Learning With Nature psychology tools enable you
to improve well being, relationships and job opportunities.

Project NatureConnect
Institute
of Global Education
Special NGO consultant to United Nations Economic
and Social Council
Learning in Natural Area Natural System Tools
To:
Hardi Phillips, Ph.D.
Martin Valley Counseling Center
Dear
Dr. Phillips,
Thank
you for your inquiry regarding the secret behind the success of my
learning with natural area classes that help people enjoy better health
and responsible relationships. Please permit me to respond to you with
the following example:
I
often ask my nature-connecting classes to go outside and find the most
attractive, nearby natural area or thing where they can be relatively
alone. The group of 35 adult learning people I describe on this page
did just that. They spent seven thoughtful minutes enjoying an
attractive natural place next to their school, and the additional
attractions they discovered while they visited this natural area
When
the adult learning class returned I asked them to share their
experiences with a few people and then find single words or phrases
that conveyed what things of value they had discovered in this home
learning. Here is what they reported:
beauty
light
strength community
joy
trust
safe
learning
freedom |
belonging friendship
peace
wisdom equilibrium,
spirit,
mental health
pleasure
quietude |
exhilaration
participation
God
challenge
love
play
thankfulness
fairness
art |
sense of place
sharing
humility appreciation difference in time
relaxation aliveness
curiosity
intelligence |
In
our discussion the class strongly agreed that these qualities were very
important to know or learn. For the betterment of our lives, they felt
these attributes had to be an integral part of each citizen's education.
I
then asked these questions of the class; you might try to answer them
for yourself as an adult or home learner.:
If
you were to teach these values and topics in a classroom how long would
it take to accomplish this goal?
What
would the curriculum be, do and look like?
What
methods and materials would you use in a classroom?
If
these values can be found this easily in a natural area, why do you
think in the name of "excellence in education" we support laws that
insist we spend 24,000 hours of our developmental years in K-16,
classroom-confined, indoor learning to be eligible for a college
diploma? Why do we ignore that we obviously can discover and learn
about these qualities in nature?
Why
do you think this type of nature-connected educating is often demeaned
as "recreation" rather that applauded as re-creation?
As
an adult learner, do you think there is a relationship between our
excessive indoor education and the exploitive stress, abuse and
violence we suffer in our society on personal, social and environmental
levels?
After
some discussion, the home learning class concluded that it would be
very difficult or impossible to design or establish an indoor class
that could teach what they had just discovered in nature. So we made
going outside part of our learning process.
More
Tools Online for Mentors and Interns
Here
are some activities from the online entry course Psychological Elements of Global
Citizenship that you can use and teach to become more
connected with natural systems within and around you. Most people say
they learn more when they teach others to use these tools after they
have learned them. Do you find this to be true for you?
Entrance Articles you can refer people to:
Natural Attractions
If you have not already done so, read this short article if you
feel you want further knowledge about the how and why of Friends of
Natural Systems.
Experiences in Natural Areas
Complete the online Holistic Personal Experience
Inventory and share your results with a few people who may
have done the inventory.
Thinking With All Nine Legs. Complete the online Secrets of Natural Attraction Trail
and share your results with a few people who may do the activity with
you.
Building Consensual Relationships
Complete the online activity In Balance With Earth and
share your results with a few people who may do the activity with you.
We are Natural Systems and Attractions
Complete the online activity Earthday
Activity for You and share your results with a few people
who may do the activity with you.
To Explain Nine-Leg Thinking visit the Nineleg page