Our second meeting - Animals

Opening with the handshake and welcoming of the club, the meeting got underway with the "Planetary Checkup" or "Check la Planete" in french (our group is actually 100% french speaking).  I discussed the following news items:

• Out of Peru, the plant that tackles toothache
• Hungary recyles old bricks of money to heat the poor
• Success for James Cameron's expedition to the deep sea
• A dam in Nigeria is being built that will displace millions of people
• Interesting fact; they've invested a silk worm that produces spider silk:
• Human hair 1cm thick can hold up 1 elephant
• Steel wire 1cm thick holds up 3 elephants
• Spider silk 1 cm holds up 8 elephants

Note that the news items are intentionally skewed towards positive and constructive news items. The last thing I want to do is inundate the youth with the endless number of serious issues our planet faces. My goal is to stimulate and energize the kids, not depress them!

External observation was nice because spring was coming so we took the time to close our eyes and hear the melting snow dripping and the sounds of birds chirping. The warm spring wind caressing our cheeks and the smell of spring was wonderful to tune in to.

Coming back inside we played a True/False game based on various environmental trivia I gathered up. Here were the questions (translated from french by google translate):

• Between 1820 and 1889, nearly 60 million buffalo were slaughtered in North America - T
• It takes 6.9 pounds of grain to produce 1 kilo of pork - T
• Poachers kill rhinos for their legs - F
• The St. Lawrence beluga is the least contaminated mammal on the planet - F
• Many farmers give antibiotics to livestock to make grow faster - T
• In Africa, about one third of agricultural production is fed to livestock - T
• There are more than 3 billion cows and sheep on Earth - T
• With global warming, mosquitoes that carry diseases will diminish - F
• One species of fish in three endangered - F
• 98% of the genes gorillas are identical to those of humans - T
• The ivory trade is banned-T

We then discussed a number of local animals that are endangered (and discussed what it means to be endangered) and how an ecosystem is impacted when animals disappear. And finally we touched on circus like Circo Mondo because they happen to be in town. We discussed how animals are better left to be 'animals' than human entertainment and how often circus don't treat the animals properly so most often it's better to seek out circus experiences that are human based like Cirque du Soleil.

The song of the month was La Corrida by Francis Cabrel, a song that speaks to the plight of bulls who are the victims of a gruesome form of entertainment in Spain (bull fighting). The song made waves when it was released and is beautifully written and performed. I had carefully selected pictures of bulls in the corrida (not too bloody or gory) and explained how the 'game' worked. The translated words can be found at the end of this post.

Closing things off we played La Machine. It's a simple game that kids like. You pick someone to start in the middle. That person starts a movement and a sound, like a piece of a complex machine. Next person connects to the first and adds his/her own repetitive movement and sound. As as each kid attaches that gets louder and more complex until it breaks and all falls apart. The kids love it and its fun to watch and listen to as its different every time. A secret handshake to wrap things up and that was it!

La Corrida de Francis Cabrel

Since the time I patient In the darkroom I mean we have fun and we sing At the end of the corridor; Someone touched the lock And I dove to the big day I saw bands, barriers And the people around In the first moments I thought Need only defend But this place is hopeless I begin to understand They closed behind me They were afraid that I fell I'll just end up having This dancer ridiculous ... Is what this world is serious? I remember Andalusia Grasslands lined with cactus I will not tremble before This puppet, minus this! I'll catch him and his hat Rotate them like a sun Tonight the wife of the bullfighter Sleep soundly Is what this world is serious? I continued ghosts Almost touched their ballerinas They hit hard in my neck I bow to They go out where the acrobats Paper with their costumes? I never learned to fight Against dolls Feel the sand under my head It's amazing how it can be good I prayed that everything stops I remember Andalusia I hear them laughing as I rattle I see dance as I succumb I did not much we can Play around a grave Is what this world is serious? x2 If so hombre, hombre Baila, baila Hay que bailar de nuevo Y otros mataremos Otras vidas, otros toros Y otros mataremos Venga, venga a bailar ... Y otros mataremos

Our first meeting - Introduction

At our first meeting, I started by welcoming everyone to the club and discussing what the goal of our club is. Our goal is to have fun, learn, and act together in the context of the environment.

Next came teaching the kids our secret handshake (see the prior blog post).  The kids took to this right away and now use it when they meet each other in all sorts of circumstances.  Cool!  It is easy enough that even very young kids can do it and we can do it as a group together as well.

Not sure about what I could squeeze into a 2 hour block I had lots planned and we didn't get through all of it but the following is what we did get through.

I kicked off the first "Planetary Checkup" with various news tidbits.  This was followed by the external observation to see what was going on in our backyard environment.  The kids were quiet and meditation and it was a very nice experience with everyone taking their turn to speak to what they felt.

Next we discussed what an ecosystem is.  I had some graphics printed out on paper which showed a simply prairie ecosystem involving the sun, plants, worms, grasshoppers, mice, and a hawk.  We discussed how healthy ecosystems result in harmony and balance; a continuous cycle that is dependent on diversity (I explained that as well).

I then took a right turn and discussed why I think art is important and should be involved in environmentalism.  Art opens and softens our heart so that we can feel what is going on around us, good or bad.  Only once receptive to our environment can we understand it, its condition, and its needs, and art increases our sensitivity and therefore ability to respond more appropriately.  Art also practices us to see the world from different perspectives and perceive deeper meanings which are all important for connecting to our world and caring for it.

In order to understand the importance of art to humanity I read a great story from Leo Lionni .  Leo Lionni stories are great and I use them quite often for the club, especially with the age group of kids that I have (from 6 to 11).  The kids then took the time to write a poem and some really beautiful poems were created!

Time was ticking and I had gone overboard for content so we switched to craft time.  I had created an Action Box where club members can put there ideas for actions in (like a suggestion box).  It was covered in white paper and ready for decorating so we split up the letters (Boite d'action du Club de la Terre de Ste Anne) and went to work.  Each letter came out different colours and sizes and we pasted them all together (the box was a medium sized one) and had an awesome work of art and our first collaborative creation.

A secret handshake to closed things off wrapped up our first successful meeting.  I call it a success because the kids were pumped and smiling when they left :-)

How the club works

One of my goals with the eco club was to have a fixed template for each get together.  Having a template makes it easier on me as I'm not re-inventing every time I need come up with content for the meeting, and its good for the kids because they know what to expect from one gathering to the next thereby promoting anticipation and patience.  Here's what the template looks like:

• Secret hand shake
• Planet Check
• Sharing between club members
• Environmental news
• Outside observation
• Monthly theme
• Introduction/Learning/Discussion
• Activity
• Game
• Action Box (optional)
• Secret hand shake

The secret hand shake is always a fun part of belonging to a club.  When you meet members outside the club and you give the secret hand shake, you feel special and other kids might notice and ask what is going on, which is good marketing for recruiting new members.  Our secret handshake (it's not secret anymore!) starts with making a fist and saying "our planet", then wrap around your fist with your other hand and say "we care for it", and finish with a fist bump and say "together!".

The planet check portion is where members get a chance to share environmental related news and experiences with the club.  Next I share some news tid bits that I gathered from sites like National Geographic, New Scientist, or local papers.  You don't have to look too hard to find bad news about the environment soI try to keep that pretty light and balance it off with good news such as scientific discoveries, technological advances, or newly discovered animal species.  I'll sometime bring pictures and videos using my tablet or laptop.

Next comes the outside observation where we all go outside, rain or shine, hot or cold, and simply stay quiet for 1 minute and *experience* our environment.  We close our eyes and focus on what we're hearing, feeling, and smelling and then take turns to share.  This short meditation was a bit of a gamble for young kids but they seem to really enjoy it!  The goal here is not to intellectualize too much about the environment because its right outside our door to experience.  Sometimes in our busy lives we get distracted by thinking about what's going on in the Amazon, or in Australia or Africa and don't even pay attention to our immediate surroundings so this observation pulls us back to our small part of the world, at least for a few moments.

The more time consuming part of the gathering is the theme section.  This is where we explore in more detail the theme that was chosen for the month.  This can be a mix of interactive learning, books, videos, or pretty much anything else you think would be fun, educational, and stimulating for the kids.  You'll get ideas for themes in upcoming blogs posts.

Finishing things off we'll play a game of some sort and perhaps discuss the Action Box (more on this in a future post).  And that's the pattern we follow!  It's pretty simple but provides a good framework to each meeting to build on.

Remember that just because you start with a certain template in mind, doesn't mean you have to stick to it no matter what.  If there's something that doesn't resonate with the kids after a couple of tries, let it go and replace it with something else that might.

An eco-club is born

Starting a local eco club was a long time in the works.  It was easy once the decision was made but it had been a long time that I had wanted to do "something" active towards helping our planet deal with the mess that humans are making.

I've had a strong sensitivity to environmental issues for as long as I can remember.  Whether it be an affinity towards animals, an awareness of pollution and of polluters, of class differences and injustices, it's always there in back of my mind.  Top it off with a sense that 'if we keep on the way we are at some point the sh*t will hit the environmental fan and we'll all look back and finally see with clarity how ridiculous we've been acting towards our planet' and you have a desire to do something about it.

Awareness often brings along a sense of responsibility.  If you can see problems that others can't see, you feel that you must act on them somehow or at least try to create the same awareness in others, otherwise carry a feeling of guilt.  But at the same time, you have to live and can't feel like you're a bad guy every time you don't recycle a piece of paper or leave the bicycle at home.  Quite the balancing act.  I've been wanting to do something significant towards this sense of responsibility for quite a while but just haven't been able to do anything major on my own.

Now, in my mid-forties, I realize that something needs to happen and I need to band with more people in order to do it.  What better than to surround yourself with eager and energetic kids to charge yourself up with can-do energy and get something done!?  So that's how Le Club de la Terre de Ste Anne got its start one year ago.

Starting an eco-club with kids has many advantages.  Kids have boundless energy, they are eager to learn and eager to act and do things, they have an innate connection with nature and the environment, and they haven't yet been cursed with the adult mind which can reason itself out of pretty much anything it wants to.  There are some minor disadvantages, such as toning the energy back a bit when it runs out of control, but the plus far outweighs the negatives.

So far the club is a hit with everyone involved and so this blog is born!  I'll be blogging about what we have done and will be doing at our club meetings with intent that it might inspire and guide others in doing the same in their part of the world.  I hope this might be useful to someone out there!