I love that J. Letteri said in his acceptance speech for his Visial Effects Oscar: “Remember, the world we live in is just as amazing as the one we created for you”. WOW

This was the acceptance speech I’ll remember the most from the Oscars of 2010. Avatar was by far my favorite movie of the year and I think its message about nature is as important a message as we can give our children. But to hear these words from someone whose work depends on technology and who was awarded an Oscar for this technology was amazing to me.

Thank you Joe Letteri for reminding people that we live in an amazing world filled with amazing creatures every bit as amazing as those we saw in Avatar. And if you doubt his words or mine for even a second, here’s a visual reminder of what awaits us this spring and summer.

Discover it for yourself. Go outside and “Take A Minute To Be In It™”

Some things are best said in photos. Such is the case for our day at the Philadelphia International Flower Show. I was honored to lecture again this year, presenting “Gardening to Attract Birds and Butterflies”. We had a great attendance and a lively audience followed by a book signing.

This year’s theme is Passport to the World. There was a giraffe made of orchids, an elephant and hot air balloon made of flowers, too. There were bulbs and bikes, Koi, a pagoda, and flowers in huge blocks of ice (my favorite), The Flower Show was as exciting and delightful as ever. Rob and I enjoyed ourselves immensely.

The show is open for two more days. I hope you get an opportunity to see it. There’s not much else quite like it. I hope to see you there next year, too! In the meantime, here are few photos:

Imagine an event in northern Manhattan that celebrates being in the outdoors. A happening where kids and their families can learn about outdoor activities—from sports to nature walks. A place to meet and greet, have your photo taken on the top of Mt. Everest, get lots of very cool stuff. Where you can play games, sample foods, dance to music, and take a nature walk with yours truly. And all of it free! Doesn’t this sound perfect?

Now imagine the event taking place in the dead of winter (yesterday the 13^th of February) in Swindler Cove Park along the East river on the northern tip of Manhattan. Imagine no sun but instead an eerie flat-gray sky. Imagine an average temperature of 28 degrees and a foot of crusty, soiled snow on the ground. Imagine a mild breeze blowing off the river—just enough to factor in a mild wind chill—the kind that makes your lips chap. Brrrrr!

It took 3.5 hours for Rob and I to get to Swindler Cove Park  (via car, train, and cab) and we arrived at 9 AM to a hustling scene of tents being erected, boxes being unloaded from trucks, and people moving things by wheel barrow, hand truck, and anything else they could muster. It was darn cold and there was snow and ice everywhere. As we navigated the walkway to find our place at the event I sang to myself “ice on the ground…ice on the ground…walk very carefully with ice on the ground”.  I kept questioning “what self respecting New Yorker is going to leave the warmth of their home to come outside on this cold, dreary day? No one will come to this event”.  But boy was I wrong. So wrong.

Kids with their Planet Explore bags of free stuffI was thrilled to see a large crowd attend the “Winter Warm Up”. People came for the free stuff from The North Face. They came for the entertainment. They came to see Swindler Cove Park and to learn about the New York Restoration Project. Some came because they are fans of NYRP and benefactors of their community programs.  They came for the nature walks and ice fishing lessons. They came for the food. But mostly, they came for the fresh air and a reason to be outdoors with their children in the dead of winter. There were children young and old and there were adults old and young. It was fantastic!

I don’t know how many people attended but I heard no complaints about the cold. People bundled up and there were lots of activities to keep them moving. A DJ helped to keep the crowd warm, too. There were people dancing everywhere—even during our nature walks.

Shadale, an event volunteer and my new friend from Albany, helped me lead my nature walks. Shadale and I in our “BFF” (Best Friends Forever) pose for Rob’s camera He found a small paper wasp nest and he also found a Praying Mantis egg case. He was very excited to share his findings with anyone and everyone! Despite the crowds and the music, we saw Canada Geese, Ring Billed Gulls, Mallards, and Cormorants near the shore. We saw House Sparrows, Chickadees, and Titmice flitting around the park. We saw evergreens, bushes with berries, and bare-naked deciduous trees. We found seeds from grasses and trees. And we found an old oak tree that was still hanging onto its gigantic brown, dead leaves.

This Winter Warm Up was a fabulous success. Everyone had a ball! It also marked the launch of a new website by The North Face called “Planet Explore”.  Visit this site and you can find outdoor activities in your neck of the woods. As the site grows so will the calendar so give it a little time if you don’t find events close to you the first time you visit. Become a member of the site and you’ll receive notification of events. I’m proud to say that I’ve been chosen as a “visionary” by The North Face and you’ll soon see my face and my public events in the visionary section of Planet Explore.  

Many people took our nature walk and learned about migration, hibernation, brumation, and all types of winter survival.I would have bet a lot of money that the cold weather and snow covered sidewalks would have kept people indoors yesterday. I’m so glad I was wrong. And I’m darn glad I’m not a betting person! On the train ride home I was stuck on a line from a Beatle’s song: “imagine all the people”. I think the turnout at this event speaks to our hunger to be in the outdoors. In Swindler Cove Park, NYRP has given New Yorkers a green space to return to the outdoors. I’m proud to have been a part of this Winter Warm Up. Watch our calendar and the Planet Explore site for more such events.

We have two feet of snow on the ground. That’s a lot of snow. And another two feet could be coming in the next 48 hours. I have to admit, even I have some difficulty getting around (walking) in two to four feet of snow. 

It’s also been cold (in the 20’s) and windy. Add to the mix that I had major surgery four weeks ago and the result is that I haven’t been out taking photos of nature. Call it excuses or call it sensibilities, either way, I haven’t done any tracking, birdwatching, or deer spotting. But I have managed to spend hours outdoors with Rob and our Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Bodhi.

Bodhi (B), Brandy (C) and Emma (T) taking a break..

Bo loves the snow and thrives in the cold. He has become the mayor of our street - he knows where all the dogs live and he hasn’t met one he doesn’t like. He stops by their doors every day on the way to his play area - a large hill at the end of our street. He gathers his dog friends and they play till they can hardly walk.  

Bodhi waiting for friends.

The dog owners stand around chattering and making sure their dogs stay off the road, with the pack, and picking up anything the dogs leave behind. The dogs exhaust themselves and go home with balls of frozen snow stuck to their fur.

On Sunday I was particularly pleased to see kids on the hill, too. Kids with sleds! Imagine that - children who were allowed to play outdoors. Of course these are my neighbors and I know them but that doesn’t make it any less exciting to see them busy at unstructured and unsupervised play. No adults were standing by saying “do this” or “sled here”. At the same time, all the adults in the neighborhood had an eye on the children, watching them and ensuring they were safe. 

Neighborhood kids having a blast in the snow.

What a step back in time. The snow brought most things to a halt (driving, shopping, working). People bundled up and walked around the neighborhood (no runners this weekend) and gathered together in impromptu groups to chat. There were sounds of children playing and laughing and dogs playing and barking. People were cleaning off their cars and sidewalks and helping their neighbors to do so, too.

I baked cinnamon buns for anyone who wanted them (it’s a snow day tradition of mine). Rob and I spent several hours out in the cold but we layered smartly and the warm sense of community and belonging helped protect us from the cold winter winds. 

Our neighbors love snow days - can you blame them?

So this weekend wasn’t about nature - at least it wasn’t about plants and animals (except of course, canines). But it was about the nature of people. And how a small “blizzard” can bring us outdoors and bring out the best in us - as we reached out to help, to enjoy, and to gather together. 

I hope you had a similar experience. If not, there’s always tomorrow with another 14 to 20 inches predicted. I hope your power stays on and that you stay warm. Please remember elderly neighbors and lend a hand if you can. And when the snow stops falling and the sun shines, please take your children outdoors. Enjoy the snow while you can. Spring will be here soon.

Yours in the outdoors,

Jane

P.S.For more photos of dogs in the snow see my photos at Flickr 

I spend a lot of time in the outdoors—much of it leisurely walking as I observe my surroundings. I look for and photograph plants and animals and it takes patience to do so. I sometimes cover a lot of ground but it takes me all day to do it. In other words, I’m not a power walker.

Last August Rob and I adopted our dog Bodhi (Bo-dee). My walks changed. Bodhi wants to explore, run, exercise. so now I take dog walks in addition to my nature walks. Bodhi loves to go to the park and we walk the same path every day to take him there. That path includes a very long and rather steep hill. Going down was easy. But coming home, we had to walk up the hill.

The hill was difficult for me. By the time I got to the top I’d be seriously short of breath and I had chest pain. I’d walk the rest of the distance home slowly and by the time I got to my house I recovered. Rob didn’t have that much trouble on the hill. I figured I did because I used to smoke. Or maybe because I need to lose weight (doesn’t everyone?). So I pushed myself from August to October trying to get to the top of the hill with no problem. It never worked. Rob suggested (more than once) I tell my doctor about the chest pain and shortness of breath. Instead, I kept pushing myself.

Finally in November I had my annual checkup. I did mention the hill to my doctor. That started a chain reaction. There was a stress test, lab tests, echo-cardiogram, heart catheterization, and finally—I was told that I had a blocked artery that couldn’t be repaired except with open heart surgery. A heart bypass! Over some shortness of breath! Who knew?

So, here it is February. I’m back to work. I’m just fine. I had the surgery—it was this new minimally invasive (through my ribs) surgery. I’m almost back to 100% and I can walk the hill without chest pain or shortness of breath!

It’s mortifying to think that every time I tried to master that hill I was pushing my heart to its limit. The doctor told me that the location of my blockage was such that had I had a heart attack, I’d be dead before I hit the ground.

February is National Heart Month. Have a checkup. You can’t be a mentor, leader, and activist from your grave. In between your teaching, nature walks, gardening with kids, and listening to kids, be sure listen to your body. One of my doctors said you should never be aware of your heart. In other words, if you have chest pain (at all) shortness of breath, tire easily, tell your doctor. I am living proof that we shouldn’t poo-poo signs and warnings.

I’m grateful to Rob and all of my doctors. Grateful we adopted Bodhi and I had trouble on that hill. I was a walking time bomb with no clue I was in danger. Now I’m 25 lbs lighter and watching my carbs, and eating a heart healthy diet (BTW, not difficult at all).

As for you—please get a checkup. You and I are doing very important work by helping to connect children with nature. I heart you! Don’t be a statistic!

2009 - WOW what a year!  We delivered our message of  “Take a minute to be in it” to students and their families and teachers from Texas to New York!  This was a very busy year - the first in which we had workshops, speaking engagements, events, or school visits booked every month of the year except for February and December.

This was a good year for TV and radio, too. My favorite media experience was working with the crew from WITF in Harrisburg, PA. Doing a PSA for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) which run the Pennsylvania State Parks was a blast! It’s posted here:

Another highlight of my year was meeting and working with Akiima Price, Chief of Education and Programs at the New York Restoration Project (NYRP). I look forward to doing some teacher workshops with them in 2010. It’s exciting to see what she is doing to help urban students get outdoors and experience nature, grow gardens, and explore their neighborhoods.

I made lots of new friends and reconnected with some old such as Mary DeAngelis who I met a few years ago when she attended my session at the PA Governor’s Institute for Environment and Ecology. I was delighted to learn that she is now the Environmental Educator for Spring-Ford school district in Royersford, PA, supporting several schools. She is helping teachers to gain confidence to teach nature studies when they don’t have a science background. She’s bringing new programs to her schools and getting students into the outdoors. Every school district needs an environmental education specialist like Mary DeAngelis!

Business ran a little smoother this year thanks to Becky Prante, our Events Coordinator. Becky traveled with me to schools and events and our road trips were so much fun! She’s a college student and won’t be with us forever but I sure have enjoyed (and will continue to) the time that she is here.

We exceeded many goals this year but didn’t meet them all. Book sales were down but book sales were down across the publishing world. I was truly hoping to get our TV program on TV this year but the public television stations lost so much of their funding new programs weren’t in their plans for 2009. I missed a fabulous opportunity to go kayaking with Cindy Duncan of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation at her workshop for educators. I sure hope she invites me again this year. I’m so sorry I missed the trip.

I’d like to end the year focusing on a single accomplishment. I personally managed to address more than 15,000 people in person with my programs at schools, events, workshops and speaking engagements. If we add to that my tv and radio work, magazine articles and interviews, web blogs and interviews, book sales, all of my outreach efforts we’re probably (easily) over 100,000 people. But that’s not enough. I think the measure of a conservationist is the number of people he reaches. So next year, I’d like to make it 500,000 people. Please help me to reach more people by inviting your friends to join my fan page on Facebook, to subscribe to my blog and to follow me on Twitter. I promise to keep postings fresh and relevant to environmental education and children and the outdoors.

I’d also like to end the year by thanking the schools and organizations listed here for inviting me to speak. I hope to visit some of them again next year. And I hope that everyone remembers to “Take a minute to be in it”.

Thanks to:

New York:

Livingston Manor ES in Livingston

Pennsylvania:

Hillendale ES in Chadds Ford

Simmons ES in Horsham

Evans ES in Limerick

Earl ES in Boyertown

Bridge of Hope in Lancaster and Coatesville

The Garden Federation of Pennsylvania in Bedford

The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville

The North American Bluebird Society

Audubon of PA, Mill Grove

North Umberland Conservation District

REI store opening in Pittsburgh

Barnes & Nobel in Exton and Oxford Valley

WXPN Kids Corner

New Jersey:

Winfield ES in Winfield

JFK ES Raritan

Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Millville

New Jersey Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators

Burlington County Earthfest

Camden Children’s Garden, Camden

Delaware:

Highlands ES, Wilmington

Wilmington Charter School

New Castle County Libraries

New Castle County Master Gardeners Club in Newark

Virginia

Booker T Washington ES, Newport News

Mary Munford ES in Richmond

The Mariner Museum

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond

Bucks County Science Teachers Association

The Chesapeake Experience, Richmond

 Texas:

Florence Elementary School (compliments of Real School Gardens)

Author Richard Louv coined the phrase nature deficit disorder (NDD) in his book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. He defines it as “the human cost of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and a higher rate of physical and emotional illnesses.” And while he focuses on the need to get our children outdoors, NDD is hardly exclusive to children.

Many adults suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) this time of year, which is also known as winter depression or winter blues. One theory about SAD is that its cause may be from increased melatonin produced in dim light and darkness by the body. So if SAD if brought on by lack of sunlight doesn’t it qualify as one of the costs of human alienation from nature?

If we go to work or school in the dark and come home in the dark, when do we get our daily dose of sunlight? For me, a day without sunlight is indeed a than happy day for me. I often need to leave my work to get out into the sun. Sunlight through the windows just doesn’t do it for me. And winters can be depressing. I find I have less energy in the winter than in the summer and I sleep more.

I tell adults and children to “Take a minute to be in it™” – that is, to take some time in the outdoors even if it is only a minute or two. Take that time to stop and look around, take in the smells of the outdoors (hopefully, you will not be standing in the middle of a heavily congested traffic area), look up and down, and listen to bird calls, insects, mammals, whatever sounds nature is offering at that moment. Every time you stop, look, and listen you will see or hear something new in the outdoors. You’ll discover plants and animals you hadn’t noticed before; and the more you notice, the more you’ll be interested and excited.

We are part of nature, no matter how much we insulate ourselves from it. Right now it is Friday in the afternoon on a beautiful fall day. There’s a little breeze and it is in the high 70’s. Bodie (my dog) and I are going to go take a minute - or about 30 - to go outside and get some sunlight.

I hope you do, too

“Buddy” is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who I’d learned about on Petfinder.com with a very special need: to be loved. He has a bullet lodged in one of his hind legs, he is wary of men, he lacks confidence, he doesn’t know how to play, and he’s afraid of traffic. He is also a gentle, lovely, well-behaved dog who, with the love and confidence he needs, will be the best (simply the best) dog in the word- which is exactly why we drove to Virginia last Friday to bring him home.

Now I, along with Rob, our assistant Becky, and our friend’s 7 year old daughter Heather, will make buddy our best friend. In just a few short days Buddy has had a bath, been to visit the park, learned his way around the neighborhood, been swimming in the lake, knows his car and his house, and has made friends with Lou the Bulldog.

He has also taken to the landing on our steps making that space his own. We wonder what the appeal is. Could it be because there are no windows on the landing? Buddy seems to be most relaxed when no one can see him and when he can’t see out the windows. Could it be because there are two exits from the landing  (one up and one down)? Whatever the reason, he spends most of his time on the landing.

We figure it will take some time for him to come out of his shell. It’ll take time to figure out what his new permanent name should be too. Got any suggestions?  

To read more about Buddy’s background, (he was “leo” before he was Buddy) at: http://findleo.blogspot.com/2009/06/leo-is-lost.html.

Learn more about the wonderful agency where we adopted Buddy: the  Atlantic Region Central Border Collie Rescue http://www.arcbcr.org.

Note: Excerpted fromAppendix G of “No Student Left Indoors: Creating a Field Guide to your Schoolyard”, Jane Kirkland, to appear in first printing of 2010.

When putting together a list of items for your school nature studies, consider a whiteboard. When it becomes your “sightings board” it can be a key player in motivating students to observe nature.

A “sightings board” is my last topic of discussion when I visit a school. Typically my school day is comprised of two assembly programs; one for lower grades one for upper. Beyond that, the balance of the day differs from school to school, depending on their needs. When a school books me they have me for the entire day. So they might plan Q&A sessions in grade-groups or classrooms. They might want a student writing workshop or a nature walk in the schoolyard. They might want a teacher workshop at the end of the day or a parents program in the evening. From school to school each day is different. The only consistencies are the assembly programs and my end-of-day 10 minute wrap-up with the Principal (as per my request).

During the Principal wrap-up, I thank him/her for the opportunity to visit with the students, give a gift and ask for a gift. My gift is our CD which contains our theme song “Take a minute to be in it”. That slogan is one the students had heard many times throughout the day and I want to perpetuate the message. I leave kids with the challenge to “Take a minute”. Nature isn’t the only recipient of good things when people observe their environment. Kids benefit, too. Children that are keenly aware of their surroundings are more astute, better students and listeners, safer kids. I give the CD to the principal to encourage him/her to play all or part of during the morning announcements—starting the next day and continuing throughout the school year.

Then I ask for my gift—a white board. A large white board hung near the front door of the school where students, staff, faculty, student families, and visitors enter and exit on school days. The board will be their “Sightings Board”.

Each day, when students come and go into the building, they will have an opportunity to list something they saw in nature- either in the schoolyard, at home, while on the bus, or in the neighborhood. I warn the principal that in the beginning, some kids might list impossible sightings (dinosaurs) but that over time the listings will become more serious. How? The Faculty and staff will ignore (or even erase with no fanfare) the “silly” sightings and award the serious sightings by including them in the morning announcements or mentioning them in class. Should they run out of space on the board, they can limit the sightings to the schoolyard only.

Kids get excited when given the opportunity to write on the board and excited when they can contribute to such a project. Every day kids will be listing sightings or trying to see the birds, animals, and plants listed on the board when they are outside. A sense of place and community can build from something as small as a sightings board.

As much as I would like to believe that every principal will hang a white board the very next day, I know better. The biggest hurdle is money. If I had the resources, I’d bring one with me to every school. But I can’t.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to suggest/request that the principal procure a whiteboard. And teachers, please consider a sightings board at your school—with or without a visit from me. I promise you will all enjoy and benefit from your nature observations.

P.S. If anyone out there knows of a white board manufacturer or supplier that would be interested in working a sightings program with us by donating a board for every school we visit, we’d be happy to return their kindness with free advertising at our website and mentions in our teacher’s book.

Summers are a slow time at Take A Walk® Books. There are no school assemblies and few educator conferences. And although I could certainly stay busy writing, I find it nearly impossible to work on new books and research when the sun is shining. I want to be outside exploring and photographing.

Even marketing efforts slow down. After all, teachers are more available during the summer months but they are also less accessible. How can I reach them when they are at home or on vacation without feeling as if I’m intruding? This year I’m trying something new. Next week I’m kicking off our first Webinar: a one-hour live presentation of “No Student Left Indoors: Creating a Field Guide to Your Schoolyard”.

I figure that every teacher has some time during the summer that they are working and preparing for the next school year. I also figure that every teacher who spends an hour in my Webinar will have the basic knowledge to start a Field Guide Project when they return to school. A single Field Guide Project can affect every student in a school. In other words, one Webinar attendee could reach as many as 600 students with the Field Guide Project. One to 600! WOW! My head is spinning at the thought of so many kids learning about the birds, trees, insects, and flowers in their schoolyards and neighborhoods.

Please help me to spread the word about our new Webinar. You could even register your favorite teacher! The cost of the hour is only $35.00. The power of the Field Guide Project to help reconnect our kids with our planet is enormous. Let’s work together this summer so the outdoor days of summer stay with our children when they return to school and year-round.

Learn more:

Part of observing nature is in listening. At this time of year baby birds are calling to be fed. Most of these calls sound like distress calls. If you listen for these calls you’re in for some surprises.

We had such a surprise earlier today. Becky and I are working at my kitchen table on laptops today so we can do some website development. It helps to see one another’s monitor. About an hour ago, Becky said “what’s that noise?” and we heard some kind of loud noise - almost like a cat in distress. The calls continued and continued. We went out on the deck (second story deck) and could see a squirrel in one of the nearby trees. He was making the calls. He was on his stomach with his arms wrapped around a branch. The scene was almost comical - as if he suddenly discovered he was afraid of heights and was holding on for dear life.  We went outside to investigate.

As we approached the squirrel in the tree I said “Becky, there must be a predator nearby - this is a very excited squirrel”. As I said that, I turned to face Becky and saw our neighbor’s cat, Oscar. “Well, there’s the problem” I said.

I started to walk toward Oscar so I could take him home - although I’ve never known him to kill anything or chase the birds (earlier in the day Oscar was on my deck watching a squirrel and Titmouse feeding on the peanuts I set out- he seemed content to watch).  As I approached Oscar who was sitting on the grass nearby, he suddenly dropped to his stomach as if to hide or defend some prize. As soon as he made that move I knew he had caught something.  A few steps closer and I saw a motionless baby Robin. “OSCAR” I yelled and Oscar backed up. I figured the bird was hurt - maybe even dead - and as I stooped down to retrieve it, it almost jumped into my hand. I guess I was less scary than the cat!

The Robin seemed fine - mostly scared. I held the bird for awhile and then let go of it but it stayed on my hand, on my chest, on my arm, not wanting to go anywhere. After a few photos (thanks to Becky) and a little time to recuperate it was coaxed onto the branch of a tree. Soon one of the parent birds returned to feed it.

Last week I had a similar experience with a young Grackle which managed to land on my deck. The parents were reluctant to come and feed it and it was reluctant to leave. After about 1/2 hour of it’s squaking, I coaxed it off to a nearby tree where the parents returned to feeding it.

My yard must have a big “welcome animals” sign. Listen to nature- it’s calling!

I’ve started to work on our next book. I’m just not quite sure about the title and content—how’s that for a dilemma? At the very least the book will be about flowers (wild and cultivated) and be called “Take a Flower Walk”. At most, it will include food gardens and be called “Take a Garden Walk”.

I’m leaning toward a garden walk because I really do want to talk about food gardens - particularly now when we are raising awareness about sustainable living. I don’t think there is a big enough market to support two books - one on flowers and one on gardens. If you have any thoughts on the matter I hope you’ll share them here. 

As part of my research, on Monday I visited with the Thomas family in NJ. Becky (my assistant) came along and brought her BFF, Jenny. It took a little over two hours to reach our destination and along the way we saw our share of Red-tailed Hawks, Wild Turkeys, and vultures.

The Thomas family business is flowers and the Thomas kids (Jahvin age 13, Morijah age 11, Sage age 8, Judah age 5, and Ruby age 2) were kind enough to take some time out of their home-schooled day to show us around their greenhouses. These kids exemplify home-schooling at its best. They are smart and so willing to share their knowledge. I could have hung out with them all day!

In addition to touring the greenhouses, we chased chickens around the yard, found a toad and discussed the differences between toads and frogs, searched for snakes (commonly found in the greenhouses), met the family dogs, and heard about the immature Bald Eagle that tried but failed to capture one of the family chickens! We had a great time with the kids and I’ve invited them to come and visit me and tour my lake.

We don’t have chickens and greenhouses here but there’s lots of adventure at Marsh Creek State Park. See you soon, kids!

Last week I traveled to Grand Prairie, Texas, to present my assembly program at Florence Hill Elementary School. The school marquee was just the beginning of my big Texas welcome. A big Texas welcome awaited me. Photo by T. Hollis 

I was sponsored by Real School Gardens whose incredible work with the teachers and parents at Florence Hill not only showed in the gardens but in the hearts and minds of the students.

I visit many schools throughout the year and I meet a lot of students. With an average of 600 students per elementary school, I meet about 30,000 students a year. Every school is different — every school is a community.

Even signs in the hall welcomed me. Photo by T. HollisThe first thing I noticed at Florence Hill was how respectful the kids were and, next, how genuinely interested they seemed in meeting someone new (me). By the time the day was over I was sorry I had to leave. I’m not sure I ever visited a school where I felt such an immediate warm affection and welcome by the students. I felt as if I belonged there. Florence Elementary School will always stand out for me as a very special place.

In their school gardens the students grew food, flowers, perennials, and were soon going to plant trees in the schoolyard. Photo by T. HollisFor several days I wondered what it was about this school that made it so different from most I’ve visited. Finally, this afternoon, I think I might have figured it out. These children had exceptional social skills. They talked with me and with one another. They were interested and interesting. I didn’t see cell phones (not even after school), didn’t see kids texting, didn’t see bare midriffs on the girls or the boys’ pants falling down to their knees. I’m not at all suggesting that the kids weren’t culturally savvy or technologically literate - they were! But they were also keen to the outdoors and keen to the presence of others. These were not kids with Nature Deficit Disorder lacking social skills. 

Today we have to work hard to give most kids what used to be a right of passage - time in the outdoors - time in the garden - time to play in the dirt, run in in the rain, watch the clouds. Not these kids. The students of Florence Hill Elementary are lucky kids with adults in their lives who help them to extend their own lives beyond their classrooms, bedrooms, computers, and cell phones. They are likable, smart, inquisitive kids who know how to talk, look you in the eye, interact, smile, laugh, joke, and converse. They are growing gardens and trees and exploring nature!

On the day of my visit there was a very rare sun halo over the state of Texas which, from Grand Prairie, looked like a perfectly straight rainbow across the sky - no bend, just straight lines of color. The kids noticed it and called my attention to it.

That night on the news, the weatherman talked about how unusual that sun halo was. I would like to think it was a sign that the people of Grand Prairie, Florence Hill Elementary School, and Real School Gardens knew something about raising happy, healthy children. I congratulate them. And I thank them for the opportunity to meet their children. The kids were my real rainbow that day. Kids - just being kids. 

Just a few of my new BFFs. Photo by T. Hollis

I can’t believe it’s March 2. Where did the winter go? It was an unusually busy winter for our business - so busy I haven’t even had time to blog. But I’ve made some changes in my work schedule so that moving forward I can keep up with blogging. So much to say and so little time!

We had a snow day today. I’m guessing there is 6 or 7 inches outside and it’s the largest snowfall here this winter. All in all, it was a fairly mild winter. The lake did freeze over in January but it was a short freeze. The big event for me this winter was the action at my bird feeders.

But my birdfeeders provided quite a show this year. It was an irruptive year for Pine Siskins and Purple Finches. These are two species of birds I’ve never seen at my feeders. I know they’ve been here in previous years but not since I’ve been feeding the birds (about 12 years now). Cornell’s Project FeederWatch has an interesting article about the irruption here.

Here’s a photo of one of the Pine Siskins.  

We had a nice assortment of birds at the feeders this winter including:

House Finches
Purple Finches
Blue Jays
Northern Cardinals
White-throated Sparrows
Red-bellied Woodpeckers
Downy Woodpeckers
Carolina Wrens
Chickadees
Tufted Titmice
Goldfinches
Starlings
Mourning Doves
Grackles
Red-winged Blackbirds

I imagine in just a few weeks the Siskins, Juncos, and Purple Finches will be gone. This past week, the Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds started arriving. That is a true sign of spring!

In July I had the opportunity to deliver the opening keynote address at the American Horticultural Society’s National Children & Youth Garden Symposium. It was held at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. Attendees included educators, landscape designers, master gardeners, and staff and administrators from children’s gardens from all over the country. 

Other than maintaining a few container plants outside, I don’t consider myself a gardener. But I’ve always thought of gardening as a solitary experience—one person, one plot of ground, one focus on one group of plants. A garden was a secret place for the gardener, the plants, the insects, and perhaps, an occasional visit by a child or grandchild—to pass forward the gardening experience. Gardening was a peaceful, solitary, time and gardeners were quiet, pensive, patient people who whispered to plants and whose hands held secret powers to make things grow. Because I felt this way, I expected the symposium attendees to be a reserved group of people who would attend the conference for its educational value but not for its social and networking opportunities. I have to admit, I was concerned about socializing at the conference. Because I’m not a gardener, what would I talk about? I’m a people maniac whose daily bread is sharing, laughing, and rubbing palms with others. I’m a social animal—how could I possibly spend two days with such a reserved group? I prepared myself for the symposium by trying to curb my enthusiasm—about everything. I could not have been more ill-prepared!  

Upon arrival, my publicist Kae Tienstra and I had the distinct pleasure of being the dinner guests of Katy Moss Warner, President Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society. Also joining us was Tres Fromme, one of our country’s most sought-after landscape architects. Tres’ associate, Kyle Laferney also joined us. Both are with Mesa, a Dallas, Texas design firm. (Before he took the position at Mesa, Tres designed the new children’s garden at Longwood Gardens in Chadds Ford, PA.) Thier knowledge and experience of design, gardening, and gardens was matched only by their exuberance for life. We were a lively, boisterous group as we chatted about kids, nature, landscape design and education. Katy , Tres, and Kyle oblliterated my vision of gardeners as quiet, reserved people. After an enjoyable meal, some of it choked down by laughter, we got caught in a downpour on the walk to the car and laughed about that, too.

The keynote went well. Afterwards there was a book signing. Again my expectations were shattered. As attendees approached my table, each had a story to share. People were touched by my personal stories and the mistakes and miscalculations I’d made during my nature encounters. They wanted to share similar experiences; tell me about their nature discoveries and challenges, their photography, gardens, experiences with kids, desire to educate, and achievements. Hardly a reserved group of people, they were so lively and enthusiastic, I felt as if I were among a bunch of elementary school teachers. And while there were teachers in the crowd, they were only a small part of the big mix. I didn’t want the book signing to end. I wanted to spend all day chatting with people like Karen Stephens, author of Parenting Exchange advice columns (pictured above, right). 

On the drive home I reflected about the symposium. I thought about how my expectations were so off the mark. I thought about the interactions and how there was so much to talk about with everyone. Then it hit me. I understood the common denominator—life. It’s time for me to stop thinking of others as “them”. It’s time for me to quit analyzing and planning, putting people in groups, forming expectations. The only group is “we”. And we are all the same. In some way we all hold a love of the earth, of children, of man, of education—of life. L’Chaim 

See more of photographer Cindy Dyer’s photos at her blog. Thanks for the use of the photos, Cindy!