From: jim.speirs@canrem.com (Jim Speirs) To: macman@bernina.ethz.ch Subject: How Children See Nature How Children See Nature Ben Kruser The Leader, February 1990. Scouting believes that we enhance children's personal development by exposing them to outdoor programs. I've always been intrigued to know just how development is enhanced and what effect the outdoors has on the different age groups in Scouting. I'd like to share with you some research I did that shows just how important outdoor programming and you are to the personal development of your youth members. Scouting's program emphases, the directives that guide sections in their approach to our different age groupings, have their founding in the works of such noted child psychologists as Jean Piaget. Back in 1929, he and others set about to see how children learn and perceive the world they live in. His findings demonstrated that the average child, whatever his culture, parents, or socio-economic background, learns in distinct and definable stages. Piaget categorized each stage by common ideas and approaches to answering questions and found a child could not grasp concepts in the next stage until he had matured. Learning experiences helped a child progress with more understanding, but not necessarily more quickly. In simple terms, Piaget's stages move from where the child holds mythological beliefs to where he understands the natural workings of the world. He found that the typical age ranges for the three stages were: - Stage One: 5 to 7 years old - Stage Two: 8 to 10 years old - Stage Three: 11 years and older He also found that movement from one stage to the next varies up to a year in age either way. It is no coincidence, therefore, that Scouting's sections are designed around these age groupings, with allowances for a year in age below or above the section for joining. Leaders need to be aware that children do not perceive the outdoors in the same way as adults, and I am not referring to concepts such as plant Identification or the hydrological cycle. For instance, Piaget found that a small child has a totally different conception of what a cloud is made of than we do. The key to successful outdoor programming is to remember how a child's mind works and keep activities age appropriate. Children draw conclusions based on their limited exposure to nature and a variety of related experiences. As their intellectual ability grows with their number of experiences, they can replace mythological beliefs with more truthful, rational ones. You may be interested in what Piaget found to be some of the common beliefs children at each stage have about nature. Origin of the Sun - Stage One: It was created by people to provide light and heat. The sun is alive and follows people around. One child commented that it is a big ball of fire started with matches. Stage Two: The sun was made by a natural process but from artificial substances. For example, the sun and other planets are made from clouds, and clouds come from chimney smoke. Stage Three: Planets are natural cosmic bodies. The Sky Stage One: People created it. Children describe it commonly as a ceiling or closed arch that touches rooftops or mountains. It is made from blue stone, earth, or glass and is almost always solid. - Stage Two: Similar to their concept of the origin of the sun. - Stage Three: The sky is composed of natural elements such as air, clouds and water. The Nature of Night - Stage One: People made it to tell children when it is time to go to bed. - Stage Two: Night is a black cloud or black air that fills the sky and blocks out light. It hides white clouds. - Stage Three: Night is the disappearance of the sun. Origin of Clouds - Stage One: Clouds are solids made of stone or earth. People or God threw them up where they stuck to the sky. - Stage Two: Clouds are produced naturally from human activities such as chimney smoke or steam from boiling soup. - Stage Three: Clouds are formed by condensed moisture which leads to rain. Origin of Lakes and Rivers - Stage One: People dug them out and filled them up with water. Water comes from sweat, spit, pipes or other prosaic means known to little boys. - Stage Two: People dug out lakes and rivers but they were filled naturally by rain. - Stage Three: Water collects in depressions. Valleys are worn down by rivers flowing through them. Origin of Trees and Wood - Stage One: Wood is artificially made from broken furniture, shavings or trees. Trees are made from hand-planted, factory produced seeds. - Stage Two: Wood is a natural product of trees and trees grow from seeds, but people must plant and harvest trees or they will not grow. - Stage Three: Nature is responsible for trees. These ideas give rise to several comments. Certainly, with environmental education more prevalent now than in 1929, in some cases children know more about nature than their grandparents did as children. Nevertheless, Piaget's findings show that, unless adults provide opportunities and guidance in exploring nature, children are left to fill their knowledge gaps with their own limited experiences. All children want to learn and grow. Leaders can take advantage of this desire through nature exploration. By taking children outdoors, you enrich their development in their younger years so that they will maintain a greater appreciation for nature as they mature to adults. By giving them more outdoor programs, you help build the self esteem they need to face new challenges, environmental or otherwise. The next time you and your young members are lying back pointing out clouds and trying to guess what other things you can see in their shapes, remember that, with all the fun, you are helping them reach a greater understanding of their world. Further reading: Piaget, Jean 1973, The Child's Conception of the World, Grenada Publishing. Ben Kruser is director of programs, Outdoors, Wolf Cubs, and Beavers.