Archival letters written by children and their parents to the Elementary Correspondence School (ECS) in the early 20th century were examined to see how children and their families characterized their relationships with the natural environment and its impact on their lives. Many White settler children living in remote locations in rugged parts of British Columbia, Canada at the turn of the century were unable to attend a public school due to distance and/or difficult physical terrain. They, therefore, were educated at home through a unique innovative distance education program operated by the Department of Education of British Columbia (now Ministry of Education). Correspondence through letter writing was frequently used to guide and report on students' progress.
This historical study included a review of approximately 500 of these letters written in the 1920s and 1930s. Two key questions guided this historical review: What did the environment represent in the lives of rural White settler children and their families and how did children themselves interact with, and make sense of, the environment? It was clear that age mattered in the way adults and children thought about, and interacted with, the environment. Many of the parents' letters addressed concern about their family's remote location in rugged parts of the province. The children's letters, on the other hand, reflected what they were learning about the land and their relationship to it.
While parents wrote about the harsh and isolating conditions of their remote environment, children often wrote about the beauty of the natural world, the enjoyment they experienced, and the challenges posed by the environment. The children also wrote about the lessons they learned about the world and themselves by engaging with it. Included in what children described in their letters were observations of animals and plants, the work they did on the farm, their outdoor adventures, and what they were learning on the land. Much of this learning related to food production and the physical labor it demanded. The children were also gaining a considerable array of competencies and skills and a respectful attitude toward the land.
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