AMHERST, N.S. – Kids don’t get outdoors enough these days. Daren White is changing that.
“Some of them have never been in the woods,” White said. “Some of them have never climbed a tree until today.”
White is the physical education teacher at Spring Street Academy Elementary School in Amherst and he, along with 70 Grade 3 students plus two other teachers and several volunteers, hopped on a bus and travelled to Fundy Winds Marsh, which is just outside of Amherst.
White said kids don’t take risks anymore just as a Grade 3 boy ran by with a stick in his hand.
“Kids can’t do that at school but here they get a little bit of freedom and they rise to the occasion,” he said. “They’re having fun, as long as we give them a lot to do.”
The students arrived at Fundy Winds Marsh at 9 a.m. and stayed until 2 p.m.
During their five-hour stay at the marsh, they learned how to orienteer using a compass, how to make animal distress calls, and how to identify animal tracks.
“We saw pheasant tracks, coyote tracks and deer tracks,” White said.
They also learned how to put food high in a tree so bears can’t get to it.
“I gave them bear bags and ropes and they took turns trying how best to do it,” White said. “Most of the learning happens when a kid can figure it out themselves.”
They also learned how to identify fall colours by taking colour swatches from a paint store and try finding seasonal colours that match the swatch.
“I also created an unnatural trail where I put 40 things that don’t belong there like hockey helmets and sticks and sunglasses that the kids pick up. It helps them be more observant.”
White says getting out into the woods is important for kids.
“There’s a thing called NDD, Nature Deficit Disorder,” White said. “They say the kids are suffering from NDD and they need to get outside.”
It was the first trip of the new school season for the kids.
“They’re kind of hesitant and uncomfortable but the next time we come here I’m sure it will be better.”
Nov. 7 is Outdoor Classroom Day, ‘a global campaign to celebrate outdoor learning and play.’
White has big plans for that day.
“We’re in the midst of planning for that. You could have 500 kids out here throughout the day.”
He’s also starting a Thursday afternoon outdoor club.
“We’ll call it the OK Wilderness Club with the OK standing for Outdoor Kid,” White said.
“On Thursday afternoons the kids are going to bike from our school at 2:45 p.m. and stay here until 5 p.m. and then bike back home,” he added. “It will go on all winter because you can skate here, you can cross country ski, and you can snowshoe.”
The kids also learn how to take care of the environment by leaving no garbage behind.
“We leave no trace of anything. When we leave we’re going to make an inspection and make sure there’s nothing left but footprints.”
White says he’ll bring classes to the marsh throughout the year. Bill Barrow, the owner of the 50 acres of land upon which Fundy Winds Marsh sits, says the more kids that come out to the marsh, the better.
“It’s nice to think this is their first trip here in Grade 3, and, potentially, they’ll be coming out here for almost every year of their education,” Barrow said. “And, eventually, their kids will be coming out here because it’s going to be here for a very long time.”
Fundy Winds Marsh is a registered non-profit with a board of directors dedicated to wetland conservation and the education of future generations.
“Last year this property became a conservation easement property. What that means is this property will remain in this state forever,” Barrow said. “I can sell it, but it can’t be changed. It’s in the deed. All this land is going to be used for wildlife and for outdoor education for the kids. That’s our mandate.”
