Gone are the days when playtime was all about making paper boats and counting the number of flowers that fall on the veranda. From playing in the mud and bruising our knees, to playing video games and binge-watching tv shows, we all grew up. Even though technology has begun dominating young minds, it cannot beat nature’s essence. At the end of the day, a kid genuinely enjoys the sunset captured by his eyes, rather than the picture captured by his phone.
The Current pandemic has largely locked us in with one day being no different from the other. To break the monotony, a natural reserve, named Happily Outdoors is conducting an online series called ‘Backyard Critters’. It uses technology to deliver nature to kids, in the comfort of their own homes.
How? Children are encouraged to explore the surroundings of their environment and delve into the world of tiny critters around them. These sessions are to be held on 22,29 and 30 August for kids aged between 10-15 years old. These sessions are aimed to get them away from their gadgets and let them put on their detective hats to investigate the secret life of these critters in urban spaces.
Educationalist and Researcher, Deepthi Bhat is the founder of the Happily Outdoors, who along with Nagaraj Pattar, Moderator and Facilitator will be conducting these holistic fun sessions.
Understanding the beauty of a life cycle…beyond your science textbook
With more than 8 years of experience in the education sector, from envisioning hands-on learning programs in government schools, to training and guiding a team, Deepthi aims at the vision of virtually guiding the kids to explore the thriving insect life in one’s backyard, garden, or balcony. “We are trying to do something online, trying to adapt to the current situation. Children have glued themselves to the learning process that happens online. We want to motivate children to look outside, basically in and around them, in their own homes. Make them curious and give them a break from the hectic ‘screen-time’. They may not realize it, but it takes a toll on the younger minds, leading to mental and physical issues. Basically, it helps kids to understand the eco-system in the urban setting.”
Exploring the beautiful insect life cycle of the caterpillars to butterflies, to moths and ants, the tiny critters are prominent participants of our ecosystem. The session will be conducted with live interaction and hands-on explorations, to make the child understand better. The series is accompanied by not just the instructors, but also a young 7th std boy from Ramanagara, Bangalore who comes from a family engaged in farming. This will enable urban bred kids to exchange their perspectives with someone who engages in these explorations’ daily basis.
The main aim of this 3-day series will enable a child to learn about the importance of biodiversity and sustainable development in an urban setting, one click away. Specialized in designing and organizing outdoor-based learning programs, Deepthi says, “many kids are not aware of their own surroundings, what with the lifestyle and the way kids are growing up presently. The session will last for around 40-50 minutes, encouraging the kids to know more about the natural environment.”
She adds, “We are looking at the different species and variety of insects that we can see in our own backyard. First, I will introduce the tiny critters that could be found in any backyard of an urban setting. I will share information about them, to make kids more curious about their world. “
Holistic learning in the wilderness
Other than the virtual event that is designed to bring kids closer to nature, Happily, Outdoors has organized several nature-based education programs to improve connectivity…. With nature.
Outdoor learning camps were held in the region of Western Ghats: Kudremukh, Belthangady, Dharwad, and various unstructured environment destinations instigating the curiosity to explore more. “Most of the camps are held in a sustainable environment, where kids have the opportunity to explore nature. We limit it to 20 kids per batch, with multiple batches, to enhance the quality of the program.”
Happily Outdoors started off in 2017, with Deepthi’s vision of teaching about nature through nature itself. “The more you move away, the more urban you are, the more you become disconnected, with the accessibility to the unstructured nature around, it ranges to a great extent. So to bridge that gap, we thought of taking children out into nature, to explore and enjoy adventure,” She highlights the fact that younger kids will not know how to or even want to, preserve nature if they have not experienced it. The highlights of the camp include working towards wilderness skills, biodiversity study, wildlife observation & tracking, exploring village life. understanding food production, trekking & blogging, including Yoga & Meditation.
Kids, she says usually have an instinct to touch or grab something. But fear too is apparent when they see the critters because they fail to understand them not having lived or grown up with them. Deepthi says, “This fear comes from the environment in which they have grown up. They inherently want to touch something, but fear prevents them. This fear has built up over the years”. These programs focus on telling them what is harmful or harmless, and enabling them to explore comfortably or observe.
Is that an insect outside your window? You will only know if you go out and explore!
