Vicki's End of Year Campaign

2020 hasn’t been a great year and there were times that were downright depressing, frightening, and discouraging.   But I am an optimist and I have had time to reflect on the things in my life that really matter and I have come to the conclusion that I still have all of the important things.  

I wasn’t able to see my grandchildren and greatgrandchildren often; almost all of my trainings were held virtually; and I had to cancel vacation plans with far off relatives. When our LEEF conference was postponed last spring and again this month, I knew I would really miss visiting with my LEEF friends.  

BUT…I was able to spend more time with my son, my cat, and the animals that live in and around my yard.   What fun I have had finding hickory nuts in the woods while on a walk and bringing them back to my hickory-deprived yard squirrels!  Crows moved into our area and I so enjoyed rooting for the small resident birds rigorously defending their territory.  I was thrilled watching the zebra longwing caterpillars eat their host passion vine down to the stems as the caterpillars increased in size day by day.  Best of all, I was able to spend lots of time in the woods in my surrounding area—no mask required!

We are so fortunate to live in a state with lots of outdoor space that is easily accessible to most people, even during the Covid-19 crisis.  Children, families, and friends have the ability to get outside every day while maintaining physical distancing.  And we can usually do this safely without wearing masks!

Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle, suggests “that exposure to natural settings reduces stress, stimulates creativity and cognitive development, and tunes in all the senses.”  When outdoors and allowed to explore naturally, children do not wait for an adult to tell them what to look for, listen to, discover, or follow a lesson plan for learning—they just do this naturally. I want all children to feel part of their environment and experts in their outdoor world, in other words, to be citizen naturalists.

Can you donate a little (or a lot) to help nurture a future of children citizen naturalists?