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“My own point of intimate contact with the land was a ditch… Without a doubt, most of the elements of my life flowed from that canal… These are places of initiation, where the borders between ourselves and other creatures break down, where the earth gets under our nails and a sense of place gets under our skin…. Everyone has a ditch, or ought to. For only the ditches—and the fields, the woods, the ravines—can teach us to care enough for the land.”
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-The Thundertree by Robert Pyle
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Child's Perspective
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“Would you put your finger in it, in the mud?”
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Research
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Adults who take action for the environment attribute their strong ecological values most significantly to a combination of two sources: “positive, direct experience in the out-of-doors and being taken outdoors by someone close to the child – a parent, grand parent, or other trusted guardian.” As the study's author Dr. Chawla states, “The very fact that a parent or grandparent chose to take the child with them to a place where they themselves found fascination and pleasure, to share what engaged them there, suggests not only care for the natural world, but, equally, care for the child.” Read more here.
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Ideas for Families in Spring
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Explore a wetland with nets and buckets to discover who’s living there - maybe an eastern newt! Here is a new guide to amphibians of Vermont.
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Investigate a puddle: Where is the deepest spot? What floats in the puddle? Mark the circumference and depth of the puddle and observe changes over time. Make a muddy mixture!
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Squish a clump of mud onto a tree and create a mud face!
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Natural History Mystery
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Who left all this scat on and around this log? The scat is around an inch long and tan with a whitewash of uric acid (the concentrated form of nitrogenous waste birds deposit).
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The mystery will be unveiled in our blog tomorrow.
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Places to Ramble
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Upcoming Programs
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Nurturing A Child’s Sense of Wonder Discussion Series with the Cutler Memorial Library in Plainfield - April 6 7:00-8:00pm Zoom; April 20 7:00-8:00pm Zoom; April 27 10:00-11:30am at the library with children. Register here.
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Nurturing A Child’s Sense of Wonder Discussion Series with the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington - April 18 6:30-8:00pm Zoom; ; April 25 6:30-8:00pm Zoom; April 29 10:00-11:30am at the library with children. Register here.
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Nurturing A Child’s Sense of Wonder Discussion Series with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier - May 1, 6:30-8:00pm Zoom; May 15 6:30-8:00pm Zoom; May 22 4:30-5:30pm at the library with children.
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Outdoor Playgroup with the Lamoille Family Center - May 12 9:30-11:00am. Drop in.
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Nature Play for Little Ones at the Morrill Homestead - June 18 10:30-12:00pm. Register here.
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Interested in joining Four Winds for nature-based play and learning?
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Contact Ellen (ellen@fwni.org) for more information on partnering for free discussion series, storytimes, play groups, and more.
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