There’s more than one way to encourage nature-based learning

Portland Press Herald – March 11, 2007
By Deirdre Fleming

It's called nature-based education. But that doesn't really encompass what will be shared and explored at the conference on this kind of teaching at Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm.

The goal is to gather teachers interested in nature to allow them to share ways nature can be celebrated with children and youth.
The conference not only will encourage nature-based learning at summer camps and school programs, but also within day-to-day living, said Dan Gardoqui, co-founder of White Pine Programs, the conference host.

This shared vision of encouraging ongoing nature-based learning is not unlike what happens at an artists' colony, Gardoqui said.
The four-day conference, "Building Strong Naturalist Communities," is geared toward educators, but in a very general sense.
"It's for people who have an interest in learning, in sharing knowledge, whether they are parents, aunts and uncles, mentors," Gardoqui said.
It is being held in Maine for the first time, but is modeled after a regional program that was held in Vermont the past two years.
"It is very young. There was a program the last two falls in Brattleboro, Vt., that drew a bunch of different nature-based educators. This year, we decided why don't we move this around?" Gardoqui said.

Presenters will be coming from Colorado, New York and British Columbia, as well as from all around New England.
Many of the speakers are teachers who combine ancient and modern ecological tools to encourage people to become stewards of the land.
There will be instructors who use fire pits, water, wild animals, and fictional stories played out in nature to engage children in the natural world.
"A lot of programs for inner-city youth use drama therapy, working with role playing to help figure out who you are and who you're not, and also how to figure out where you are in the ecological landscape," Gardoqui said. "They are developing themselves as human beings."
White Pines is an example of these kinds of nature-based programs.

At the Cape Neddick-based program, there is no classroom. Sometimes the outdoor lessons are not even apparent.

Students learn the names of trees, how they can be made into tools, or how plants are used for medicinal purposes.

Other times, they are just encouraged to play in the woods.

White Pines uses sweat lodges to allow older children to experience a unique American Indian custom that can ignite their imagination.
The idea is for children to "see themselves as part of nature, not separate from it," Gardoqui said.

"A good bit of what we do, a good bit of our approach is not very didactic," Gardoqui said. "We are not overtly teaching. We want them to know what a white oak is and a white pine, because it is just like knowing the names in your neighborhood, like knowing your neighbors."
While the lessons at White Pine Programs are related to the teachings and traditions of American Indians, they relate to many native cultures.
"There are programs on the art of mentoring. It draws on teaching from hunter gatherers, including Native Americans. But if you look around the world, we are all natives of some place. Whether we are from Celtic tribes of northern Ireland, Mongolians in northern Asia. We all have native backgrounds," Gardoqui said.

The recent fear that children are suffering from the condition called "nature deficit disorder" was already a concern of Gardoqui's and the White Pines staff when they began their program in Cape Neddick in 1999.

"Parents are just now starting to see the impact (from a disconnect to nature). There is isolation. (Children) are not making strong connections to other kids and other adults," Gardoqui said.

There are dozens of nature-based learning centers around New England, and many of those who founded these will be at the conference.
There are also dozens throughout Maine.

"This draws on a lot of local experts. There are so many different people doing stuff. We tried to invite many of them to give their presentations, to cross-pollinate," Gardoqui said.

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:
dfleming@pressherald.com

Top Stories