By Wendy McDonnell
I am pleased to hear that the snow geese have heard the public’s appeal for an alternate means to maintain fields without the use of toxic pesticides. After walking across a school field, I was thrilled to see the FREE maintenance the geese are providing. With the Snow Geese on the fields, there [...]
By Wendy McDonnell
“Perseverance is a great element of success. If you knock long enough and loud enough you are sure to wake up somebody.” ~Henry Longfellow
In order to fully capitalize on children’s gifts, they need to practice their ability to make necessary changes in society. Often parents and teachers are satisfied with listening to children’s [...]
By Wendy McDonnell
Spirituality is an aspect completely void from education. Many schools mandate for social responsibility or anti-bullying, preaching that the school mascot is essentially the school “god” that all need to rally around. Although cultures throughout the world are more diverse than ever, they fail to appreciate the very essence of their being. Their [...]
By Wendy McDonnell
This summer my family returned to the North. After living in the city for four years, it was time to return to life: be alone and live simply. We drove endlessly through our old exploration grounds reminiscing of the times in the wild we shared. The grizzly bears greeting us by our doorsteps, [...]
By Wendy McDonnell
The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 – 322 B.C.) referred to Earthworms as “the intestines of the earth”.
When I facilitate lessons on earthworms with children there is often a great deal of screaming involved. “Yuck”, “Eww”, “Gross”, are but a few comments heard by children asked to dig in a garden or sort through [...]
By Wendy McDonnell
It’s harvest time! Corn, carrots, beets and beans are being plucked and pulled in background and community gardens everywhere. It is a beautiful time to celebrate the bounty created from these tiny seeds. What better way to rejoice then to pull some vegetables, and of course turn them into an Eco-Lesson.
I was asked [...]
Slugs. When I was a child, my mom paid me a penny for each slug I found and poured salt on. I remember watching them shrivel into tiny balls, waste away and die. It was a form of torture for slugs that I really didn’t question. After all, what use could they really be?