To see a world in a grain of sand,
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
An eternity in an hour.
William Blake
My education began in the gulf islands where I spent the first four years of my life. I learned from nature- from the plants, animals and insects around me. My love for nature continued when I moved to Vancouver as my father would take us hiking and camping in the mountains, and a close friend and babysitter growing up is a renowned mountaineer.
I continued to visit the mountains, lakes and rivers throughout my life. My happiest experiences have been times spent in the wilderness.
In grade ten I was a student in the Trek program at Prince of Wales Secondary school. Through that program I learned many valuable outdoor skills. I went on many adventures including a seven-day kayak trip through Clayoquot Sound, rock-climbing in Skaha, telemarking, and camping in self-made ice caves in manning park.
As an adult I have been driven to share this passion for the outdoors with youth.
During the summer of 2005 I was a member of the society SEVA. We took at-risk First Nations youth on a two-week camping trip to Haida Gwaii. We visited historical sites, and spent a lot of time on the various islands, beaches, and in the forests. We led a variety of activities including yoga on the beach, cooking traditional foods, nature walks, meditation, healing circles, and games.
In 2008 I was a VSB mentor to a ten-year-old boy focusing on environmental education.
We focused on cob building. The gifted student did an inquiry project around cob homes, culminating in a large poster presentation. I took him to a workshop on cob building, where we both participated in the building of a cob shelter.
During my long practicum, I used money I received from the Emily Longworth Memorial scholarship to purchase soil and tools for our garden, as part of our unit on plants.
I see the natural world as the perfect classroom. It provides firsthand experience of our interconnectivity with each other, plants, animals, and the planet itself.
I also took our students on a field trip to the Serpentine Fen, where we learned to identify a variety of wetlands, and the insects and plants that live there.
Outdoor learning provides an opportunity to engage through all of our senses and through our entire bodies. Without the restrictions of walls and desks, we are invited to move our bodies, and this enhances our physical, mental and emotional well-being.
In the natural environment, unique opportunities for establishing a sense of community arise, and the environment alone has an incredible ability to draw people and students together through cooperation and connectivity.
I did my enhanced practicum with Think and Eat Green, with a placement at Tyee Elementary. This experience led to a deepening of appreciation for the possibilities of bringing education outside.
The natural environment provides an incredible opportunity to build a sense of community, as it reminds us of what we have in common. As well, gardens are an incredible starting point for students to understand their lives as interwoven within and inextricable from a complex and intriguing ecosystem. Nature provides the perfect platform for integrating curriculum across all subject areas.
During the fall of 2013, I bicycled with a friend from Mazatlan, Mexico to Playa del Carmen. Most of the nights were spent camping, and we traveled through varying terrain, weather, and climate zones. As part of the initiative, my friend and I led workshops on bicycle mechanics, empowering young people with the knowledge and confidence to utilize this environmentally friendly means of transportation and possibility. I also taught yoga and mindfulness along the way.
In the summer of 2014 I taught Life Skills to a group of teenagers in an addiction recovery home which also was their school. I took them rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, and paddle boarding. I took them outside as much as possible and helped them discover the joy of playing games outside, feeling the sunshine and breathing the fresh air.