It’s 4 am and the window you left open to bring in some fresh spring air while you slept is now ushering in a cacophony of chirps, tweets and other early morning nature sounds. For the earliest of risers, this may serve as a gentle alarm clock, readying them to jump out of bed and get the day started. For many others, pre-dawn birdsong, while lovely in its own right, means closing the window to get a few more hours of sleep. Birds sing and call for a variety of reasons including establishing territory, finding a mate and warning of danger. At this time of year, the first hours of the day are particularly important to our feathered friends as each day of spring migration brings new competition for food and nesting spots. The frenzied communication among and between bird species provides crucial information that each individual bird needs to increase its chances of thriving in the coming months. The sooner they chirp their way to understand the ins and outs of your backyard, which birds to watch for and where the good birdfeeders are, the better off those birds will be. Similarly, chatting about school topics – and the other important lessons of life while exploring the outdoors can help lead the student in your family to thrive in the years to come.
Research by J Dymant demonstrated large increases in student enthusiasm and engagement with learning when taught a subject hands-on, outdoors. Other studies have shown that presenting information in multiple formats can reinforce comprehension. Taken together with the ever-growing sea of studies showing the benefits to physical and mental health from time spent in nature, the benefits of learning together outside are clear. Students of all ages can benefit, but it can be intimidating taking the “How was school today, kiddo?” conversation into the wide world beyond the kitchen table or beyond the reach of the wifi router *gasp!*. At Greenwich Audubon, we have connected people to nature and worked with teachers to create learning opportunities in nature for over 75 years. While we know how it’s done, you don’t need a legacy of place-based education to try it at your home. All it takes is a little intentional communication. Just like the morning birds, that communication will work better if everyone is outside. Of course, you’re probably not ready to ditch the weekend routine for weekly home-school survival-training backpack-expeditions – you’ll get there. In the meantime, I offer the Springtime Screen-time Challenge.
Starting this spring, find one hour each week – just one little hour out of all 168 – to adventure outside without using a screen or device. For 1000 bonus points, find some way to tie in a topic that the student in your family has been learning about in school; from counting trees in pre k, to the ecosystem they contribute to in 3rd grade, to the history of the street they line in 7th, there are entry points to education at every turn. For the birds, spring is an important time of learning and discovery in nature, for your learner, walks with you this spring can be too!
Eli Schaffer is the director of the Greenwich Audubon Center. He is living his dream of leading a community to engage with nature and help protect the environment. He lives in Stamford with his wife, Deena and two sons, Jude and Rainen. Learn more about Greenwich Audubon programs and summer camp at greenwich.audubon.org.
