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 Last night, I had planned on writing a
message about the power of nature. However,
a large spring storm attacked North Texas,
leaving us without power all evening, with
winds uprooting trees and rains causing
flooding. Sitting in the dark, this storm
made me think about the power of nature.
Storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and drought—all
of these show nature’s power. But
there is a greater power in nature, and
it comes from children seeing the majesty
of nature, being among nature’s creations,
and as Rachel Carson said years ago, developing
a "sense of wonder" so important
to learning about our natural world.
As camp professionals, we have the power
to share this with our campers. We have
been working with Richard Louv and the
Children and Nature Network (CNN) to share
the urgency of children being in nature,
the restorative aspects of a nature experience,
and resources designed by camp professionals
to address what Mr. Louv calls "nature
deficit disorder." This partnership
is in its infancy, but you can expect to
see numerous collaborative efforts between
ACA and CNN.
Earlier this year, we appointed an ACA
task force to address the issue of children
and nature at camps. As task force chairman
Posie Taylor said, the main point is "how
are we building a lifelong connection between
children and nature." This
task force has recently asked our members
to assess what camps are doing to connect
kids with nature and the results of that
assessment will be shared with the membership.
In addition, children and nature are a
focus of our new parent e-newsletter, CAMP
e-News, which is distributed to a million
parents bimonthly. Don’t miss the
next issue, which will be available in
mid May and which will feature an article
by Richard Louv. If you haven't
already signed up for your copy, sign
up today.
In addition, task force member Jim Parry
is working with staff to create a section
on our Web site, www.ACAcamps.org,
exclusively for ACA members, which provides
resources that can enhance each camp’s
nature programs. We are also pleased that
former board member Gary Forster has arranged
for ACA members to have access to the YMCA’s
iCARE activities. And the good news is
that these resources are just the beginning!
Rachel Carson said it best: "If
a child is to keep alive his inborn sense
of wonder, he needs the companionship of
at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering
with him the joy, excitement, and mystery
of the world we live in." Best
wishes as you work to be that one adult
for the thousands of children we influence
this summer.
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