Nature Game
Over the weekend I went up to Nasu in Fukuchima, Japan to learn about a concept that got its start in America.In 1979 the naturalist, Joseph Cornell wrote a book called Sharing Nature With Children. In it Joseph outlines 42 activities that teaches ecology in creative ways. To help teach these Nature Games to children, Joseph categorized activities into four categories:
This allows teachers, parents or anyone wishing to impart joy, serenity and a sense of togetherness in the natural world to teach activities in a balanced, flowing system. For example, to awake the child’s enthusiasm, an activity called Noses asks one child to think of an animal and then let the other children guess what animal he is by giving out gradually easier and easier hints. Then to focus the child’s energy a game called Sounds & Colors asks the children to close their eyes and count how many sounds they can hear. Or look around and count how many colors they see. A direct experience game like Meet a Tree asks to blindfold one child, take him to a tree and ask the child to guess it’s size, shape, special characteristics etc. The blindfold is then taken off and the child tries to find the tree he just met. Our teacher told us this is an especially memorable game and she’s had students come back to the forest several years after in search of their tree. A final example in the Flow Learning system would be a silent Night Walk through the forest for inspiration and time for reflection in nature.
It’s hard give these activities their due through words. I had read the book before participation in the three day seminar in Nasu but didn’t realize Nature Game’s full potential and the gift of sharing it offers until I, along with 14 other adults, actually participated in 17 of the now 60 some games. These games are not only valuable for children but valuable for anyone at any stage of life looking to take a break from the rat race, find themselves again and realign their future.
