Contents of an Environmental Awareness course can be:
•Harmony in Nature: History – How Nature was and how it has changed, correction of disharmony through talks, activities and projects on environment protection and conservation, etc.
•Disharmony in Nature: Pollution and its kinds, flora and fauna, deforestation, use of fertilizers, use of non-bio-degradable materials, wastage of natural resources, torture, killing and extinction of animals, etc.
•The beauty in nature – the colour, variety and beauty of flowers, birds, mountains, rivers, stars, etc.
•Kindness to animals – the beauty of the world of animals, birds, fishes and insects, animals have feelings too, how helpful they are, lessons we can learn from them, how man can gain from kindness to animals.
Activities for the above: Telling stories to children about people being kind to animals and vice versa, playing games with children enacting animals and humans loving and helping each other, communing with Nature by collecting natural materials like clay, sticks, straw, etc. and making models with them.
Aim: To develop in the child the ability to wonder at Nature, a sense of kinship with Nature.
•Imagine the joy and peace found in Nature.
•Kindness of Nature and its various uses to man.
•Nature's unconditional love for us.
•Nature as a parent, sustaining us and all life.
Activities for the above: Grow a plant in a pot and sing or talk to it as plants grow better and healthier this way, visualize, draw and colour scenes from Nature, discuss how each child tends to be kind to nature (even if the ideas are unrealistic, it helps in emotional bonding), showing pictures and documentaries on Nature's uses to man.
Aim: To develop wonderment at Nature, kinship with Nature, gratitude to Nature, values associated with Nature, ethical reasons for protecting Nature.
•Nature's uses through trees – various uses of trees and what happens when they are cut, what happens when whole forests are cut down.
•Nature's selfless service to mankind.
•What can a child do in return for Nature's kindness – save an protect it, grow trees, save paper (how), save water (how).
Activities for the above: Make notebooks with leftover pages and pages used only on one side, make projects, charts and models on Nature's uses, plant saplings, short talks, drawings, essays and debates by the children on Nature's love and how we can return it.
Aim: To make children aware of Nature as kind and loving and the need to return love in gratitude, giving children concrete ways in which they can help the situation in their own little ways.
•Uses of an important aspect of Nature - animals.
•What man forces from animals in all walks of life - transport, war, farming, clothing, entertainment, science, food, cosmetics, showpieces, jewellery, etc. Highlight the inherent cruelty.
•What man does in return – torture, killing, extinction.
•Pollution, deforestation and their dangers.
Activities for the above: Essays and debates on reactions to the above-mentioned aspects, visits to farms to see rural life with animals, visits to forests of wildlife sanctuaries to see wild animals, charts and projects on the above-mentioned, vegetable and flower gardens with children in groups using the children's own gardens, visits to and from animal welfare organizations.
Aim: To make children aware of mutually nourishing relationships between man and other aspects and of Nature, having positive and grateful attitude towards plants and animals.
•History of how Nature was regarded by man and how the view changed.
•Nature – the Western and Eastern concept.
•Harm done to Nature and its effects on the world.
•Corrective measures going on around the world
Activities for the above: Themes to be developed using natural materials, e.g. ways to store water using models created with clay, sticks, leaves, stones, etc., getting in commune with Nature – nature walks, bird, butterfly and insect watching, sky gazing, building bird baths, integrated study of Nature through various school subjects, etc.
Aim: To make children aware of how man's regard for Nature has fallen causing all the damage, learning about environmental damage and corrective measures, learning to commune with different aspects of Nature.
Friday, August 26, 2011
ENVIRONMENT AND EDUCATION: COGNITIVE ADVANTAGES OF NATURE IN A CHILD'S LIFE
We instinctively turn to Nature as a way of relaxing and enhancing our well-being. Nature inspires, fulfills and motivates. Nature is a child's first and most important school.
•Children in contact with Nature score higher on tests of concentration and self-discipline. Exposure to natural environments improves children's cognitive development by improving their awarenesss, reasoning and observational skills.
•Environmental psychologists at the University of Michigan, Stephen and Rachel Kaplan have developed the attention-restoration theory. It states that too much directed attention activities like computer tasks, homework, etc. can lead to 'directed-attention fatigue', causing impulsive behaviour, agitation, irritation and inability to concentrate. According to them, an environment that is strong on fascination and where attention is automatic, it helps the directed attention to rest. Nature is an ideal example of such an environment and provides restorative relief.
•When children play in natural environments, there is more imaginative and creative play that fosters language and collaborative skills. It helps children develop powers of observation and creativity and instills a sense of peace and being at one with the world (Crain 2001).
•Early experiences with Nature have been positively linked with the development of imagination and sense of wonder. (Cobb 1977, Louv 1991). Wonder is an important motivator for life long learning (Wilson 1997).
•Exposure to Nature increases a child's resilience to stress – the more stressful the event, the more marked the effect (Nancy Wells, Cornell University).
•Children who play regularly in natural environments show more advanced motor fitness, including coordination, balance and agility, and they are sick less often (Fjortoft 2001, Grahn 1997).
•Play in natural environment reduces or eliminates anti-social behaviour such as violence, bullying, vandalism and littering, as well as reduces absenteeism (Coffey 2001, Malone & Tranter 2003, Moore & Cosco 2000).
• Researchers from Illinois University have shown that exposure to natural settings may effectively reduce problems in children who have ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
This above research is barely a little percentage of all the work which has been done in the field of Environment and Education.This goes to show the long-term benefits of Nature in a child's education.
•Children in contact with Nature score higher on tests of concentration and self-discipline. Exposure to natural environments improves children's cognitive development by improving their awarenesss, reasoning and observational skills.
•Environmental psychologists at the University of Michigan, Stephen and Rachel Kaplan have developed the attention-restoration theory. It states that too much directed attention activities like computer tasks, homework, etc. can lead to 'directed-attention fatigue', causing impulsive behaviour, agitation, irritation and inability to concentrate. According to them, an environment that is strong on fascination and where attention is automatic, it helps the directed attention to rest. Nature is an ideal example of such an environment and provides restorative relief.
•When children play in natural environments, there is more imaginative and creative play that fosters language and collaborative skills. It helps children develop powers of observation and creativity and instills a sense of peace and being at one with the world (Crain 2001).
•Early experiences with Nature have been positively linked with the development of imagination and sense of wonder. (Cobb 1977, Louv 1991). Wonder is an important motivator for life long learning (Wilson 1997).
•Exposure to Nature increases a child's resilience to stress – the more stressful the event, the more marked the effect (Nancy Wells, Cornell University).
•Children who play regularly in natural environments show more advanced motor fitness, including coordination, balance and agility, and they are sick less often (Fjortoft 2001, Grahn 1997).
•Play in natural environment reduces or eliminates anti-social behaviour such as violence, bullying, vandalism and littering, as well as reduces absenteeism (Coffey 2001, Malone & Tranter 2003, Moore & Cosco 2000).
• Researchers from Illinois University have shown that exposure to natural settings may effectively reduce problems in children who have ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
This above research is barely a little percentage of all the work which has been done in the field of Environment and Education.This goes to show the long-term benefits of Nature in a child's education.
Environmental Awareness in Children
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS IN EDUCATION
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
- William Blake
Children and Nature are integral to each other. Our children should learn to see and appreciate the harmony in creation. Living in harmony with creation and all creatures, ancient man discovered a unity with this wonderful world. It is only Man who maintains or mars the harmony in creation. All other natural things function according to the laws of Nature, be it celestial bodies, animals, plants, even micro-organisms. Every child needs to be inspired to resolve to never do anything that defiles Nature and thereby the harmony in creation. This brings about a great need to create Environmental Awareness among children.
Why is there an urgent need for Environmental Awareness? It is because our modern industrial society has embarked on a course that is suicidal. We must change our attitude to Nature or we will eliminate life from this planet. We are demolishing, poisoning and destroying all life systems on this planet. We essentially measure progress only in terms of money or convenience. It is fundamentally a philosophical and ideological problem, rather than a technical one. The world and its environment is not being destroyed by evil people. If that were the case, it would be easier to solve this problem by having more laws and law-enforcement agencies. According to Jose Lutzenberg, “Most environmental damage today is caused by good people with good intentions, but they are acting on the basis of a mistaken world view and as long as they stick to that view, they will continue to destroy this planet....” Only when we learn to look at the world in a more holistic way, one that sees ourselves as only one species among millions, where even the smallest bacterium is important for the well-being of the whole organism, only then can we have a more technologically advanced society that is sustainable, and will enhance life instead of demolishing it.
There can be many approaches to creating this Awareness. The components can be:
Approach: Oneness in creation, harmony in Nature, respect for all life, God as the creator and universal force and presence. Children should be led from their earliest years to view God as the creator, sustainer and maintainer of Nature. They should be taught to understand the omni-present nature of God which instills in them the fear and reverence of not doing harmful things to His creation. A need has to be created in children to cherish and protect Nature. Without developing such an emotional bond with Nature, the scientific aspects of environment and related advice will not be imbibed by the children. Where there is love, caring and compassion is spontaneous.
Rabindranath Tagore, the brilliant and prolific poet, writer and nationalist, founded Shantiniketan in 1901. It is a school where even today, classes are held outdoors under the open skies. He believed that children have an intimate relationship with the natural world. According to him, children should have contact with living nature, 'to meet with life where it is most supreme'. He said, “From our childhood, habits are formed and knowledge is imparted in such a manner that our life is weaned away from nature and our mind and the world are set in opposition from the beginning of our days. Thus the greatest of education for which we came prepared is neglected, and we are made to lose our world to find a bagful of information instead. We rob the child of his earth to teach him geography, of language to teach him grammar.” Such profound words are meant to shake us into a realization that Nature and Environment need to be the basis and reason for education.
The role of educators is to bring out and nurture a child's talents and inner potential, their inner 'knowledge'. Nature serves as one of the best educators a child can ever have. And we, as co-educators, need to comprehend this relationship and make it an integral part of a child's curriculum.
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
- William Blake
Children and Nature are integral to each other. Our children should learn to see and appreciate the harmony in creation. Living in harmony with creation and all creatures, ancient man discovered a unity with this wonderful world. It is only Man who maintains or mars the harmony in creation. All other natural things function according to the laws of Nature, be it celestial bodies, animals, plants, even micro-organisms. Every child needs to be inspired to resolve to never do anything that defiles Nature and thereby the harmony in creation. This brings about a great need to create Environmental Awareness among children.
Why is there an urgent need for Environmental Awareness? It is because our modern industrial society has embarked on a course that is suicidal. We must change our attitude to Nature or we will eliminate life from this planet. We are demolishing, poisoning and destroying all life systems on this planet. We essentially measure progress only in terms of money or convenience. It is fundamentally a philosophical and ideological problem, rather than a technical one. The world and its environment is not being destroyed by evil people. If that were the case, it would be easier to solve this problem by having more laws and law-enforcement agencies. According to Jose Lutzenberg, “Most environmental damage today is caused by good people with good intentions, but they are acting on the basis of a mistaken world view and as long as they stick to that view, they will continue to destroy this planet....” Only when we learn to look at the world in a more holistic way, one that sees ourselves as only one species among millions, where even the smallest bacterium is important for the well-being of the whole organism, only then can we have a more technologically advanced society that is sustainable, and will enhance life instead of demolishing it.
There can be many approaches to creating this Awareness. The components can be:
Approach: Oneness in creation, harmony in Nature, respect for all life, God as the creator and universal force and presence. Children should be led from their earliest years to view God as the creator, sustainer and maintainer of Nature. They should be taught to understand the omni-present nature of God which instills in them the fear and reverence of not doing harmful things to His creation. A need has to be created in children to cherish and protect Nature. Without developing such an emotional bond with Nature, the scientific aspects of environment and related advice will not be imbibed by the children. Where there is love, caring and compassion is spontaneous.
Rabindranath Tagore, the brilliant and prolific poet, writer and nationalist, founded Shantiniketan in 1901. It is a school where even today, classes are held outdoors under the open skies. He believed that children have an intimate relationship with the natural world. According to him, children should have contact with living nature, 'to meet with life where it is most supreme'. He said, “From our childhood, habits are formed and knowledge is imparted in such a manner that our life is weaned away from nature and our mind and the world are set in opposition from the beginning of our days. Thus the greatest of education for which we came prepared is neglected, and we are made to lose our world to find a bagful of information instead. We rob the child of his earth to teach him geography, of language to teach him grammar.” Such profound words are meant to shake us into a realization that Nature and Environment need to be the basis and reason for education.
The role of educators is to bring out and nurture a child's talents and inner potential, their inner 'knowledge'. Nature serves as one of the best educators a child can ever have. And we, as co-educators, need to comprehend this relationship and make it an integral part of a child's curriculum.
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