Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/following-parents-and-children-into-the-forest-a-visit-to-the-berkeley-forest-school/5023760/
Raincoat-clad parents and their two-year-olds love the sound, feel, smell, and sight of the cold, pouring rain in Berkeley, California’s, Codornices’ Park. They sit on a tarp and listen as Teacher Elena Canaris reads Listen to the Rain (Martin & Archambault, 1987). She enunciates the words that imitated the storm’s sound (onomatopoeia): “Sprinkles, tinkles, tip-toe, pitter-patter.” “Can you hear the rain singing?” Elena asks as raindrops tumble onto the coast redwoods, bigleaf maples, and bay laurels.
Exploring Nature Together
Nature awareness thrives as a family project when teachers share their skills and perspectives with parents. Adults do not need to start out as experts on natural history and ecology. They learn along with their children as they explore together. Their sensory experiences and sense of wonder lead parents and children to share a deep curiosity, a hunger for scientific knowledge, and a loving connection to the earth.
The toddlers experience new feelings in their bodies and test their physical skills as they discover mushrooms, worms, and odd-shaped twigs. Parents and Elena share their amazement with the children, and follow closely to ensure that the children do not go beyond their limits. Instead of placing a curious child high in a tree, Elena shows a ...