想走 & 坐的地方
This post originally appeared in Dr. 瑞秋一. Larimore’s weekly Samara newsletter on November 14, 2023. 如果你’re interested in receiving these emails, scroll to the bottom of this page to subscribe.
正念. It’s a term that seems to be growing in popularity, but what is it? And does it have a place in nature-based early childhood education?
正念 is bringing awareness to what we’re doing, 我们在想什么, and what is happening around us and it absolutely has a place in nature-based early childhood education!
Simply being in nature has many benefits to our well-being, but bringing our awareness to the present moment in nature amplifies the benefits.
Last week Katie Pollock and Laura Morris of the University of Delaware Lab School joined us inside 格罗夫购物中心 to share about the way mindfulness and nature-based education can work together. We discussed many ways we can bring mindfulness into our nature-based classrooms.
Two of those strategies are 想走 and 坐的地方. And both can be done anywhere!
想走
想走 are a way to explore the world intentionally looking for things that bring us a sense of awe. These walks are generally slow 与 a focus on the journey rather than a particular destination. The goal is to allow our senses to take in the world around us and notice what excites us, 是什么激励着我们, 让我们吃惊的是, and what questions emerge from those experiences.
Before or after a wonder walk the group could read the storybook “Wonder Walkers” to help children generate questions they have based on their exploration of the natural world. There is no right or wrong way to do a wonder walk!
想走 encourage teachers and children to slow down, 活在当下, and increase their awareness of the world around them.
坐的地方
In its purest form a sit spot is a place in nature that you visit regularly and get to know over time. This is a place to sit still—alone, regularly, and quietly.
Sit spots can be a teacher practice 与out children. Sit spots can also be a group activity 与 younger children where the entire class is quiet and observing for one minute and then slowly increases the amount of time over the course of the year. 一些程序, particularly at the elementary level, use 坐的地方 as a core part of their outdoor routine. 有很多可能性!
A sit spot practice not only connects us 与 the natural world, it provides a place to retreat from the chaos of the world and renew your spirit. Whether you sit quietly for 1 minute or an hour, it is time to slow down and bring our awareness to the present moment. It gives us the mental space to notice our own thoughts as well as the natural world around us.
想走 and 坐的地方 are just two of many ways we can bring mindfulness and nature together in our classrooms. 我们还可以……
→ pause in the Beyond to use your “deer ears” and listen to the sounds of nature for 30 seconds.
→ help children notice and name their feelings during problem solving
→ use a leaf 与 multiple lobes to help children calm their bodies by inhaling on one edge of the leaf and exhaling on the next.
In the increasingly chaotic and noisy world we have many opportunities in nature-based education to teach young children to be mindful as they move through the world.
Of course 坐的地方 and wonder walks are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mindfulness.
还有更多关于座位的信息 & their role in nature-based education, check out 坐着恢复活力!
不断改变生活，
瑞秋
瑞秋一. Larimore, Ph值.D., Chief Visionary of Samara Learning
