We are. Truly. Amazing. Period.
By Samantha Look
We are an amazing species. And we live on a truly magnificent planet. In this current moment in time it may be difficult to remember these things. But there is no doubt about it. We are. Truly. Amazing. Period. And so right now we must do the hard work of remembering that this is but a moment in time. Our routines may be disrupted. Our sense of security may be challenged. But there is some relief available. All we need to do is walk out the door.
Outside there is a world to connect with in a time when we are bearing the burden of social isolation. Outside there is a world that is carrying on in rhythms that we recognize and rely on. The news stories that reach us may speak of uncertainty and anxiety, but outside it is the beginning of a new season, and it is unfolding as it has for all the years that we can remember. There is comfort in this familiar. There is a world that is safe to explore and while so many things seem to have changed dramatically in a short period of time, it is still there, looking and feeling much as it did the last time it was explored.
In recognition of the healing that nature can do for our frayed nerves and the classroom that it provides for our school-less students we have compiled the following list of suggestions, which may seem basic, but deserve amplification, as we navigate these unusual days.
Go Outside
If you do nothing else on this list, just go outside. It does not matter where, or when, or for how long (although you may find that the more the better).
When I first heard about how this health crisis was going to affect our community, and that my kids’ school was closing, I went for a walk. For the first time in days I felt such relief in the simple familiar things I experienced. The sun was setting, as it always had. The wind was bending the golden backs of a Little Bluestem meadow. A gull was riding the breeze, drifting from left to right across my vision. To witness and participate in this world was an unbelievable comfort. This was not the world of news reports and fear and loneliness. This world was abundant, and inclusive, and awe inspiring, and a solace in its routine and familiarity.
Observe.
Learn what surprises spring has to share. Pick your family’s favorite outdoor place and have each family member pick their special “sit spot.” Decide what frequency you will revisit this spot throughout the season: daily, weekly, etc. Kids can create a journal of observations at their special place. Draw, write, record weather, sounds, animals spotted and details of plants. If you have a magnifying lens pack it along to allow kids to look for details they might not have noticed before. Any of these observations can be jumping off points for further exploration and research at home. For example, did kids spot an osprey as they sat? At home use a field guide or online resources to take a closer look. What do an osprey’s markings look like up close? What do they eat? Are they here on the Island all year? If not, where have they migrated from? Map their migration. And so forth.
One of my favorite places to watch spring emerge is at Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary. The ponds and streams will soon be full of tadpoles and frogs. Ferns will turn barren stream banks into dense thickets of green as the season progresses. Plovers will appear on the beach and create camouflaged nests in the sand and osprey will begin to nest and fish at Daggett Pond. It is a great time to absorb these details that might easily be missed in our usual daily bustle.
Another great place to watch and record the arrival of spring is at Polly Hill Arboretum. Have kids “adopt a plant” or two. Here almost all of the plants are labeled, so kids can record their plant’s name and do more research at home if you like. This is a great time to watch one particular plant as it emerges in the spring. The more often you can visit the better. At first the changes might seem small, but there is so much happening in the plant world over the next month or two it is an opportunity to bear witness to everyday miracles.
At Sheriff’s Meadow in early spring we would normally be starting to take students out to visit our properties. There are various projects that we do on these trips, but one example that can be used in any setting, by any age group, is framing a tiny point of focus and then mapping or recording everything that you see inside the boundaries. You can do this any number of ways, but an easy one is to cut a four foot length of string—or really any length will work. The string is easy to carry in your pocket as you walk. Pick a spot and pull out your string. Use it to create a connected shape on the ground. This could be a perfect square or any shape you can make by connecting the ends of the string. Then sit and watch. You will have about one square foot. Are any plants is your tiny habitat? Any holes, possible animal homes or pools of water? Any evidence of critters – tracks, eaten leaves, or scratched bark? And what about the critters themselves? After sitting for a moment do any bugs appear? This is a simple but great way to focus attention.
Explore the Island.
Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and its colleague organizations have hundreds of miles of trails throughout the Vineyard. Pull up your Trails MV app map and have kids pick places they would like to explore. Find nearby trails and head out! If you prefer to hike without your phone, you can also use the book Walking Trails of MV, available from the Vineyard Conservation Society website or the MV Land Bank website has information about the Land Bank owned and maintained trail systems.
Learn.
Pick a focus and dive in. Learn about our local trees, birds, wildflowers or anything else that intrigues you or your kids. Then head outside and record what you see. Kids can draw what they find “out in the field”. Use field guides and online resources to identify species you want to look for as you walk or make sketches as you are out and once you get home try and identify what you have seen. A game that my kids love to play, especially this time of year, is on-the-fly plant identification as we hike. I point out a tree or bush next to the trail and they do their best to tell me what it is and what details led them to their answer. It helps that I can identify a lot of our basic trees and shrubs, but it is not too hard to learn a handful of the basics and then start with these and learn together as a family. Turning learning into a game is a great way to get kids interested.
As far as online resources a quick search of “Tree Identification New England” took me to the Arbor Day Foundation and a program called “What Tree Is That” this looks like a fun resource that sleuths out tree identification by leading you through a chain of questions. This might help engage kids who are more interested in computer work than outdoor journaling.
For birds, Cornell Ornithology Lab has lots of information and collections of short videos to watch. Their “Bird Song Hero” program has been a student favorite when we have used it in the classroom. It is a great way to get kids excited to learn bird songs and listen very carefully to song details.
The following are popular books that offer lots of outdoor activities and information. All are available at Amazon if you can’t get them from your local bookseller.
Fun with Nature, Take Along Guide
The Curious Nature Guide, Claire Walker Leslie
Keeping A Nature Journal, Claire Walker Leslie
Find.
Create a scavenger hunt for your kids. If your kids are resistant to simply going for a walk this is an easy way to turn the outing into a game. So you don’t have to create your own, you can find some scavenger hunts in this newsletter.
You can also use the VCS Island Adventure, an outdoor activity book that was created by the Vineyard Conservation Society a number of years ago. This book was designed to help spark curiosity about the natural world in general and prompt exploration of the Island in specific. The book offers a range of activities, some of which take you all over the Island to complete, and others that can be accomplished in your own backyard. The full book is available for free on the VCS website here.
Grow.
Plant something. Dig in the dirt. Watch something grow. Whether a large garden or a single pot on your windowsill this is a great way to get kids excited about the growing season.
Take a Bike Ride.
There are lots of conservation properties that are appropriate for biking. This is a great way to cover more ground, and can simply be a way to mix it up as an alternate to hiking. Pack snacks or a picnic in a backpack and turn it into a real adventure.
These are a collection of simple suggestions that echo a single refrain. Go outdoors. Let it be a balm to your worries, a place to see other people (from a bit of a distance) and a reminder of how blessed we are to live where we do. We are a social species and we need connection. We have created vast opportunities to do this digitally, which is especially handy right now. But we also need connection on a more basic level—viscerally, physically. Nature is a place where we can still find this quality at a time when we are being asked to forsake this sort of direct interaction. So whatever your energy or comfort level please try one of our suggestions. Maybe you pull out your map of choice and walk every corner of the Island. Maybe you pull out a lawn chair in your backyard and watch the stars reveal themselves as evening lays itself over the land. Maybe this time outside gives you the opportunity to wave to your neighbor and share a moment of unspoken connection as you puzzle out whether the bright planet in the Northwest sky is Mars or Jupiter. Maybe it shows you something new about our amazing Island home as you find a trail to a bench with a view that you never imagined. Maybe in any of these scenarios you get to take breath, your heart rate slows and you might even smile as you soak up the breadth and depth of the connection that we live amidst every day. In this bit of peace and strength we can see our way through this time, to the days that will come. May they come as soon as possible, and in the meantime may we all be well.
Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation maintains trail systems at properties across the Island. At many of these there are maps at each trail junction that make it easy to navigate your route. If exploring a new property feels daunting and you would like guidance on hikes for certain age groups or with a certain focus please feel free to email us at education@sheriffsmeadow.org.