We've been preparing for Sit Spot for a while. We observed
worms and created scientific illustrations. We did the same for mealworms, observing their life cycle. To sharpen our
Fox Walk and
Deer Ears skills, we've been playing Fire Keeper--in the classroom and outside. We played Birds and Worms to learn about camouflage and model predators and prey. Each week in our class meetings, we share
Nature Gratitude, appreciation for something we noticed in nature during the week. Slowly but surely, we've been building up to Sit Spot.
Today was the day. The children have been jumpy--interrupting and impatient and wiggly. Spring has sprung
and (due to fifth grade TAKS testing) we were not permitted to use the playground Monday or Tuesday. Even our volunteer who listens to young readers one-on-one commented that everyone was unusually unsettled today. Yep. The weather is beautiful, and we're all feeling just a little like we'd like to wriggle out of our skin. So I decided we needed to be outside. Today was the day to debut Sit Spot.
I explained that we would release
our worms into their natural habitat, do a short Fox Walk, and then each child would choose a Sit Spot.
During our Fox Walk over to the habitat, the children spied a toad. "
Look, Ms. S! It's camouflaged!" A good omen!
Once you've found your spot (away from other humans), you
just sit and
observe. It's a little like a nature version of
Montessori's silence games. You open your wide Owl Eyes, perk your big Deer Ears, turn up your sensitive Dog Nose, and you
notice stuff. If you notice something, you should not get up or try to attract anyone else's attention. If you notice something during a Sit Spot, it is a gift just for you. Take a picture of it in your mind, notice the details, and wonder about it. Later, you can tell your friends or you can use a field guide to identify it. We took along our
journals and pencils because sometimes, if you're young and you want so much to share, it's hard to be quiet and keep inside all the gifts that nature brings your way. You might need a place to record them--to sketch and describe what you're noticing.
Sit Spot worked its magic. We started out small, with a ten-minute Sit, but the children were quiet and still
and calm throughout. Many of our typically fidgety children were engrossed in watching and recording what they saw.
When I stood and pointed to my watch to indicate our time was up for today, each child gathered his/her things, quietly rose, and peacefully walked back toward our classroom. No one ran. No one shouted. Just
being outside and opening ourselves to nature had soothed the spirits and calmed the bodies. As we neared our classroom door, there was a quiet buzz as children began to share what they had seen. Some were still hurrying to write, journals propped on bent knees as they paused on the sidewalk!
Story of the Day, another Core Routine of nature connection, is an important follow-up to Sit Spot. The children need an opportunity to share with one another their experiences in nature. "
Sharing stories with others builds a collective knowledge much greater than the isolated experience of one person. We can gain a storehouse of information from others’ stories: one saw frogs by the pond with bright red legs; one made rope out of old dead cedar bark; one snuck up on coyotes and aplodontias living in the woods near the pond. . . . Curiosity, our greatest resource for learning, becomes contagious. If you listen to someone tell about catching the frog by 'the most beautiful pond just down the street,' you just might want to go there soon. Or maybe you wonder, now that we’ve mentioned it, who ever heard of an 'aplodontia?' . . . Sit Spot and Story of the Day, feed each other constantly, like a call and response" (
Coyote's Guide).
Next on my list:
Child-friendly binoculars and some method for learning to identify a few bird calls. Suggestions welcome!
There's a Book for That!
Crinkleroot's Guide to Walking in Wild Places by Jim Arnosky
The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor
Try it out at home! Right now Wilderness Awareness School has a
30-Day Sit Spot Challenge! Go to
the same spot in nature every day for 20 minutes. Will you accept the challenge?
"
Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." ~
John Muir
So what do you notice about them? 
When I stepped outside for my evening 5-mile walk, this caught my eye. 
This cactus garden was a gift from a student I had close to eight years ago. He was a child who needed many reminders about solving problems in appropriate ways. He tended to argue and get physical with other children, but that is one of the blessings of working with a child for three years. We get to see growth--and blooms. When R____ proudly presented me with this cactus bowl, I was touched--and struck by how right it seemed that he bring cactus. 
Regardless of the animals, this game is great for teaching body control and stalking. It also helps the children get inside the minds of predators and prey. 
After the game, children who acted as prey reported they felt nervous all the time that a predator might try to get them while they were eating. They had to use those sensitive "deer ears" to remain alert to approaching predators at all times. 
This game taps into children's natural love of sneaking and imitating animals. It trains the senses, and it's a perfect way to convert distracting end-of-day energy into learning-focused movement. 
I am paraphrasing and probably exaggerating the number of times the phrase "four-foot snake" was repeated, but let's just say it was enough to "enthuse [the child] to his inmost core" (Montessori). It was difficult for young people to concentrate on work after hearing about that four-foot snake! And I must admit to questioning the wisdom of our usually calm and thoughtful principal. However, what happened next made me smile. There was a flurry of activity at our zoology shelf--specifically the reptile book box. 
refers to as "invisible school." The idea is to use playful, trickster Coyote ways to "draw out students' natural curiosity and inspire hands-on learning." I'm not sure that was the intention of our principal's "big snake" announcement, but it was certainly the delightful effect! When I related this story to a friend, she laughed and said, "Only in your class would the kids get out snake books and try to identify it when they hear an announcement about a big snake."
Once you've found your spot (away from other humans), you just sit and observe. It's a little like a nature version of Montessori's silence games. You open your wide Owl Eyes, perk your big Deer Ears, turn up your sensitive Dog Nose, and you notice stuff. If you notice something, you should not get up or try to attract anyone else's attention. If you notice something during a Sit Spot, it is a gift just for you. Take a picture of it in your mind, notice the details, and wonder about it. Later, you can tell your friends or you can use a field guide to identify it. We took along our journals and pencils because sometimes, if you're young and you want so much to share, it's hard to be quiet and keep inside all the gifts that nature brings your way. You might need a place to record them--to sketch and describe what you're noticing.
Sit Spot worked its magic. We started out small, with a ten-minute Sit, but the children were quiet and still and calm throughout. Many of our typically fidgety children were engrossed in watching and recording what they saw. 
When I stood and pointed to my watch to indicate our time was up for today, each child gathered his/her things, quietly rose, and peacefully walked back toward our classroom. No one ran. No one shouted. Just being outside and opening ourselves to nature had soothed the spirits and calmed the bodies. As we neared our classroom door, there was a quiet buzz as children began to share what they had seen. Some were still hurrying to write, journals propped on bent knees as they paused on the sidewalk!
