1000 hours outside | The Big White Farmhouse

June 27, 2018

No.150: Read With Me // How to Raise a Wild Child (Part 4)

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Quick recap: I assigned myself a summer reading book, How To Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature, to help me have a better relationship with nature and encourage that relationship in my children. I’m jotting down some notes and thoughts as I read through it this month and sharing them here. Maybe it will inspire you in a new way too!

The book is divided into four sections. (Find my notes on Part One, Part Two and Part Three.) Part Four contains Chapters 9 and 10 and is called “Obstacles and Solutions.”

Chapter 9: Dangerous Liasions

Ultimately, children who develop this hybrid mind will be able to interact deftly with both technology and the natural world. Technological tools will be used to augment, rather than block, human senses. Just as a birder uses binoculars to look closely at a robin and then lets the optics hang while she absorbs its lovely song, so too, with practice and mentorship, will kids learn to migrate between digital experience and the real, multisensory world. In this sense, the litmus test for nature-friendly technologies might be how long it takes to transition from a digital focus back to the multisensory world. (p.242)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

Chapter 9’s theme was one that really fascinates me: the balance between technology and nature. Sampson’s argument is not that we should eliminate technology, but rather asks: How can we embrace both?
Books to check out:

“the hybrid mind” = individuals who are capable of switching easily back and forth between the digital and physical worlds

spotlight consciousness = narrow, directed attention that blocks external stimuli (reading, school, etc.)
lantern consciousness = broader, more diffuse kind of attention
“Spotlights are purpose driven, focusing their beam tightly on a particular subject. Lanterns illuminate broadly, shedding light on a broad range of subjects.” (p.239)

Today we value the spotlight far more than the lantern (ie. pushing academic-style learning beginning in the preschool years) but we shouldn’t count the lantern out. I found this part really interesting: “Directed attention and spotlight consciousness tend to be fatiguing and stress-inducing, robbing us of energy. Think about how you feel after staring at a computer screen for hours on end. In contrast, being outdoors in, say, a park or a forest encourages a less focused, more diffuse mode of attention, the sort that opens up our senses, relieves stress, restores energy, and fosters clear thinking. This explains at least in part why even a brief walk outdoors can be so rejuvenating.” (p.240)
Ideas for including technology with outdoor adventures:

Apps like iNaturalist and Sky Map
Geocaching
Photography

Chapter 10: The Rewilding Revolution

In the end, raising a wild child is much more about seeding love than knowledge…Antoine de Saint-Exupery expressed this point beautifully: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
Nature connection is the ship we’re trying to build. Our goal as mentors is not to share facts or assign tasks. It is to be match-makers, to help children fall in love with nature so that they long to be immersed within it. That emotional pull, if deeply entrenched, will nourish a lifelong sense of wonder and a desire to seek answers. If you help to cultivate that longing, children will figure out the rest. (p.281)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

This chapter read like one big dream for the future. While the realistic part of me hardly believes we could cut through political tape to make it happen, the other part of me sure hopes it does. All children deserve to live this type of life.

Final Thoughts

I really liked this book! It was the perfect mix of science and inspiration. I’m excited to put the tips to use in the months ahead. Thanks for reading along with me!

June 21, 2018

No.146: Read With Me // How to Raise a Wild Child (Part 3)

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Quick recap: I assigned myself a summer reading book, How To Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature, to help me have a better relationship with nature and encourage that relationship in my children. I’m jotting down some notes and thoughts as I read through it this month and sharing them here. Maybe it will inspire you in a new way too!

The book is divided into four sections. (Find my notes on Part One here and Part Two here.) Part Three contains Chapters 6, 7 and 8 and is called “Life Stages.”

Chapter 6: The Playful Scientist

Young children are like wolf pups. They long to venture outside, but not too far from Mom and Dad. They’re all about exploring and pushing edges close to home, yet run back regularly for a dose of security. As a nature mentor, the key is to give young kids plenty of time in natural places – backyards, beaches, forests, deserts, creeks, parks – where they can play with all those loose parts until exhaustion sets in. Show interest when they bring you some random object for inspection, but otherwise feel free to let kids hang out and explore with all their senses. The end result for the child will be an amazing experience in which she deepens her bond with you and with nature. (p.169)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

This chapter focuses on children ages 2 to 6, where the goal is just to play. Play with rocks and sticks, play in dirt…it’s all healthy and good.
This was fascinating to me: “Ilkka Hanski and colleagues at the University of Helsinki conducted an intriguing investigation of allergies, comparing adolescents living in neighborhoods surrounded by natural areas with those in neighborhoods landscaped in concrete and neatly trimmed lawns. They found that people immersed in more natural settings, places home to greater varieties of native plants, were themselves covered with a wider range of microbes and were far less likely to exhibit allergies than folks in the more sanitized settings.” (p.164)
To read: Rachel Carson’s 1956 essay, “Help Your Child to Wonder”
To try: seek out opportunities to take children on nighttime adventures

Chapter 7: The Age of Competence

…an important element of nature-mentoring children of this age is to loosen the reins enough that they have the freedom and access to find their own place and visit it often. (p.180)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

This chapter moves up to middle childhood, focusing on ages 6 to 12.
Sampson shares stories of two adults who brought their kids along as they fished, camped and hunted. This paragraph really stood out to me: “The key here is that both men took their kids with them while they pursued their own outdoor passions. The children, feeling that longing for competence, picked up on these passions and unknowingly used them to deepen their own nature connection. The lesson is that while it’s important to observe children closely and support their individual interests, as a nature mentor you need to be authentic in your own interests as well.” (p.182) I may not fish or hunt, but I can see how even gardening with the kids can be beneficial to all of us.
How can we reduce risk and manage our fears while still getting our kids outdoors and giving them some meaningful autonomy? Two strategies:

Go with them
Put outdoor time on the calendar and make it a priority

“hummingbird parent” = giving kids space and autonomy to take risks, staying on the periphery and only zooming in when necessary
This chapter really inspired me to research what’s available around us. A simple search of our county on Facebook was all it took to find what’s happening with Parks & Rec and a handful of new trails to hike. Why didn’t I do this sooner?!

Chapter 8: The Social Animal

If beauty is symbolized by the heart, and truth by the brain, goodness might be considered the domain of the gut – a moral compass guiding our decision-making. It is during the teen years that we begin to fine-tune our moral compass. (p.211)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

The teenage years are just around the corner for us, so I was very interested in this chapter!
A handful of tips:

Make time for nature: limit screen time and encourage teens to get outside, bonus points if you can get peers involved too
Make nature the place for adventure: pick an activity that they’re passionate about and get out there regularly (examples: biking, hiking, snowboarding, camping, etc.). I really liked the idea of picking a specific activity for each season. Such a great way to make memories, build traditions, and get into nature all at the same time.
Nature-related service is really powerful among adolescents: I need to see what’s available locally!
Rites of passage mark the transition from child to adult: I love this idea so much! Need to brainstorm with Mark exactly how we’d like to do this with our boys. And something special for Sophie too.

June 14, 2018

No.139: Read With Me // How To Raise a Wild Child (Part 2)

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Quick recap: I assigned myself a summer reading book, How To Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature, to help me have a better relationship with nature and encourage that relationship in my children. I’m jotting down some notes and thoughts as I read through it this month and sharing them here. Maybe it will inspire you in a new way too!

The book is divided into four sections. (Find my notes on Part One here.) Part Two contains Chapters 3, 4 and 5 and is called “Essential Elements.”

Chapter 3: The Way of Coyote

…nature mentors value the natural world and demonstrate it as much through actions as words. They regularly marvel at nature’s wonders, seek to deepen their own awareness and connection, and probe mysteries that catch their interest. (p.76)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

I have the privilege of being a mentor to my children. Nature mentors have three roles, with an emphasis on the last two:

Teacher: “a person who conveys information”
Questioner: “the one always seeking to ask that next query to pique curiosity and engagement”
Trickster: “the clever Coyote who hides in plain sight, able to leverage a child’s longings into stretch edges”

Regular time outside is the best way to experience nature. Unstructured play is perfect for little ones, but bigger kids might benefit from other activities like a walkabout or a sit spot. Our property is perfect for both!
A new question to add to the dinner table: “What’s the coolest thing you discovered outside today?”
Food for thought from Jon Young: “The antidote to Nature Deficit Disorder may be this simple: get people to spend time in nature, and when they return, be there to ask good questions and catch their stories.”

Chapter 4: Hitched to Everything

Let’s step back for a moment and imagine some of the qualities we might want to see in a reinvented, truly student-centered learning environment. Such a setting would celebrate students’ autonomy and individuality, building on strengths and interests to drive curiosity. It would foster (rather than choke) inspiration and engagement through plenty of active, real-world experiences, many of them beyond the classroom walls. Emphasis would be on character development grounded in fundamental values, like beauty, truth, and goodness. And, if truly successful, this system would engender a deep-seated, resilient sense of wonder that, in turn, would translate into a lifelong love of learning. (p.104)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

Having had experience in both the homeschool and public school realms, I found this chapter sad but also inspiring. Sampson argues for dramatically changing our education system from one that is careerism-based to “place-based.” While I can’t imagine such a change in our current public schools – a group of parents and teachers fought the school board for over a year just to increase recess time by 15 minutes – it does make you stop and wonder.
We need to grow a garden! “Gardens are almost magical in their capacity to lift the curtain on our alienation from nature.”
To try with the kids: ask the children to find as many examples of nature’s interrelationships as they can (ie. trees get their energy from the sun, the bird eats the worm)

Roles: solar energy grabber, plant eater, animal eater, decomposer
Relationships: competitive, collaborative

Chapter 5: Mothers All the Way Down

In our digital world deluged with isolated bits of information, it’s easily forgotten that as a species, we were raised on stories. For all but the past few thousand years, an eyeblink of humanity’s tenure, oral storytelling was the primary means of sharing not only information, but meaning, values, and a sense of place in the cosmos. For our oral ancestors, stories were lyrical encyclopedias, repositories of practical knowledge and wisdom accumulated over centuries, even millennia. Passed from generation to generation, myths and tales offered instructions on how to live in a given place: when, where, what, and how much to hunt; how to express gratitude for a successful hunt; which plants to seek and which to avoid; where to find water in times of persistent drought. (p.127)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

Food for thought: “…whereas cyberspace is placeless, seemingly everywhere and nowhere, oral culture is inherently local.”
Where to find nature stories?

My own experience
Traditional nature-based myths and tales
Adult-aimed nature writings from authors like Thoreau, Abbey, Mowat, etc.
Interesting tidbits in books, documentaries or the news

While we disagree in some areas of evolutionary theory, I appreciated Sampson’s view that without the story of where we come from, there’s a significant disconnect in our life.

This article was helpful and clear about the Catholic Church’s stance on these things. “Methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things the of the faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.” (CCC 159)

June 7, 2018

No.132: Read With Me // How To Raise a Wild Child (Part 1)

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I’m playing catch up. With back to back (to back…) pregnancies and backyards that were difficult/too small to enjoy, my kids have largely been “indoor kids.” In some ways, I’m an “indoor kid” too! I have to “learn” how to enjoy the outdoors: educating myself on dangerous plants, noticing trees and flowers, and learning what “to do” when you spend time outside.

To help me out, I assigned myself a bit of summer reading: How To Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature. It’s written by the host of Dinosaur Train, Scott the Paleontologist, and it seems like the perfect book to usher me into a better relationship with nature. I thought it would be fun to jot down some notes and thoughts as I read through it this month and share them here. Maybe it will inspire you in a new way too!

The book is divided into four sections. Part One contains Chapters 1 and 2 and is called “Nature, Lost and Found.”

Chapter 1: Wilding the Mind

Compared to kids confined indoors, children who regularly play in nature show heightened motor control – including balance, coordination, and agility. They tend to engage more in imaginative and creative play, which in turn fosters language, abstract reasoning, and problem-solving skills, together with a sense of wonder. Nature play is superior at engendering a sense of self and a sense of place, allowing children to recognize both their independence and interdependence. Play in outdoor settings also exceeds indoor alternatives in fostering cognitive, emotional, and moral development. And individuals who spend abundant time playing outdoors as children are more likely to grow up with a strong attachment to place and an environmental ethic. (p.37)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

Nature is so good for us! It’s encouraging to learn the science behind what I already imagined to be true – in short, nature is incredibly beneficial to both body and soul.
I have the Handbook of Nature Study collecting dust in our school room. It’s time to take it off the shelf and check it out! From what I little I know about it, I think it will give me some structure as I guide my children.
Like anything in life, being outside takes time to become a habit. Working on our 1000 Hours Outside Challenge will help this.
A good way to change things up might be to go somewhere new on weekends with Mark. Maybe there’s a local nature center nearby?
Try doing schoolwork outside. I’m hesitant about this because I feel like they would be distracted, but I won’t know for sure until I try.
Camping or hiking should go on the schedule as the kids get older. Having the boys in Trail Life will help this area too.

Chapter 2: The Power of Place

…a growing mountain of evidence suggests that the best place to fall in love with nature is where you happen to be. (p.57)

For now, I invite you to think about beauty, truth, and goodness as threads in a blanket, one that each of us creates and wears throughout our lives. You cannot weave this blanket for another, not even your own offspring. Instead, your role is to ensure that the child possesses the needed inspiration, skills, and raw materials (experience, heart, and understanding) necessary to make her own unique, vibrant cloth with a balance of all three threads. (p.64)

Notes and takeaways from this chapter:

“topophilia” – a love of place
Food for thought: “Childhood brains are literally shaped by experience, so we’d better be thoughtful about the kinds of experience we expose our children to.” (p.56)
There has been unintentional value in my interest in bird watching! “If you don’t pay any attention to the natural world, it’s doubtful that your children will.”
A book to check out: What the Robin Knows by Jon Young

April 4, 2018

No.105: Getting into Nature // 1000 Hours Outside Challenge

As they huddle together putting on sneakers and sweatshirts, I overhear one of them exclaim, “Let’s try for THREE hours today!” We’re less than two weeks in, but I think this is our new normal. And it all started with a family meeting and a challenge.

I credit Tabitha for introducing me to Ginny and her 1000 Hours Outside Challenge. The idea comes from research finding that an average American child spends more than 1200 hours on a screen each year. So the goal of 1000 hours outdoors, not attached to a screen, seems like a reasonable way to add a little balance. This challenge has been nagging me since my Seven Changes post and with the arrival of spring, it seemed like the perfect time to jump right in!

We officially started tracking our hours on March 23. Our one rule is: the hours count if most of us are outside. A second personal goal for me: I decided that my cell phone would stay in the house. (Exception being, I can use it if I want to take a photograph, but then back into the house it goes.)

This extended time outdoors is new for us. It’s a bit uncomfortable and intimidating. And yet, just twelve days in, I can already see the fruit of positive change. A few observations:

There is a difference between the random pleas to “please go play outside” (which could last anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 hours) and intentionally deciding to spend hours outdoors. When they know we’ll be outside for an hour, they find something specific to do vs. wandering aimlessly.
There is less bickering and fighting. Maybe because there’s room to spread out?
Toys are totally over-rated. We have bikes and plasma cars and sports gear, but the items they use the most? Sticks.
We all sleep better. Fresh air and extra exercise have us knocked out at the end of the day.
I am the one who had the most trouble at first. I was the one who kept peeking at the clock. I was the one who felt the urge to grab my phone and just check one thing (can you say, addict?). I was one who struggled with the idea that I should be doing something “productive,” whatever that means. I started this challenge for my kids, but it’s probably been most beneficial for me.

1000 hours can seem like a huge goal, so I decided to bring it down to a more manageable level – 100 hours at a time! I created a printable tracker to keep in our kitchen and we’re coloring in the tree leaves as we go. As of this writing, we have 24 hours completed. A solid start! Feel free to download the tracker for your family as well.

Some other ideas:

Trying to combat weekend laziness? Set the goal of completing 5 hours outside (if you count Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday, it averages to about an hour and 40 minutes a day) and you’d reach 100 hours in around five months!
Fill a tracker during summer vacation! Most breaks are around 10 weeks, which means a daily habit of around 1.5 hours outdoors would have you finished by the first day of school.
Do you have a handful of outdoor places you like to explore? Color code your experiences (ie. green for the backyard, blue for the beach, yellow for hikes, etc.). At the end, you’ll be able to see at a quick glance where you’ve been.