that we are not masters of an ecosystem, we are a part of it.
A few of the books that have aided in the development of this program (recommended reading!):
Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
Last Child in the Woods - Richard Louv
Your Brain on Nature - Selhub, Eva M., Logan, Alan C.
Sources:
Suttie, J. (2012, September 15). How to Protect Kids from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Retrieved February 11, 2020, from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_protect_kids_from_nature_deficit_disorder
Connection. Connecting with nature is integral for our well being and has a plethora of benefits. Developing rich, meaningful connections with peers and with the subject matter is a major factor for schooling to have a positive and lasting impact.
The CHS Roams program is about preparing students for life, work, and leisure in our world; at the same time, it’s an opportunity to connect with course content differently and approach school from a different angle; namely, the angle of significant time spent outdoors. How will we prepare these students? We’ll focus on meeting many of the elements of the curricula through the lens of the outdoors - let’s get out of the classroom and into nature. Plenty of research demonstrates that spending time in nature is beneficial for quality of life and that spending time unconnected to the natural world can be detrimental. One researcher, Richard Louv, coined the term, “Nature deficit disorder” to help identify the issues that develop when humans become disconnected from nature and spend too much time indoors. Focusing on the positive: Children who spend more time outside appear to perform better physically and emotionally; “The research strongly suggests that time in nature can help many children learn to build confidence in themselves, calm themselves, and focus” (Suttie, 2012).
Additionally (and maybe most importantly), we will protect what we love, but we cannot love what we don't know. We need to get to know our natural spaces. Our natural world is in need of protection and stewarding, investing extended time in natural spaces allows us to develop a relationship that will drive us to desire reciprocity with the earth; we'll desire to find ways to give instead of solely taking. Spending significant time in natural spaces and discussing our place in it helps us understand that we are not masters of an ecosystem, we are a part of it.
A few of the books that have aided in the development of this program (recommended reading!):
Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
Last Child in the Woods - Richard Louv
Your Brain on Nature - Selhub, Eva M., Logan, Alan C.
Sources:
Suttie, J. (2012, September 15). How to Protect Kids from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Retrieved February 11, 2020, from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_protect_kids_from_nature_deficit_disorder