24 ~ January 2024
“Water is the driving force of all nature.” — Leonardo da Vinci
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” — Loren Eiseley
The story I am telling in the schools this month is based on Elsie May Has Something To Say, by Nancy Cavanaugh. It is about a 10 year old girl, the youngest of six brothers and sisters, who spends her summers with her grandparents and Uncles on an island in the middle of the Okefenokee swamp of southeast Georgia in the 1930's. The underlying theme of the books is the swamp with all it's mystery and beauty, and Elsie May's connection to her grandparents and uncles and her new dog Hank.
Researching the Okefenokee Swamp and it's vast array of plant and wildlife, all of which are connected to water in the swamp, caused me to pick up Blue Mind by Wallace Nichols again, about how people are happier and healthier when they are close to water.
I realized how much this has been true for me, that my treks with the dogs are always along a watercourse, or end up near water. My annual trips to tropical seas have been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.
I also realized how much pleasure and comfort I take walking along the river path on the Greenbelt with the dogs, which I have been doing for nearly 40 years.
At the end of my half hour presentation I mentioned to the kids and their teacher how important water is in all of our lives, and there would not be life without water. I then showed a collection of my own photos around lakes, streams, the sea, and snow. (wildflowers are included because they would not be there without snowmelt in the high country) I displayed these on my tablet for the classes, which I have connected to the 65 inch monitor they have in each room. The photos I shared are below:
(click on photos below for larger image . . . - Esc or clicking outside of image will close it)
“We are beginning to learn that our brains are hardwired to react positively to water and that being near it can calm and connect us, increase innovation and insight, and even heal what’s broken.” ― Wallace J. Nichols, Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do
More water photos:
While looking through photo albums for my story theme this week (water), I came across a shot holding a bull snake for a class of students and their teachers and parents. I had 20+ years of leading nature programs for the state of Colorado and Jefferson County Open Space, Colorado. I have said before, my preferred way to lead the programs was to just walk out in a pine woodland, or in a meadow trail beside a lake, paying attention for what was special in nature on that day. It felt more creative to do it that way, and spontaneous. It also mirrored why we go back to the same wild places on a regular basis, because every day in every season out in nature is unique, with something new to be seen or discovered.
Unfortunately I don't do nature walks like this anymore, mostly because the organizations that sponsored them changed their focus - instead of walks they have the volunteer naturalists sit at a table and wait for people to come by, which is very boring to me. Other times they stick to a curricula, avoiding the ad hoc approach that I preferred, letting what is special on that day drive your interpretation. Another limiting factor is not finding bus drivers to take the kids out to the nature centers, plus the insurance costs.
But everything changes, and I am just grateful that I was able to lead over twenty years of nature programs. Also, the nature programs are what caused me to take some storytelling classes and find out about the Spellbinders organization, that sponsors elderly people going into classrooms to tell stories. (spellbinders.org) I am now in my 17th calendar year of telling stories in schools for Spellbinders (since Spring 2007). In the last couple of months the teachers and I have discovered that if I connect my tablet to their 65 inch monitor, which every classroom has, I can show photos from the tablet on the monitor. (using an usb c to hdmi cable). I never show photos until after the story, which allows the kids form their own images via their imagination. After the story I bring some of the wild into the classroom, with photos like this one..
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart"