Teaching Through Nature

The “Law of Reciprocal Maintenance” states that every living thing is either giving or receiving, eating or being eaten. In this balance life is maintained and sustained. We can see how this works clearly in the plant world. Plants receive sunshine, nutrients and carbon dioxide. They give oxygen, food, medicine and shelter. This cyclic dynamic is true for each form of life. In the same way, when we take good care of all of life, then life takes good care of us. This fundamental law governs life on this planet, and is at the core of the philosophy of Running River.

Running River School’s curriculum has a strong focus on our connection with the natural world. We weave environmental/earth education into all our curriculum, returning over and over to our connection to and responsibility for the natural world. We begin school in the fall with extensive outdoor, experiential learning. During this time we visit Boulder County Open Spaces and Mountain Parks as well as the high mountains. We always begin with EXPERIENCE, and immersion. The children explore, ask questions, make observations, and play. We also direct the children in nature games that awaken the senses and enhance their observation of the environment, from the visible phenomena to invisible qualities, such as the strength of trees or the calm of a pond. In the classroom, we discuss our various observations and use them as guideposts to create our deepening connection and understanding of nature and how all life around us is interconnected. We are then able to move between nature – with all its diversity, complexity, mystery and wonder – and the classroom.

The Village Phenomenon

Hiking takes place one to two times a week. On each hike, we find time for open play. This is where we have discovered the village phenomenon. Over and over we have observed that when we take young children out into nature they create a “village.” They play/act hunting, gathering, building, cooking, nesting and protecting. Tensions fall away, and play takes on an energy of blending and cooperation. For hours, the children will play in this way with no input from the adults. Little shelters with cooking areas, utensils, food, bedrooms, clothing, animals, babies, and hunting weapons magically appear. Older children tend to explore, find challenges, create more complex games, or just hang-out talking. On some hikes we find all the children immersed in the village play. It is through play, exploring and manipulating the environment, that the children make nature a part of them, and come back to what has been appropriately named “having a sense of place,” or “This is the earth, my home, and I am part of it, as it is part of me.” Because of this deep connection, they also feel responsible for nature’s safety and health.

Other types of learning take place, being in wild places. We have constantly observed the centering and calming quality that comes from being in Nature, and we believe this is a vital ingredient for the healthy development of every aspect of the child. We spend contemplative time in nature doing silent walks, art, journaling, quiet-time and what we call impressions work. This is the work of learning to receive the qualities housed in different forms, or impressions, of nature. Children also have a keen curiosity about all living things, and this inquisitiveness is a gateway towards creating a personal relationship with nature, and to fostering a sense of consciousness (or sensitivity) towards life. When children feel connected to life, there comes a feeling of belonging. This compassion is at the heart of self-esteem, inner-acceptance and the deeper understanding of life’s meaning.