First Wonders, First Fears, First Environmental Experiences
Where were your first steps outdoors? Do you remember your first time finding an earthworm in the soil? As a child, did you find yourself mesmerized by winter icicles or terrified by the expanse of the ocean?
Reflections on early environmental experiences can provide environmental education professionals with renewed motivation. Share with us a memory and the value it has carried up to now, by writing a blog post on eePRO! We're especially looking for stories that relate to the role of nature and education in promoting healing, addressing injustice, and helping children, families, communities, and the planet thrive, as is the theme of the Natural Start Alliance Nature-Based Early Learning Virtual Conference.
For the basics on submitting an eePRO blog post, visit bit.ly/eePROBlogging.
When ready to submit, kindly send an email sharing your idea and/or writing to Elisa at elisa@naaee.org.
We’re excited to celebrate early childhood environmental education in anticipation of the Natural Start Alliance Nature-Based Early Learning Virtual Conference, taking place July 26-30, 2021.
Join the largest national gathering of nature-based early education professionals this summer, and explore the role of nature and education in promoting healing, addressing injustice, and helping children, families, communities, and the planet thrive.
Visit conference.naturalstart.org to learn about the featured speakers, pay-what-you-can pricing, group rates, and continuing education credits offered!
Comments
My first memory in nature has to come from working in the garden with my Dad. Making the exterior of our house look tidy was always a priority for him. He planted a tree on the side of our house that grew up with me. As I grew in inches, it grew in feet. It was a stable part of my childhood.
Nature can be one of the most enriching aspects of a child's life. I'm now a student at Boston College working as an Outreach intern with Tree-Plenish. Tree-Plenish is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to replenish the resources used in academia. Tree-Plenish facilitates the process of planting trees in communities based on approximations of school paper usage.
Tree-Plenish is a non-profit organization that helps teachers give their students hands-on opportunities to learn about the environment and build more sustainable communities! We give you all the resources and mentorship you need to host your own tree-planting event to offset the paper used at your school in one academic year. From sourcing the saplings to handling all the financials, Tree-Plenish helps classrooms like yours engage with their community. Fill out our one-minute interest form https://www.tree-plenish.org/host if you want to learn more about hosting an event at your school this coming year!
Here's to supporting our children and our environment.
In reply to 308 by Bora Simmons
Thank you so much for sharing this experience, Luciano! And what a tremendous lesson learned.
Good afternoon, everyone. I am a student from Chile. On this occasion, I would like to share with you all one of my early experiences with nature. When I was around 5, I found a dying sparrow in a park near my house. By that time, I was extremely worried. I did not understand how a living being who used to fly with such freedom could be completely paralysed with pain. I believed that birds were, somehow, untouchable, ethereal, beyond the limits of gravity. I went back to my house to tell my father what I had seen. He put the bird in a cage and brought it home. After several days of recovery, he told me to open the cage, and naturally, the bird spread its wings and flew away. For sparrows are meant to fly, I learned that at the end of the day, freedom is more valuable than what seems to be (too) safe.