What are you doing to nurture nature?
Earth Day is April 22 and the global theme is Invest In Our Future.
Much like other days and months which are devoted to causes we approach them from a slightly different perspective.
Earth Day is probably the best example of Walden’s thinking.
While recognizing that a day devoted to global awareness is a good thing, investing in our future must be something that we think of every day.
An intimate awareness of the world we share is fundamental to our entire philosophy. It underpins our curriculum, our pedagogy and even our name. We’re often asked why we chose the name Walden. Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden, our school is committed to fostering independent, self-reliant learners in a nature-centric environment.
Our mandate is to model for our students the merits of subscribing to an unadorned approach to living while developing a worldly view in pursuit of academic excellence. As an international school with a globally-focused curriculum, we promise to deliver a rigorous, prestigious and necessary educational programme meeting the standards and demands of the world in which we live.
This is a key component of the reality that Walden kids are different.
They are resilient, curious, giving and good. At Walden, we make good people in the knowledge that from goodness arises greatness. We are dedicated to cultivating and preparing principled, compassionate and confident young people who will become globally responsible citizens.
Our balanced world-class education, with a unique focus on wellness, fosters respect and harmony for self and with others; and, empowers students to imagine, explore and achieve a peaceful and sustainable future.
That is our commitment.
Some of you may be familiar with Rachel Carson who, in the early 1960s, wrote the seminal book, Silent Spring, in which she challenged the practices of agricultural scientists and the government and called for a change in the way people viewed the natural world. This book is often seen as the force which initiated the modern environmental movement.
In it there is a passage which, along with Thoreau, informs how we help our students develop the skills and motivation to nurture nature. She wrote, “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
We further recognize that for our students to truly embrace an awareness of our impact on improving our environment relies very much on what happens beyond the walls of our school.
Last month, we shared some ideas and resources to help you bring awareness to learning about our Indigenous communities.
This month, we’re sharing some information to help you and your children nurture nature at home and make sure that the one-day focus of Earth Day simply provides the momentum to help us all contribute to a better world every day of the year.
If your child (or you for that matter) participate in social media, earthday.org provides a variety of graphics and posts you might want to share on the 22nd and beyond. You can find the resources right here.
The Bright Horizons Education Team lists a number of activities for families and we’d just add that you can do these every day, not just one day.
Take a nature walk: Bring a magnifying glass, an insect and plant manual, and a sketch book. See how many plants, flowers, and bugs you can identify and draw.
Construct nature creations: Collect a variety of outdoor items such as leaves, sticks, flowers, and rocks, and create unique art projects.
Try earth painting: Finger paint with mud on sidewalks or paper or use non-toxic watercolours to paint river rocks. The water will wash the paint away.
Clean a community area: Take your children to their favourite park, woods, or even for a stroll around your neighbourhood. Pick up all the litter you can find and see who can collect the biggest bag. Take the time to explain the effects litter has on our environment.
Create a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle collage: Use "trash" (paper scraps, labels, junk mail, and other found items) and glue to create a multimedia masterpiece.*
The Town of Oakville also provides some resources and information that you might find useful.
Wherever you find your ideas the important thing is to do something and to do something each day to help your children (and have them help you!) understand the critical importance of bringing an awareness of our world to our lives everyday.
It’s another way we make good people.
https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/
*https://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/articles/e-news/earth-day-activities-for-families