NewGate Montessori IB School (Sarasota, FL) approached the fall semester of 2020 with a bit of insight into how the school year would need to play out due to Covid concerns. I took the idea of “play out” literally and started to design an inquiry unit with nature as our muse that could have us reading and writing in and about the outdoors. My class was small and old enough to drive to most of the field experiences, and several of my students were quite interested in photography, so photography became a focal point for the unit as well,
pun intended!
Inspired by this student interest and by my roots in experiential and outdoor education, I found essays, Ted Talks, short films, photo essays, and field experiences that would allow us to learn and gather together safely and to find the numerous benefits we all know come from time experiencing and
reflecting on nature.
Over the course of the semester we traveled all around our hometown of Sarasota, FL: Historic Spanish Point in Osprey; Turtle Beach and Midnight Pass, on the south end of Siesta Key; and the mangrove tunnels on South Lido Key. In these places, students wandered, collected details of the environment in their notebooks, read passages from nature writers, wrote poems with words and phrases taken from signage, surveyed seagrass for the county, and took photographs.
Back in our Zoom rooms, we wrote reflections and responses to the various forms of ‘texts’ we encountered.
Students practiced writing responses that included summarizing skills and critical thinking about the texts. Each response also included a reflective component that asked them how the text or experience related to their personal development as human beings.
Enough of my words; now some of theirs:
“I learned that nature surprises us in many ways when wandering … I also learned that no matter where you wander, it will always give you satisfaction.
Thoreau felt that people stay inside all day because of either their job or their responsibilities, leaving them with a tight schedule that has little room for them to enjoy the outdoors. I should know, because I spend most of my days indoors while going outside for almost half an hour to get some vitamin D in my body.
Sadly, Thoreau would not approve of my method because I know that it is important to take a break from electronic devices and walk a little. For Thoreau, in his own words, “you must walk like a camel, which is said to be the only beast that ruminates when walking.” What he means is that when we walk, we tend to deeply focus on certain topics that haven’t crossed our minds.”
The Shining Sun
Much like a turtle
That lays in its shell,
I lay on the sand
And gaze the horizon view
The heron stands stiff
On the crescent beach,
Its lyric becomes a groan
While I settle on Midnight Pass
Ignoring what is known
And even though I lay so still
And make such a blind pass,
It’s as if I’m a crab
That digs deep in the ground,
Moving all over the beach.
—Jackson Prodger
It’s not a good habit for people to be inside working and doing responsibilities all day. You must get outside and walk to get rid of the ‘rust’ you have acquired sitting indoors. Thoreau extolled the experience of getting outside into the natural world to see, smell, and hear things you cannot inside. In addition, letting go, not having to worry about anything other than what you are doing at this moment in time.
I completely believe that spending time outdoors helps in many ways with the body. I have found that going outside is very relaxing and being able to breathe fresh air is refreshing. I find going outside for 20 to 30 minutes is very good for refocusing. Personally, I go outside and take pictures, then come back inside to take my mind off of things for the time being. Immersing ourselves in nature makes us feel alive and can be a de-stresser.”
—Koy Jacobsen
Thoreau saw it as a sin to stay inside without at least one walk a day; he was enthralled by nature and wanted to experience it as much as he could. He claimed that walking is not akin to exercise, and that he knows who walks and who does not. I spend a good amount of time indoors, but I try to get out at least once a day, whether I am skating, swimming, or biking. Even if I don’t get outside, I consistently have my window open to let a breeze in and listen to the outside world. Would Thoreau approve of this? Well, it’s hard to tell. In my opinion, I don’t think he would disapprove, but that being said I think he would still advocate to get out more. That is something I’ve been doing, but I’ve been needing to go further and just walk around in nature. Thoreau saw walking more as a means for meditation rather than for exercise. The phrase “it’s not about the destination, but it’s about the journey” rings true for Thoreau.
As I sit on Turtle Beach
I look at the horizon view
Listening to the ocean’s lyric— the waves crash
Saltwater splashes the surf
The heron standing still, waiting for its next victim
All of this near Midnight Pass
But I wander to Blind Pass.”
—Andrew Halperin
The first time I went to Historic Spanish Point I did not recognize the sights it had to offer. When wandering throughout Historic Spanish Point on a class trip, I came across many spots which stood out to me. Everyone who visits sees something different. Where one finds beauty in the bay, someone else may find it in the graveyard. If people continue not to see the beauty in protected areas, then sooner or later those places will evaporate and cease to exist. I hope these pictures (above) inspire you to go out, support your local protected areas and keep them alive so future generations can experience what makes that place beautiful to them.
During our time at Historic Spanish Point I walked to the Little Sarasota Bay which reflected the sun back into my eyes. The trees flanking either side of my view are known as Ponytail Palms, a native tree to eastern Mexico, which swayed in the breeze above the water. This very bay has been an important natural resource for many who have called it home due to its abundance of fish, shellfish, and other sources
of wildlife.
Walking along a path towards the bay, I came across a tiny cluster of small pink, yellow, and orange flowers. Secluded on their own in the middle of a trail, these two bundles of flowers caught my eye against the green brush.
Cock’s Footbridge is connecting two strips of land at Historic Spanish Point. Due to the salt water getting kicked up into the air and onto the fence, it slowly ate away at the metal and rusted it. This picture was taken because of the clear texture and color presented onto the wire.
Day on the Beach
Near Midnight pass
I could smell the fresh sawgrass
On horizon’s view
The sky faded from white to light blue
The crisp navy blue ocean stretched from beaches end to the horizon
Filling the air with salt
The boats swiftly glided atop of the water
Which I can confirm was wet
I sat atop some sand to write when
I was amazed to see a 6’2” heron pass by
Crabs darted back and forth,
In and out of the sand
When sitting on the sand I thought back to someone who said “sand is coarse,
rough, and it gets everywhere”
—Nick Cavanaugh
