The Michigan Daily - Saturday, January 26, 1985 - Page 7
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Children are the future
Teach them wisely
"If you are thinking a year ahead, sow a seed,
If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree,
If you are thinking one hundred years ahead,
educate the children."
- Old Chinese Proverb
John David spends a quiet moment inside the Cape Cod are, the largest greenhouse at New Alchemy.
Debbie Habib and Donna Goldberg oversee the first stages of a tree
planting.
Photographed by Dan Habib
We approach education with the belief that we need to teach
children a sense of individual responsibility, environmental
awareness, and practical living skills. For many of us, children
spark the hope for a better future. Their simplicity, curiosity, won-
der and desire to explore the world reminds us of the qualities we
often loose touch with in our daily lives. We find children to be a
receptive audience to the often alternative concepts and ways of
relating with the earth that we expose them to in our educational
programs. In turn, children become the gentle but effective vehicle
for spreading concepts such as organic gardening and farming,
solar greenhouses for year-round food production, appropriate
technologies in providing for our energy and shelter needs, conser-
vation of our natural resources, and finally respect for and under-
standing of the interdependence of all living things. Children can
remind the adults, who have more ability to create change, that
there exist ecologically sound options that they can incorporate into
their lives.
Our approach to education is a hands on philosophy. We begin
by creating an environment in which a child can explore, discover,
and become a part of the process of unfolding and connecting their
living world. One of our favorite approaches to facilitate under-
standing of nature's cycles begins in our nearby forest. Often the
question is asked; "What happens to a leaf when it falls to the
ground?" Through a series of observation and sensory activities,
children discover that with the help of sun, wind, rain, and time,
leaves break down and help make soil and food for next years
growth. We can translate this cycle into the garden, where there are
no trees, hence no leaves to help build the soil. We dig in the leaf
mold pile, fill the wheel barrows, spread the leaves on the children's
garden, and recreate our own rendition of the cycle we uncovered
in the forest. By helping children become a part of nature's cycles,
they can ask questions and draw conclusions that can be incor-
porated into their world view in a unique and lasting way. Learning
and deep understanding does not always follow any particular path
or pattern and we encourage the belief that all of our thoughts and
ideas are valid and important. We find our experiential, hands on
approach to be effective and rewarding. The children are excited
about discovering and learning. The feedback we receive from their
parents tells us they are taking it home.
Hopes for a sustainable planet lies in the choices we make today,
and our children will make tomorrow.
- Kim Knorr and Debbie Habib
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