“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..