Piloting Eco-Sensing: A Seven Point Map of Nature Engagement with Kids

A nature mandala was created at the end of the experience to wish for peace on Earth.

Children should be able to do their own experimenting and their own research. Teachers, of course, can guide them by providing appropriate materials, but the essential thing is that in order for a child to understand something, he must construct it himself, he must re-invent it. Every time we teach a child something, we keep him from inventing it himself. On the other hand that which we allow him to discover by himself will remain with him visibly for the rest of his life. — Jean Piaget, Play and Development

Introduction

I have been pondering how to instill a love for the environment and a passion for scientific experimentation for our little one. As a scholar, I love to apply my knowledge to my daily life and help others who are interested in becoming more eco-conscious. I want to assist caregivers such as parents, grandparents, and early childhood educators, who wish to create stronger bonds with nature for themselves and the children under their care. However, many of them, much like myself, do not know where to begin. Hence, I came up with a seven-step adaptation of White's (2011) "A Phenomenological Self-Inquiry into Self-Consciousness" for children and incorporated some Goethean principles. I developed this plan while contemplating how to share it with my son, who is turning two years old next week.

The Experience

For the past few days, I have been thinking about how to design an experience that would be age-appropriate. I had to think about introducing my child to the concept of senses since we had never discussed the category of senses before. I have said, “Oh, do you hear the bird?” or “That food is yummy,” but we haven’t discussed the different senses together. So, I decided to take him out after mapping the process, and we ventured out to explore the world through our senses. We hiked up into the rainforest behind our house, found a safe location and started with a snack in the form of an orange. To help my child tune into his senses and be more present for the rest of the experience, we talked about the orange's texture, smelled it, and tasted it. Also, by starting with a snack, I thought: (a) he would associate the experience as something pleasurable to do and that I would increase my chances that this could become part of a ritual that he looked forward to, (b) that he would be satiated enough to stay out in the elements longer and could dive into the experience without hunger interrupting the flow.

After the snack, he became agitated and wanted to play with his water toys and a truck he saw outside our house before our hike. With his attention diverted, I quickly realized we couldn’t get through the steps sequentially, but I would need to hit upon them as the opportunity opened and ripened in the flow of experience. So, when there was a moment to breathe mindfully, we attempted it. We played with rocks and then gathered rocks for a gratitude mandala. We talked about the birds chirping when they spoke to us, and we felt the leaves, glassy and wet, when their pooling droplets of water invited us over. We talked about the feeling of the misty air and atmosphere. Then, we ended by finishing the mandala and greeting and thanking the elements and all the natural phenomena we interacted with on our walk back to our home.

The beauty at this age is that my son naturally interacts with everything. He says “hi” to stop signs, hugs fire hydrants, and talks to the trees. Everything is alive and animate to him. He always has much to teach me in this regard, and it is such a delight to be around someone who experiences the world in such a fresh, inspired way.  So who is the real teacher in this experience? Definitely, my son.

Conclusion

We had a slow, serene and, at times, appropriately chaotic experience, spending quality time in a peaceful, wild, and natural place. It was a sensory and analytical experience for me as I tried to figure out how to adapt it and make it a regular and enjoyable activity for our family. It is building a framework for a family ritual and bringing that kind of sensory attentiveness into the rest of our lives. I am looking forward to doing it again and again. I also look forward to doing it alone. I can further refine it by deepening the experience, which requires special attention, attunement, and mental bandwidth without a little one in tow. And I look forward to continuing to prototype this experience with my little guy. In this era where algorithms drive much of our attention, it is more important than ever to have rituals of connection to one another and our beautiful world.

For a slightly more in-depth overview, please visit my original post: Developing Ecological Consciousness in Kids: A 7-Point Map for Eco-Sensing