Children in nature...

Children in nature

The following morning the kids had voted for  repeating the activity of the previous morning. Today the children were more composed and brought out more detailed diagrams of what they observed.  Having divided the class into four groups the children were led in different directions and asked to look for more curious things. Some had an inclination for small things like flowers and tiny plants on the floor while others had an eye for trees and rocks which stood out in the landscape. A group that was lead by a bird watcher had the privilege of a binocular and field guide, which prompted them to record their observations based on the illustrations in the book. An obscure spider in the soil, a skeletal frame of the cassia fistula tree that had shed all its leaves, an inflorescence of Dodonia shrub was coming alive in their journals. The children could hold on to their task for longer and were getting better upon their abilities.

Some instructions in the morning hour

They enjoyed the chill breeze and the thin drizzle of the August Monsoon. It is these minute droplets of shower that sit on the tender eyelash of the child that many parents are scared of. They cordon off their children into shade as though these tiny droplets would burn their skin. Their constant warning and bickering of falling sick if got wet in a shower would resonate in the young minds. Most children imbibe the pattern of behaviour of their parents and will follow their instruction even at subconscious level. I have seen many protective parents successfully develop a phobia for rain among the whole family. However, the children today tried out to be their own for a while, without any negative instruction. We all sat and nourished upon sour- goose berries without even washing it in salt water!

An infant croc

Later that day the team left to Ranganatittu bird sanctuary where they enjoyed boating and bird watching. To every one’s astonishment the children witnessed two wonderful events of Natural history. A clutch of new born crocodiles were emerging out of the soil and was a rare sighting to be cherished in a lifetime. The second event was that of a grey heron devouring a juvenile egret. A fish eating bird taking to kill a bird is a thought provoking behaviour. Was the bird carrying a juvenile egret fallen of the nest? Or did it pick it up in any unguarded nest? Why was the heron taking to birds instead of the fish? The children were left with more of such question while they left the banks of Cauvery after a wonderful lunch at Hotel Mayura River View.

A gray heron with a dead egret

 

A juvenile night heron in anticipation of a prey

The fun loving children

Photo Credits: B.S. Guruprasad

Simple Outdoor activities can make the children involve in Nature

An outdoor session on weathering of Rocks.                                                                   - B S Guruprasad

The batch of students that arrived from TVS School, Hosur really looked like a bus load. The school had always sent about 34 children of a single class and we had meticulously mastered in handling them. The facility at camp site was more than ideal for that.  This time it was 45 children and four teachers making it slightly tight.  These grade six students were on their maiden outing and most of them had never stayed in the wilderness area overnight without their parents. The culture of outdoor discipline and conduct was yet to be sown in them. The persistent non attention to the class and to the instructions of teachers suggested that they were still afresh to classroom etiquette. Everybody seemed very enthusiastic but above reasoning.   

Some instructions to begin with.                                         - B S. Guruprasad 

Even as we tried to put things in order and gain confidence and affection of children through luring them to rewards the basic infrastructure at the camp site was letting us down.  The Hosa Jevana Dari campus was in a transition and was getting upgraded with its dormitory and facility for stay.  Some of the old structures were being thoroughly re-done and in the process there was an acute shortage of washrooms. We were losing time in recesses than in any activity.

Obviously our first option for a strategy to handle these children was to have sufficient physical activities instead of any classroom teaching.  So we had some wonderful treks and climbs as a main course for the camp. The weather cooperated and there was an alteration of sunshine, cloud and pleasant drizzling. After lunch we set off for a short walk involving some rambling up the rock strewn hillocks of the Melkote Wildlife sanctuary. The area provided a live backdrop for some narration about the types of weathering. There was every stage of the weathering process of a monolithic rock and the formation of soil.  

Children in the ravines of Melkote                                                                  - Manu K

The following morning we had a start at 6.30 am and divided the class into four smaller batches. They all moved out into open fields outside the campus with different resource persons.  They were made to choose an object and sit recording their observations of the same.

                     Learning Options in Nature: Sky is the limit                                   - Manu K                        

A child engrossed in  sketching a cassia flower               - Manu K

Their focuses seem to be much better in this activity and they sat for much longer than in the class. Some drew fantastic sketches of their specimen. Some were bad at it. However, our intention was to make them indulge in Nature.

No matter doing what. Some watched birds and some plants and some studied the landscape. They were later made to present their observations and resource persons made their comments upon it and enhanced their understanding. Children thoroughly enjoyed the activity and nobody remembered the washroom! 

Research shows that empathy and love of nature grows out of children’s regular contact with the natural world. Frequent, positive early childhood experiences with nature has shown to have a outing, the breakfast the children had another stretch to walk and climb.  

But before we embarked on that outing children were made to sit and the relevance of the Hiroshima Day was discussed.

Some 70 years ago on the same day same time, people of Hiroshima town in Japan were starting their day under the bright sunshine. An American aircraft flies over the sky and an alarm siren is blown and all the civilians run helter-shelter for cover under the bomb protective bunkers for shelter. Nothing happens for half an hour and just as the public come out of their cover there are three more aircraft seen high over the sky.

They drop the first atomic bomb used against any nation in the world. The whole city is devastated within seconds. People get burnt and annihilated to black soot killing more than 50 thousand people instantly. A white cloud rises from the epicenter towards the sky forming a mushroom shaped cloud which later spread out as a black cloud and precipitate over the devastated town with droplets of thick car. Without any drinking water, the survivors consume the toxic fluid and get exposed to radiation. A further thirty thousand victims will have a slower death. The narration was well received and children started a debate about the choice of people under various types of governments. 

Later on there was a long trek across the ravines of around the gavikallu gudda, the highest peak in the sanctuary. The scant rains that only appear occasionally in these valleys was enough to turn the landscape lush green. The cloudy weather kept the team going without breaks.  Strictly speaking ‘break’ meant some interesting specimen to be understood. We stood at anthills and a lovely old specimen of Cycas plant.

 We did some climbing upon a base rock and the children felt proud of themselves after having gone through it. By evening they were exhausted and for the Audiovisual we had the screening of a documentary on Hiroshima.

School gardens help develop Environment Stewardship

Amrita Vidyalayam, Mysuru having kitchen garden

A school garden is a powerful environmental education tool. Through gardening, students become responsible caretakers. They have an opportunity to engage in agricultural practices on a small scale, learning about the responsibilities and impacts of land cultivation. While they realize the sincerity and punctuality the garden demands in terms watering and other tending jobs of plants, they explore the web of interactions among the living and nonliving players that sustain life. By doing so, they develop a greater understanding of the natural world and the involvement of oneself in it.

For many children in the cities, a garden offers the only chance to get close to nature. Some lack access to gardening spaces because of their living situations while others have no exploratory free time in the outdoors due to the school’s focus on indoor activities. Teachers who engage in school gardening and use it as a teaching area  have an upper hand in reaching out life sciences in a much more effective way than their colleagues who use a black board instead. Such teachers especially in urban environments have the privilege of giving their students the only opportunity they would have in their life to dig into the soil and watch a plant grow.  They would also see the joy of their child enjoying a crop just as they enjoy their academic achievements.

Establishing a connection with nature at an early age is extremely important. Researchers discovered childhood experiences with nature are strongly linked to adult attitudes toward plants. They determined that participation in active gardening during childhood was the most important influence in explaining adult environmental attitudes and actions and concluded that even in urban areas where green spaces are limited, gardening programs for children can provide a strong enough connection to instill appreciation and respect for nature in adulthood.

School Garden set stage for better Learning Environment

  

Academic achievement is the primary focus of most of the Education institutions.  Each one places an emphasis on ensuring students performance at satisfactory levels guided by local, state and national academic standards. All lessons and activities must complement mandatory standards to merit the use of valuable classroom time.

A school garden is a perfect tool to provide hands-on learning experiences for any academic subject. Science is the most common subject linked to gardens. Teachers can use the garden as a laboratory to introduce students to scientific methods through plant-related experiments. A garden provides a place to study plants, insects, birds, weather, soil, and other environment topics. It would be ideal habitat model for studying ecosystems.

The real-life experiences contribute greatly to the comprehension of students and retention of knowledge. In addition to science, a garden provides opportunities to teach mathematics, history-social science, language, visual and performing arts. Concepts that seems abstract in the classroom come alive in a garden setting. For instance, students find taking daily measurements of plants in the garden and then charting the growth rate much more exciting than charting numbers provided by a textbook.

Beyond academics, the garden provides broader life lessons including contributing to students’ knowledge of how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The Urban schools are experiencing a major health crisis as the number of overweight children is growing at an epidemic rate. Approximately one in seven children is being at risk of overweight, and almost 40 percent of school-aged children are considered unfit  making it an issue of concern to health care professionals.

Garden programs can work to combat this epidemic by teaching children about healthy lifestyles including proper nutrition and physical activity. Through a gardening program, students gain first hand experience with fresh fruits and vegetables. They discover that produce does not magically appear on the grocery store shelves and learn about the important role of agriculture in our society. The pride and curiosity sparked by growing fruits and vegetables along with the familiarity of where they come from motivates students to try them, leading to more positive attitudes and eating behaviors. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of the diet not only because they provide essential vitamins, but also because they are linked to prevention of health problems. Studies show that a majority of children do not eat the recommended amount of fresh fruits and vegetables each day, and so they are missing out on these benefits. A garden program increases produce availability and creates opportunities to teach students what they should eat through fun and hands-on experiences.

The garden provides a wide range of physical activity through digging, planting and weeding. The garden activities are often so captivating that students will not even realize they are exercising. Plus, it is an activity they can participate in for the rest of their lives.

Community and social development lessons do not receive the attention of academic achievement, but they are as crucial to the survival of our country as reading and writing. Children must learn how to take responsibility for their environment and develop a strong sense of community to ensure the continuation of our society. Gardens create opportunities for students to work cooperatively and to take on responsibilities. They will quickly learn the negative consequences associated with forgetting or over doing a job and provide positive reinforcement in response to proper care which is good work ethic.

On a personal level, gardening builds confidence, self-esteem, and pride as the students’ watch their efforts turn into beautiful and productive gardens. It also teaches them patience as they wait for a seedling to sprout or a tomato to ripen. While gardening, children interact with teachers, parents and community volunteers providing opportunities for social interaction often missing in our society because of hectic schedules and the role of technology. The garden provides children opportunities to ask questions, share thoughts and work cooperatively toward a common goal.

Through a garden, students help to beautify the school grounds. For many, it is their only chance to contribute positively to their environment. The praise they receive from other students, parents, teachers and community members will create a sense of community spirit and introduce them to the benefits of volunteering.

Above all, gardening is fun and is a skill that, once acquired, can be a lifelong hobby. Spending time outside, exploring in the soil, watching seeds grow, and harvesting the bounty can be enjoyable and memorable ways for students to spend their time.
 

The Home Zoo.....Ideal homes with brilliant architecture

Text and Pictures by – Nisarga Srinivasa

Nisarga Srinivasa is a budding naturalist who lives in a residential layout in the outskirts of Mysore and has the privilege of having the Urban Wildlife at her door step. Her interest in them has prompted this observation. She has joined in an Engineering College to do her computers.  Hasiru Hejje congratulates her on her first article. 

Nest of an Indian Robin

The mother earth provides equal opportunity for every living thing. My parents purchased a piece of land and built a house on it. This was being used by many other living beings prior to that. There were a few shrubs grown, insects made their homes in them- Grasshoppers, beetles, butterflies and moths. Ants and termites too must have had their burrows and tunnels in the ground; there must have been many other living things that visited or occupied the land upon which we built our house. How selfish are we! We demolished so many homes of others' to make ours. But now I feel happy because my home is being home for many other wild friends as well. For the past ten years many birds have constructed nests in and around my house and they have successfully introduced healthy and fit progeny into this world. Among many such nests there are few nests which fascinated me and my younger brother. I would like to share a few of my experiences with you about those nests.

NEST-1: It was a Sunday and I was helping my mother clean the shelf which was in the backyard. I stood up on the stool and had a cleaning cloth in my hand. I was about to clean the upper shelf but suddenly noticed a small heap of twigs and plant fibre at the corner of the shelf. To my surprise it was a nest of a bird. The nest was placed in the corner of the shelf and contained 4 nestlings of Indian Robin.

I was very happy to watch the ‘to & fro’ movement of the parents with food in their beak. Every time they went near the nest the nestlings would make little noises. It appeared that they made noise as soon as they sensed the presence of their parents. After a week,to our surprise, the nestlings were ready to fly from their nest. Only two of them successfully flew away but the other two could not make it. The successful just hopped out from the upper shelf and landed on the ground without harm on to the ground. The parents and the nestlings seemed to have a vocal debate and the nestlings remained huddled on the ground for almost half a day. The parents must have fed them right there. Later they succeeded in flying out of the house along with their parents. The parents bid good bye to their nestlings in some time and left the backyard.

NEST-2: I had been watching Sun birds in my backyard with something in their beak which they would attach to the mopping cloth hung on the cloth line. I knew what was happening and informed everybody at home not to disturb the cloth. After a few days a beautiful nest was ready. Never could I believe that these birds could tuck in their nest between the folds of a cloth.  More astonishing was the trust that these birds had developed upon all the inmates of our house that included my inquisitive brother, tidy conscious mother, a dog and an occasionally visiting cat.

Nest of Sun bird attached to a cloth  hing on a line

Two eggs were laid in the tiny nest. In a week’s time both of them hatched and were rapidly growing. I found them cordially adjusting inside their cozy home. They grew up healthy with all the care and constant nourishment their parents brought in. I saw them feeding on small spiders, tiny aphids, soft bodied larvae and pollen combs.  One day they silently flew away.

NEST-3: My father had made a wooden nest box and attached it to the grills in our backyard. One day we saw some kind of dry grass and other fibrous materials inside it.

Nest of an Ashy prenia

A closer look revealed that, it was the nest of an Ashy prenia and had two eggs in it. Within a few days I saw the parents nurture their young with food and protection. Here they brought up two broods successfully, in spite of the presence of a cat lurking around.

NEST-4: Post, Post.....the post man called. By the time I could go and receive the post, he had dropped it inside the post box. I opened the post box to pick up the letter. I picked up the letter and found something beautiful. It was the nest of INDIAN ROBIN with nestlings inside.

The Indian Robin nesting in the Letter box

This time I watched the parental duties of both the birds. They meticulously search for the food and feed their young ones. I wonder how the parents determine what their babies are in need of. They bring in a variety of food species with in no time. They are always scouting around on the ground and bring in tiny, soft bodied larvae, nymphs of grass hoppers, small grubs, aphids, and late in the evening the termite alates !

They are vocally communicating all the time and always keep a watch on their nest. They enter the post box only after confirming their security and privacy.  

Rewards for a Night Patroling Naturalist

Night jar the Master of Camouflage............ Pic by Guruprasad B S 

Sangamesh is a budding Naturalist who has begun to register his observations. He is perceiving his graduation in Life Sciences in Yuvaraj's College in Mysore. This is his first piece on his observations of  urban wildlife in Mysore. We wish him a warm welcome and a long journey in the field of Natural History. 

-Picture and Text -Sangamesh Matad

A Night jar by night..... 

Chuk chuk tukaroo. Chuk chuk tukaroo!!!  The sound persists all through the evening around our house in the outskirts of Mysore. It was mainly regenerating scrub jungle all around that stood upon fallow lands. There were a few patches of grass that told the disuse of agricultural plots. Soon after dusk I hear this very prominent and common call. Me and Anirudh a friend in my neighborhood decided to find the source of the call. We were both interested in the activities of nocturnal wildlife around us. With my earlier experience I was able to confirm that it was a bird not any insect.

 One night we set out equipped with the best of torches and camera we could have. My friend was keen to photograph it. It was dark and we tiptoed towards the direction of the call. It was quite exciting to walk in the dark without the torch on. We went by the direction of the bird call. Every time we got close to the sound it used to come to a halt making it impossible to find the creature.

A pink pebble like egg on day one

All species active by night exhibit a special phenomenon. When a beam hits their eye their nictitating membrane glows, making it easy to find the animal. I used this technique to spot and found out that it was a bird. I held the flashlight close to my eyes; almost in line with my vision- there on the ground I saw a bright brick red fleck. Only the dot was visible, we had to move further closer. Our presence disturbed the bird and it flew away in the dark. After several attempts we were able to get close to the bird. We crawled inch by inch and with help of flashlight I could see the markings in the bird. Its unique sitting posture on the ground, black markings on the body and more than half a dozen whiskers on its moustachial stripe on the head region where clearly visible. After a few minutes it took a leap into air. As we were close enough we got a glimpse of the white patch on both its wings, in the primary region. It did not fly very far but just took a flit. All these actions confirmed me that it was an Indian Night jar (Caprimulgus asiaticus).

We patrolled the fields for a couple of weeks and gradually got used to move around in the dark and find the bird. Out of curiosity I added one more activity to my night patrol. I took stock of the locations that the bird frequented and stared to visit them at dawn. I could not get a clue about what exactly it was doing at night. There used to be anywhere between 5-10 locations we visited every night. The following morning I regularly went to inspect the spots. During my morning visits I used to see reed warbler(Acrocephalus arundinaceus), white backed munia (Lonchura malabarica), Indian robin(Saxicoloides fulicata), jungle babbler(Turdoides striatus), turtle dove(Streptopelia orientalis), ashy prenia(Prenia socialis ) and few more bush birds, very common to the area. As usual, I never found the night jar in daylight for many days.

One day I saw the same pattern of a bird flick off from the ground at a distance in the direction I was approaching. The flight pattern and the brown body with black patches made me sure that it was night jar. It was actually in the eucalyptus plantation of around 50-60 tress. I was very close to spot from where it took a leap. All I could see from where the bird took off was leaf litter and tiny twigs fallen of the tree. There was no appreciable grass. A healthy acacia sapling that must have been browsed by a passing goat sat there with its branches spreading out at ground level in every direction. I avoided going close because of its uninviting white thorns. I just stood staring at the sapling and suddenly saw a very fine pebble with smooth and polished texture standing out from the rest of the innumerable pebbles stewed all around. The pink pebble like object got my attention. On closer observation it showed pale reddish patches all over it. I walked further closer and was delighted to see an egg. Now, I wanted to find out if it was of dear Night jar. I was busy that day and couldn’t check it out immediately.

An additional egg the following day enhanced my joy and curiosity by two folds

 The next day morning I could not hold back my curiosity. The first thing I did was to walk away straight to the location. The bird sensed me from a distance and took a flick. Well my doubt was cleared now. The night jar was sitting on the egg to incubate. With the bird not being on the spot I went closer and was delighted to see another egg.

What I was unconvinced was that there was no nesting material as such under the eggs. Both the days I found the eggs on the ground. The place seemed a little bit cleaned and that’s all. As I had seen the bird incubating, I had to be very conscious in proving that it was the nest of the bird where it sat with its clutch. I’ve come across many incidents where the bird had abandoned its nest because of the handy work of photographers. Sometimes very little interference such as pruning of twigs for the requirement of photography or inserting a twig for providing a perch has become deterrent to the nesting birds. Some often clear the surroundings of the nest in order to get their desired picture. To them it is a simple drab looking leaf or twig almost dried if not dead.

A creature so perfectly adapted to live by deception. Thanks to its camouflaging colors .

They play a very important role in protecting hiding the nest from predators as well as giving it a mechanical support. As the nest was on the ground, the eggs where very close to the acacia sapling and the thorns on the plant gave an efficient protection.

 That acacia sapling adjacent eucalyptus tree was my reference. After two days when I visited the place, I was disappointed to see a small branch fallen on the sapling. I rushed to the spot as I was at a distance to check on the eggs. And I was surprised to see night jar there. It was so camouflaged that I thought it was a piece of wood. For a minute I thought that I was deceived by the bird and wondered how many others it would have. Of course it took no time for me to realize that the very its survival relies upon deceiving others. It’s been more than a week since I began these cautious visits to observe the nest. I’m waiting with eager to watch the arrival of the chicks. I am desperate to know what the night jar does with them and where will it take them to.

From all these days of observations, I’ve some questions to be answered by the night jar. I always used to see only one night jar upon the nest; I’ll assume it to be its mother. Where is the other partner gone? Doesn’t it show up and change over upon the duties of the parents? Or are they have been doing it and I haven’t observed it? How will they manage to protect the chicks once born?

Chintu's Birth to colour of Silence

Satwik Mishra- a poet in the making

Last evening I had a phone call from an old student who introduced himself and mentioned the publication of his first work of poetry.  I was overcome with joy and for moment fumbled to recollect old memories. A collection of poems Colours of Silence is brought out by Partridge Publication, a sister concern of internationally renowned Penguin. For the time being this is available on the net edition and one can purchase for their ‘kindle’ reading. By the time I glanced through the book I could recollect the character and the sequence of events of the yester years…. My collection of books had his first hand made publication titled ‘Chintu’s Birth’ intact. I had repeatedly made its mention in the class for years to inspire other students.

 

A testimony of perseverance

Someday darkness will not have sturdy feet,

Someday, it won’t wear the mask of defeat.

But it shall regain another shape and new idea,

And creep into the vast oceans of life and death.

-          Satwik Mishra

I read through “In the last minute” of Colors of Silence, a collection of poems and amazed by the ability of this boy as he turned in a young man. I have been reading his writings since he was in class 7. That was my first year of service at Amrita Vidyalayam, Mysuru and was handling Science and English for his class. Being a class teacher I still have fond memories of that bright boy, Satwik who wrote stories and poems in the class.  He was a voracious reader and had finished reading all the poetry and fictions in the school Library. His affinity for literature was felt by his classmates and he had carved out a special niche for his taste for literature.

A teacher's best reward- a Student's  sincere effort  

One day he also came out with a self-published, home-made, handmade book. For him, a writer had dawned in his debut creation ‘Chintu’s Birth’. It was a neatly typed booklet with a jacket made of pink art card. There was no graphic on it but plain hand written text beautifully inscribed with a typo in the author’s name. There were a number of mistakes in the book but the joyous moment never made me look at that adventurous fete as an examination script. I was thoroughly impressed by the boldness of the boy in expressing his creativity and novelty. Many of his classmates would not have even made observations about the physical structure of a book. Many students will fail to recognise out of the way extra-curricular pursuits at that age and those of whom who pick up will sustain it for long. But Satwik is persistent in his literary creations. As a good sign his poems like ‘the Walk’, ‘the poem’ and ‘the last glance’ have appeared in Bizz-Buzz magazines.

He is growing up, literarily, intellectually, emotionally and academically. A second year student of engineering in SJCE, Mysuru, he is showing promises of being a potential writer. AS a teacher I anticipate more from his pen in the years to come. In Chintu’s Birth he wrote ‘I wish you would have liked the story. Well, Chintu was five year old. Well, see you in the next series’.  Years have passed; I have come to like his success story and waiting for the next series.

Post Script:

Shall I say that I taught this boy English in Seventh grade? Rather I choose to say I learned English better with him. Students like Satwik are a source of inspiration to learn for any teacher. I wish all success to this budding Indian poet.

- Geetha H