Today’s message from Pluto:
Playing in the hills and native bush!!! = ❤️❤️❤️ - Woof!!!
Three things, turning over in my mind …
+ The kid I saw crouched over for a long time staring at a small piece of the earth, holding a magnifying glass, unmoving, focused.
+ The magical thinking that says economic measures are the best (and for many - the only) way to respond to the environmental crisis that is climate change.
+ Johan Huizinga’s argument that “culture arises in the form of play”.
I was pleased that the teacher resisted the urge to go over and crush our earth-focused kid into the ground with questions. She’d been let be, and these are the things I saw her do: stare intently and touch carefully. It’s very possible, although we can never really know or prove it, that in doing these things she was thinking and examining, becoming more curious about and connected with what she was uncovering. This is emotional and intellectual play, and it matters.
Climate change has been caused by how we relate to the world. The only rational response is through culture — it needs to become one that prizes knowing and respecting the natural world in deep ways so that understanding we are part of nature is intuitive and guides our decisions. At present, it doesn’t. Instead, we see ourselves as commanders and extractors of nature, using it to satisfy our desires.
If Huizinga’s right, and I believe he is, schools prioritising play in nature is a way they can contribute to the essential work of shifting our cultural attitudes towards nature. It’s work that humanity has no option but to do.
Something to try that might make a difference
I was thinking about affinity for nature when I wrote this one, so …
Talk about the bits of the natural world you love/care for/are curious about.
In other words, be an example to the kids of the attitude towards nature we need.
Perhaps this could be how you kick off Monday mornings? …
+ Wow, I saw ___ and it was amazing!
+ I spent Sunday afternoon caring for ___ because ___.
+ I went to ___ because that’s where I feel ___.
+ I’ve been thinking about how ___ and I’ve decided to change how I ___.
Would your learners join in that kind of talk?