Children & Nature, Together.

 

This week was a good one for going out. The weather was warm, but not overwhelming. The rain was on holiday. Around a small bend, below the Klang Gates reservoir, a small stream was starting it's journey past the first few houses and onward to the Klang River and beyond. It was the perfect time to get kids outdoors - our third graders to be exact. 

This was their second trip there, to the clean waters or the small stream. The groups were smaller than previous visits and this gave it a different feel. It was the feel of being visitors, not tramplers. It was the feel of seeing, not being seen. It was quieter and friendlier and more authentic. 

The students were joined by a number of parents (thank you!) and their teachers, participating in Earth Echo's World Water Monitoring Challenge which allowed them a bit more time to analyse, observe, discuss and assess the state of this small habitat from a scientific perspective. The students took water temperatures, tested for sulphates and phosphates and pH and all that fun stuff, entering their data into their worksheets.

Miraculous things happened. They were awed by the dragonflies. Talked about the fish darting this way and that. They put their feet in the water and removed things that didn't belong there. They observed the woodpecker knocking away at the tree above them. They noticed the color of the water (or lack thereof). In short, they were engaged in nature, pure and simple. Even when they were not "on task" they were part of it. 

Richard Louv, a renowned writer about children and nature who wrote Last Child in the Woods, highlights the positive relationship and long-term benefits of children in nature. Among other things his research (and blog) highlights, time and time again, both the immediate and life long benefits of child-nature interaction. 

Louv would have approved with the experiences of our grade 3 students this week, but perhaps not as much as the the children themselves approved. They seemed well adapted and very content in this environment, and happy too. As it should be. 

The Future is Now

Last week this column noted the collaboration between our school - in this case the Green Council and HS Earth Club - and delegations of other schools locally. Now that the 2nd ISKL Eco-Schools Mini-Conference is over it's important to take a moment to note the multitude of benefits that exist in local collaborative projects like this one. 

Research on service learning and community development will indicate time and time again that both service and learning benefit from on-going relationships that are aimed to a common goal. Similar to students in a classroom, these "eco" clubs and organizations often work within a larger setting (their school) but somewhat independently of the larger population that they serve. Events such as the Mini-Conference allow schools to engage here, now, on issues that are important to them with the necessary support of like-minded, but divergent thinking, students. 

Case in point, this year's conference participants identified "waste" as their central challenge. In student-led break-out sessions they "greenstormed" ideas to move forward, to increase awareness and to try to reach those outside the proverbial "choir" that participated in the conference. This "here and now" approach to making a positive change is what is crucial to the collaboration taking place between and within our schools. It is also a hugely beneficial for mutual action and reflection.  

The decision was a social-media based awareness campaign based on the Two Hands Project, which is founded on the principle that anyone can change the place they're in with their own two hands. By piecing together the KL version of the Two Hands Project, and utilizing Facebook and Instagram to tag and challenge others to do the same, they are hoping to make small differences everywhere, in the schools that participated and the world at large. 

Such collaborative experiences on the local level open doors to on-going relationships between children that would not normally interact much, but on whom the future of the world relies collectively. Thankfully for these students the future is already here, and in good hands. 

Real Life Collaboration

Ever since ISKL became Malaysia's first green flag school we have been in a bit of limelight, so to speak in the world of sustainability and environmental education. Certainly it has thrust us into the view of many schools - both internationally and locally - who are paying close attention to what we do. It's a great feeling that we can be proud of all we have accomplished to date. But there is little time to sit on one's laurels. There's work to be done. Collaborative action planning, to be exact. 

This past Wednesday our Green Council played host to the Green Club from SriKDU. It was a very productive few hours with a variety of activities facilitiated by our Green Council members and Sustainability Coordinator. Our visitors received an "eco highlight tour" of our Ampang campus and were duly impressed. They also had time to work closely with our Green Council members addressing issues in our schools and brainstorming ideas on how to address them. Leverage points were identified and action plans were initiated.

On Saturday this type of collaboration will extend even further. Our Green Council will host it's 2nd Eco-Schools Mini Conference. The event will include the participation of SK TUDM Subang, Sri KDU, Alice Smith, SMK Damansara Damai, SMK Bukit Indah Ampang, a few independent members of our community and a local community organization called EcoCentric Transitions. It is poised to be a powerful, authentic, collaborative experience for all and we hope to challenge the global issues that are faced by our schools on the local level. 

It is such authentic and real collaboration that allow our students to truly become global citizens. There is power in such out-of-school collaboration across cultures, educational systems and perceptions. It's just another glimpse of the exceptional education that we provide at ISKL and a true testament to all the students and adults - in all the schools - who are involved in building a bright future.