Re-Leaf The Earth and Rejoice! Blog Action Day - The Environment

Today is Blog Action Day - read more about it at http://www.blogactionday.com. What a great, great idea. The topic this year is the environment - one that is near and dear to my heart for many reasons, not the least of which is that I'm a total nature girl and adore being outside enjoying the world and all the gifts it has for us.

Years ago when I was teaching K-2 I would do a unit each Fall on leaves, foliage, fall fruits and vegetables, growing, planting and harvesting. This year with all the attention on the environment and the Nobel prize going to environment related people and issues, the topic is one that can be addressed with children of all ages.

Coaching Tips for Making Topics Fun:

* Don't approach it as a "topic" or something that HAS to be covered or learned. If you're interested in it, your children will be. Today I saw a kindergarten class taking a nature walk. They were holding leaves and waving them around. They were having fun! That's what it's all about.

* Find an age appropriate way for the issue to become fun and interesting.

* For example with very young children taking nature walks, identifying leaves and trees, looking at the foliage, planting - choose something that grows very, very fast like bean sprouts which can grow almost overnight - this way they see the results very fast.

* For grades 1-3 begin a planting project and chart the progress. A trip pumpkin picking is always fun even for children a bit older.

* Older tweens and teens might enjoy a trip to the country to see the foliage if there's also something else interesting on the trip. A museum or mall, theme park or sporting event. Sneak in discussions about the foliage, the environment and nature.

Coaching Tips for Adding Information:

* Keep books and movies around the house that your children can "find" and that they might enjoy. Ask your local librarian, surf the web, make a collage or decorate a centrally located bulletin board with titles.

* Keep journals of your discoveries and have your children do the same.

* Begin charting and locating Thanksgiving foods as well. Cranberries, yams, pumpkin pie and on and on.

* Point out particularly beautiful or interesting trees, flowers, plants and gardens.

Children don't just wake up one morning having information or an appreciation for nature and their environment. It's up to you to assist them in finding that information, making it fun and something they choose to explore further. What they like they'll seek out and want to learn more about.

Enjoy the day! Re-leaf and Re-joice in it!

Any fun, interesting ideas about nature or environment activities? Post it here or drop me a line at rebecca at dailylifeconsulting dot com (or kiki at dailylifeconsulting dot com)