A warm welcome at Dearcroft Montessori

I’ve been asked in some interviews recently what impact I think I’m having on the issue of getting kids outside. I find it a tough question to answer and usually fumble with my words a bit to come up with something coherent. To be honest, I don’t know the impact that this project will have on students, teachers and parents across Canada. It is a message that has been welcomed by the schools we have visited – all 3 schools we were at yesterday have staff and administration who feel strongly about exposing students to the outside world more. It is also a simple message. I’ve shared before that there is no magic formula or program to get people outside more. It involves creating a cultural mindset that emphasizes balance between our time in front of screens and our time outside. How we create that mindset is a question many of us are asking.

We all have convictions about things in life we are passionate about. Although we may not be able to judge the impact we’re having, I think it’s still important to live out those convictions in some attempt to make the world a better place. Students at the Bronte Creek Project, one of the schools we visited yesterday, have been asked by their teacher to think about just that. How can they take what they’ve learned in this program and implement some of their learning to make the world better. Although it can be a cliché question that sometimes evokes some eye rolling, I believe strongly that it’s an important question to ask. What can you do to help change the world?

A chicken coup recently built by students at BCP. I need a little more practice holding the chickens!

Students at Bronte Creek Project