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10 April ~2008
I had nature programs yesterday and today, in the morning. Yesterday we found lots of elk and deer scat, and a couple of coyote scat piles with fur in them, as well as deer and elk and coyote tracks and gopher eskers.. That and the Abert's squirrel that scurried close to us from tree to tree, made it a rewarding walk for the children. I like to hear their excited voices when they reunite with their friends and tell them about the adventure they had, and all the things they saw.Today the program went as scheduled, even though we had a snowstorm. I was glad the school didn't cancel, but was disappointed some of the children weren't dressed warm enough for us to walk very far. I kept them out as long as I could, until snow was collecting in their hair, and all bare hands were buried deep in pockets.
They got to see the pine branches covered with snow though, and felt the rush of a gust of wind blowing snowflakes into their face. Simple things like that likely create a more last impression than my facts or stories.
Getting outside as much of possible is the purpose of these programs, to introduce these young people to outdoors and wild nature, which most of them don't encounter very often. Today it was more rugged than most days, but more beautiful with the snow sticking to the pines.
For some reason when we we walking I remembered the time when my young daughter Amy called me outside, to show me that when it's snowing hard, straight down, and you look up into the sky, it feels as if you are flying through the snowstorm. The ones that were listening to me describe it lifted their heads into the storm to give it a try, although it wasn't quite snowing hard enough for the full effect.
The children were very quiet and well-behaved early on, to the point that I wasn't quite sure how much of what I was saying that they understood, because of not being real familiar when English. When I gave them my cameras to take pictures of our walk, their teacher repeated my instructions in Spanish.
Towards the end of the program they loosened up some, and started asking me questions, which caused me to realize they were getting most of my explanations.
It turned out to be a fine morning, and the teachers were glad they didn't call and cancel. I also made me realize though that the heart of my nature programs is being on the trail, and it just isnt the same when we spent too much time inside. On the trail the lessons from nature come through, and for some may initiate a sense of wonder and inspiration, as it did for me when I was their age.
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