We recently connected with Vangie Rodenbeck and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Vangie, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
Several years ago I was asked to be a counselor at a summer day camp. This wasn’t really new or unusual because I’d worked with children for years and been to camp more summers than I could count. What what was different iss that this was on a farm in the inner city. And I was really excited to share all of MY experience and every I KNEW with the kids who came. What I didn’t know was how very different this experience would be.
While the natural setting of the farm provided everything a child would need for wonder and adventure, our kids had faced so many of their own personal adventures they weren’t equipped to experience it.
We had children from a homeless ministry who had recently been rehoused. Many of them had spent time living in their cars with their families and were overwhelmed by the “bigness” of the out-of-doors.
There were several refugee children who didn’t speak English. Some were recently arrived from places in the world where the sound of a back-firing car might be gunfire. And there were others with one or two working parents, working one or two or three jobs. These families desperately needed care for their children during the summer months when school was out so that they could continue their work uninterrupted and keep paying the bills.
What most of these children had in common was:
• They had no prior experiences in nature
• They were fearful of animals and plants alike
• They were unsure of their footing over unpaved paths
• And they were unaccustomed to free play and apprehensive about their own safety or their ability to accomplish anything on their own
The first few days were HARD. There were afraid of bugs, dirt, trees, wind, animals, plants, and even the smells they encountered outside. This made them generally anxious, uneasy and self-conscious. They were fretful about the weather. All of them were very nervous when approaching any new experience, some to the point of terror. And because they didn’t have a built in curiosity and their capacity for creativity had been suppressed, they constantly reported that THEY WERE BORED because they didn’t know what to do. Just as it seemed hopeless because I was not sure what to do – CREATION TOOK OVER.
Children began to ask to go to the Goat Pen where they would sit in silence and I would just watch the stress fall from their shoulders. I remember hearing them laugh for the first time when they needed to form a human fence to corral wayward chickens – albeit unsuccessfully. And I witnessed them crouched in the same meadow they had been so fearful of completely calm and at peace.
I learned that summer that CREATION AND NATURE can heal. But I also learned that not all children have opportunities to experience those places in a safe, positive way.
Most of them cried on the last day. They asked when they could come back. And I thought, “What if they didn’t have to wait until next summer to experience this again? What if they could do this every week?”
Vangie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
A few summers ago, I had an opportunity to work with urban children at a Farm and Forest Day Camp. I was ready with handcrafted lessons introducing them to everything I LOVED ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD. My childhood had provided plenty of opportunities for outside adventure and play that I couldn’t wait to share. But as it turned out, NOTHING THAT I HAD was going to be as beneficial and life changing for those children as the experience NATURE ITSELF would give them.
I was surprised to find the children I worked with completely unprepared to experience the joy that a day of play could afford them. And I didn’t really know why. Since then, I’ve learned some things no one had ever really explained to me:
74% of communities of color in the U.S, live in nature deprived areas. This means that communities of color are three times more likely to live in a place without trees, grass, plants and flowers.
More than 76% of people who live in low-income communities of color live in a nature deprived area. Nature destruction has, by far, had the largest impact on low-income communities of color.
70% of low income communities across the country live in nature deprived areas. This figure is 20% higher than for moderate or high-income families.
• 53% of people who live within three miles of the most heavily polluting coal-fired power plants are people of color
• Black people are75% more likely to live near fenceline zones (places super close to chemical facilities)
• Black people are three times more likely to die due to particulate matter exposure
• Black people experience 56 percent more pollution than their consumption
As I was completing my outdoor education training, I continued to witness how these inequities would play out in practice by even the most well intended nature play educator. Many of my peers in the industry had acquired private property on which to conduct their programs for forest schools and nature education programs. As a result, not only was their initial overhead higher passing this burden on to the consumer (families who could pay a premium for the privilege of nature education) but programming was also placed well outside urban areas where families I felt compelled to serve might live.
They myths about why Urban Nature Play programs don’t exist are many. I’ve been told that families “in the cities” don’t value nature because if they did they’d live in more natural settings. Some believe that “they” just won’t feel comfortable “there” because they don’t value it so why even begin the process of nature education and exposure. The circular reasoning of why children of color in urban centers don’t deserve natural settings is faulty and unjust.
Our mission at SNP is to close this gap between what “is” and “what ought to be.” Having seen these inequities, we feel implicated by our prayers for justice. It is our goal to provide daily opportunities for children to be introduced to the wonders of nature and to practice the skills they learn in a nature play setting. Skills that foster independence, produce adaptability, encourage curiosity, enhance decision making and risk-taking skills, and increase self-confidence.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I didn’t have my own farm or piece of land to share with people and invite them to experience, all I had was the idea of the opportunity to come to nature itself – but the desire to do that was VERY strong. Since that time, I’ve been educating myself about the gentle art of enticing children into natural spaces and conversations about nature through what we call “provocations.”
A provocation, in forest school practice, is a point of interest laid out to specifically spark the interest of a learner. If learning about seeds, it could be a variety of seed pods or packets. If conducting a tree study, one might set aside a variety of leaves, bark or needles from nearby trees for identification and conversation. All in all, it is a gentle introduction through natural curiosity and wonder. I have found it a refreshing way to teach and learn.
Most of the time…
I add this because I must honestly mention that in some of my more urban settings if a learner is not in the least familiar with noticing the natural world, their eyes run right over a provacation without the slightest bit of notice – even if it is laid out as a “Discovery Center” on a mat. This is not because of a lack of curisoity or a handicap in wonder. Likewise, these urban children and youth have all the same capacity to be captivated by the samples from nature that a veteran forest school attendee would have. So what is missing?
Exposure. We sometimes call this the “Starting Line.” The idea of a Starting Line refers to where we begin in a nature education program with a set of learners. It involves finding out their previous levels of exposure to the natural world so that you can spark curiosity at a level that will actually catch fire in their imagination.
This means that there are times that before a provocation, nature toy, loose part, or discovery center can be offered a simple introduction must be made. I recently began a lengthy instruction for a game where we would pretend to be squirrels hiding acorns only to find that most of the children (and a few adults present) could not identify the difference between an acorn and a pinecone. Both were frequently seen in the parking lots and driveways where they live. Learners reported that they both crunch when they are run over by a car. But other than that, they were the same thing, or even interchangeable. I quickly realized that I was in error and needed to move my Starting Line.
Tips for Moving the Starting Line:
Do it respectfully. There is a good chance this is a case of under-exposure and NOT ignorance. When remediating instruction, avoid demeaning your learner with materials designed for very young children.
Use relationship. In the acorn versus pinecone lesson, I just started talking about the yard I played in where I grew up. I told them that in the front yard we had lots of acorns because oak trees grew there. I explained how we played with them and how it was always full of squirrels. But our backyard was full of pine trees and a great place for pine cone battles. I even mentioned getting in trouble for nailing people in the face with them. Was it technical – no! But it introduced the difference through a story about myself.
Be available. These introductions might not stick with all of your learners. So when you have to make a correction for the twentieth time don’t sigh, roll your eyes, or put your hand on your temples. Remind yourself to intentionally smile and retell how it comes from an oak like the one that grew in your front yard. Leave out the comparison for now it that is confusing your learner. Just be present for them in a moment of discovery.
All of this being said, though it may change your plans and wound your pride, I highly encourage you to move this line when you sense it needs adjustment. While it may seem like an initial “hassle,” the rewards are just too great not to do it. I’m never sorry that I took the extra time or delayed my plans to be the person who introduced a wonder of nature. Never.
And, after all, it’s not about us – it’s about the kids. Every time.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Because I made a conscious choice to offer a program for nature play and nature exposure in a different model, I had to think OUTSIDE THE BOX about where and how I was going to offer these experiences for children. The most fruitful way I’ve accomplished this is through concentrating on relational marketing.
Relationship-based marketing is a natural fit for outdoor education because at it’s core, forest schooling and nature play programming promote relationship building, diversity and equity by providing children with opportunities to develop love, respect and mindful inter-connectedness with all earth’s inhabitants, including humans. Respect for the astounding diversity of our ecosystems is grounding for respect of diversity among all of human life and culture.
So what kind of relationships made growing my clientele possible? For one, civic partnerships. Partnering with Parks & Recreation Departments to offer programming within their existing event schedule helped me foster long-lasting relationships with the park managers, which opened up venues for play groups and additional program opportunities. Pop-Up Play events with small businesses (sporting goods stores, books stores, small schools, daycares, etc.) allowed me to meet people within the community and show how play in nature compliments almost all facets of life for children. And partnering with cities and schools for seasonal events like Trunk or Treats and parades has built both brand recognition and relationships.
We now spend several hours a week partnering with an inner city parks and recreation department at their After School Care Program. We’ve brought in a local pediatrician as a program sponsor because she believes in active play for children and is always looking for places and programs where she can point families. We’re growing a network of like minds – a kinship – that work alongside one another to love and serve a community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sparrowsnestplay.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparrowsnestplay/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparrowsnestplay
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC–6Z7N04JFmSm_zdSbPqjQ