Children are experts at creating visions of places
they've seen only in their imagination- places made real by the act of
creation. Imagine what they could do when they are exposed to wonder and not
catastrophe.
In recent years environmental education has too
often focused on environmental problems and crisis such as pollution and
species extinction. David Sobel says, "emphasizing
environmental problems with children, especially young ones, can leave them
feeling disempowered and hopeless about the state of the world and their
ability to affect it". It is so true, I believe that if children can
learn to love a place or their connection with mother Earth, they will
naturally grow up to take care of her.
Have a look at http://www.riverofwords.org an organization called RIVERS OF WORDS
(ROW) founded by Pamela Michael which practices place-based learning by
inviting children to use the arts to explore and express their understanding of
and connections to their home places. People at ROW believe that children who
come to understand and to love their home places will grow into engaged,
effective citizens committed to preserving those places.
I completely Agree:)
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