Imagine being a child who has the whole world around them to be explored with a whole depth of imagination and wonder. Imagine how the ways we introduce those children to things is constantly and consistently focused on the natural environment around us.
Imagine an outdoor classroom where children spend the day hunting for bugs, learning bird songs and baking the ultimate mud pie - where lessons have a natural magic: instead of counting marbles children collect and count acorns; to learn colors, geometry and fine motor control children use paintbrushes to spread pollen between flowers and record the color, shape and number of petals to share with the class; and with a pile of leaves and twigs they build sculptures and art that reflect the wilds of their imagination.
Imagine a child's favorite thing about preschool being “running up hills” or to “be quiet and listen to birds — crows, owls and chickadees.”
Imagine preschool children learning about the cycles of nature, of life and death, food and waste as they learn about self, family, community, beliefs, values and their place on this earth.
Imagine a preschool where children "grow up wild" through a wide range of nature-based activities for building school readiness skills.
Imagine a kindergarten that triples recess time so children can play outside more.
Imagine a whole network created to connect all children, their families and communities to nature through innovative ideas, evidence-based resources and tools, broad-based collaboration and support of grassroots leadership.
Imagine a whole movement dedicated to becoming more connected to the natural world where even people living in wild, nature-rich places can develop a more thoughtful connection to nature and to each other as they face social pressure to acquire more material goods in the pursuit of a popularized Western lifestyle.
Imagine a whole "no child left inside" curriculum based on the premise that children need to become more environmentally literate so that they can be wise stewards of the very environment that sustains us, our families and communities, and future generations.
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