Share the Earth

We have only one Earth -- this one. The Earth is a good friend whose being must be nurtured, and our relationship to it deepened. As we look about, we quickly sense a great unity in its physical, its chemical activity.
To get most out of this good Earth and its nature, one must go into the outdoors to see the flowers bloom, see the grasses produce their pollen, hear the birds sing, and listen to the brook sing on its merry way to the sea. But one must share these experiences with others -- especially with children. We are the ones who allowed the Earth to become what it is today. They must be the ones who will be accountable for the fate of the Earth from this day on.
The most important element in the environment is yourself. Be proud of yourself, and work to let the earth feel you are worthy of being part of it. Immerse yourself in identifying with nature, and help others to get into the swim. This will entail a sharing of the outdoors with children as well as adults. The sharing will put one in contact with trees, with the soil and its inhabitants, with birds and insects and others which inhabit the world with us. Help children to formulate their experiences in oral and written ideas. Skills in these will be valuable to orient one's ideas about the natural world.
The knowledge of the world of nature should come easily. It comes from what we allow to become familiar and not ignored. While there much nature knowledge that comes from fishing, gardening, and walking in the fields, much can be learned around our back yards, on school grounds, and along city streets.

Life along the south side of a building, as contrasted to that on the north side, can have much meaning.
A crack in a sidewalk can cause wonder at its cause. Was there earth movement such as from an earthquake? Was it frost action which had swelling ice exerting pressure?
There is a steady breeze toward the mountains. Are the cumulus clouds over the mountain related to this breeze?
We breathe air. It gets into our blood. That air contains oxygen which plants produced. What plants are along the trails or walks or roadsides?

All of these are bits of knowledge, and the impact they have on one determines the awareness we have of what is in life's experiences.
Do children love nature? They do, but to grow in knowledge and love of nature, teachers, parents and others need to bring challenging observations to their attention. Children are curious about nature. They enjoy a pretty flower, a beetle, an earthworm, and the song of a bird. They need help from the more experienced to understand the meaning of each of these in the realm of human experience. How we interpret these to get a better understanding gives us growth in the knowledge of nature. Face nature with a desire to know and to exercise the imagination, and note the joy of living which is increased as nature is interpreted.

-- by Stan Mulaik

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