Learning and playing outside

MICHELLE DODEK

Spring is the season in which people begin to emerge from their homes to spend time enjoying the warmer weather and the prospect of summer. But what about children who prefer and sometimes plead to stay inside, even on the most beautiful of days? You probably have memories of free, unsupervised time playing outside, possibly in a natural environment like a forest, beach or grassland. Consider the creativity, self-confidence and physical well being derived from connecting with nature as a child – there are innumerable benefits from children playing comfortably and confidently in nature. For a variety of reasons, however, few children have this opportunity in today’s society. Vancouver Jewish community member Jenna Rudolph would like to change that.

Rudolph is co-founder, with Dylan Sparks, of Eagle Awareness School, where kids and preteens who live in the city can learn about interacting with the natural world. Rudolph and Sparks plan nature experiences that include free play in the forest and hands-on exploration of plants, mammals and birds native to the B.C. coast, and their students learn to identify various bird calls and animal tracks, as well.

Offering weeklong summer camp experiences in Pacific Spirit Park, adjacent to the University of British Columbia campus, as well as in Delta at Watershed Park, Eagle Awareness will not only bring children into their natural surroundings but also enable them to feel confident enough to use their innate curiosity to explore.

Working on the premise that “nature always provides something to flow with,” Rudolph and Sparks employ “emergent curriculum,” a term that’s gained some traction in the education field. Even though there is always a lesson plan organized, more often than not, “something cool will happen in nature,” and the lesson grows organically from what her students find interesting at that moment. Rudolph can produce a lesson on the spot about whatever is happening at that moment.

Born in South Africa, Rudolph remembers many trips to Kruger National Park in the eastern part of the country as a child. She became a birder at a very young age and, when she moved to Vancouver in 1994 at the age of nine, she continued to discover new things in nature about which to feel passionate. As a teenager, she became focused on plants, and she has studied indigenous plants through apprenticeships with local herbalists and botanists. She also has studied with indigenous people to learn about animal tracking, basketry, wildcrafting and survival in the province’s forests. Rudolph is currently completing an apprenticeship program at the Wilderness Awareness School, located in Duvall, Wash. Along with her passion for nature goes her desire to help children experience the natural world and grow from that experience, and, to that end, she is combining her knowledge of nature with teaching in her academic program.

Nature deficit disorder, a term coined by conservationist and author Richard Louv, is one of Rudolph’s main concerns. Policy-makers around the world, including a U.S. program called Leave No Child Indoors, with a catchphrase of “More green time, less screen time,” have picked up on this newly minted disorder, though it is not recognized in any medical or psychological manual. Studies have shown that children who spend too much time indoors looking at a screen suffer in the areas of cognitive development and concentration, and it is well documented that inactivity can lead to obesity.

Rudolph said she also feels a deep connection between the past, present and future of the natural world. Part of that connection comes from having relationships with the past by connecting with the wisdom of elders, she said. Some of her coursework at the Wilderness Awareness School focuses on storytelling and methods of sharing nature lore with and from community elders. The groundwork for connecting with nature in this way was laid long ago, she said. “Although I didn’t appreciate how important it was at the time, I now understand how great it was to have gone to the Louis Brier with my Grade 7 class at Talmud Torah. We had a buddy there and I remember how much I enjoyed hearing my buddy’s stories.” And, many Jewish practices, she said, such as blessing the food we eat, link to her appreciation of nature.

Eagle Awareness is open to children ages six to 12 for summer camp and there are plans to start one-on-one mentoring with teens and the six- to 12-year-old group in the fall. Preschool programs are in the works and the school also offers workshops for adults. E-mail [email protected] or visit eagle-awareness.onwildearth.com for more information.

Michelle Dodek is a Vancouver freelance writer who misses her free childhood nature adventures at Redberry Lake, near Saskatoon.

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