One of the great benefits of nature education is to realize the effective connection between children and nature, release nature, and prevent children from "hollowing out", but it seems too "sheep herding", and many parents dare not take their children to "wild" with confidence...
This article was published in the magazine China Women
Speaking of Li Weiwei and other post-80s generations, the biggest difference is not her doctoral status in biology, but that she is a typical child who grew up with natural education, she is "wild" and not "chicken". When she had twin sons, she passed on and carried forward the "nature education" given to her by her parents.
Measuring the world with your feet, "Ten Thousand Miles" is the best gift
Li Weiwei, Ph.D. in Biology, Senior Engineer of Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Deputy Director of Kunming Zoological Museum, National Advanced Worker of Science Popularization
Li Weiwei's twin sons are in the first grade of primary school this year. From the first day of motherhood, she has been thinking, what is the education that can support her child's life?
Not wrapped up in the educational anxieties typical of peer circles – many mothers are eager to start speaking from prenatal education, and as a result of her deliberation, she decides to relax and let her children go naturally. This does not come from the confidence of being a doctor, but from her childhood.
When Li Weiwei was a child, as long as there was a holiday, her parents would take her on a journey. On weekends or small holidays, travel in Yunnan, do not pursue scenic spots, and specially pick those very original scenery. During the long holiday, the provinces become destinations. At that time, Li Weiwei, Hainan Island in the south, and Changbai Mountain in the far north all left footprints of childhood.
Li Weiwei's personal experience told her that it was better to read thousands of books than to travel thousands of miles. So, the children just learned to walk, Li Weiwei took them on a journey, although it is not easy to walk in the wild natural environment, but the adults also try to let the children walk independently, before the age of 5, the little brother can walk about 10,000 steps a day. Li Weiwei completed her first "Wanli Road" in high school, and her children completed their first "Wanli Road" at the age of 5.
Li Weiwei will not generally take children to the Internet celebrity silly punch card, but take the children to carry out "theme travel". For example, in order to watch whale sharks go to Cebu in the Philippines, children will see the bus on the road and jump out of the wonderful verse like poetry - "Look, another whale shark swims on the road." "This kind of focused travel will give children a solid understanding of a species, its living environment, habits and so on." Observation in a more natural environment is more instructive for children than in an aquarium or other man-made environment.
What is the use of such a "see the world" trip? "It's not about remembering anything, it's about being more open-minded when they're faced with a problem." Li Weiwei recalls that the roads she walked in her childhood seemed "useless" in the subject examination, but she became an engineer of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and those experiences became the origin of her engaged in biodiversity research and the professionalism of science popularization workers.
The surrounding daily life is a precious natural school
Li Weiwei and the children "wild" together
Under the influence of their mother, the two children began to be attracted to the flowers and plants around them very early. Every day on the way to school and on weekends, my mother would take them to the community to learn about more than ten kinds of ornamental plants such as winter cherry blossoms, ginkgo biloba, figs, loquat, turtle back bamboo, hydrangea flowers, potatoes, ivy, climbing tigers and golden chrysanthemums. Sometimes, they also observe many birds such as egrets, yellow-rumped grebes, Dai Sheng, white wagtails and many other birds.
Children also have a small telescope in their school bags, as long as they go out to play, or go hiking, they can be used to observe birds. This exercised the children's observation skills extremely effectively, and even in the winter, when others looked dead and leaves, there was nothing to look at, and the little twins would relish looking for a bird's nest. It is a habit that even lying on the grass will unconsciously observe the small bugs behind the leaves, as well as the bug nests on the ground.
Although Li Weiwei's profession is biology, not all plants are known, so when choosing phone watches for children, specially selected watches that can recognize flowers and grass. As long as you sweep it, you can understand the relevant knowledge, and you don't need to ask your mother for everything.
Li Weiwei's phD research is invasion biology research, under her guidance, the children also pay special attention to the invasive animals crayfish (protoclamps in the garden pond), Fushou snails and bullfrogs, and also take the initiative to clean up the invasive plants purple-stemmed Zelan and hollow lotus grass in the green belt of the community.
Nature and life are connected, and dancing together can last
In the stereotype, scientists emphasize the use of the brain, but in fact, hands-on is also an important ability in scientific research. Li Weiwei will always create opportunities for children to do their own work, such as washing dishes, helping the kitchen, these seemingly simple housework, not only can improve the children's hands-on ability, but also let them learn a lot of knowledge. When choosing a dish, talk to the children about the stems, flowers, and fruits of the plants. Children have these basic exercises at home, and when they have experimental classes at school, they are also the teacher's powerful little helpers.
Li Weiwei is very busy at work, but she believes that as long as it is reasonably arranged, work and family can be taken into account. On weekends, she often has to give explanations to visitors to the Kunming Zoological Museum, so she takes the children and lets them wander around the museum, illiterate, and looks at the vivid animal and plant specimens through the window. With all this, the children became little volunteers at the museum at the age of 5, working as docents for visitors.
Now many parents' biggest heart disease is that their children are addicted to electronic products, but Li Weiwei, who practices nature education, is particularly relaxed in electronic products, and she will also let children watch vibrato, but she accompanies children to watch together, not aimless browsing, but to introduce children to interesting UP masters, and then enter their homepage, let children see one by one. "Today's children, it is inevitable to contact electronic products, what we can do is not absolute restrictions, but selective guidance, so that electronic products become a convenient learning tool, rather than 'poison'." For example, on Douyin, there are also many good popular science numbers, such as 'Xiao Liang', 'Don't Eat in Vain', 'One Side Of Heaven and Earth' and so on. ”
In the 1990s, in most families, television sets were used to chase serials, but Li Weiwei's family was fascinated by documentaries, from Zhao Zhongxiang's "Animal World" to geographical adventure programs, and watching documentaries with the whole family was her childhood routine. The family also subscribes to magazines such as National Geographic and Naturalist, and her parents often discuss topics with her. Before the words were fully recognized, combined with the pictures in the magazine, Li Weiwei's thoughts and imagination wandered in the magic of nature.
Today's Li Weiwei family still loves the Central 9 Documentary Channel, which is very professional and the content is very profound. For example, children like to watch planets collide, but they can't fully understand it. Not Li Weiwei's profession, she confessed that she knew very little, when the children asked her, can not give answers, Li Weiwei will teach them how to solve the problem through the search engine. I can't type, so I ask questions in a voice way. The children's search for answers is full of excitement, and she says it's an important way to do scientific research.
Biodiversity is like a "supermarket"
For "biodiversity", Li Weiwei said that it includes genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity, which sounds abstract but is actually closely related to daily life. "Biodiversity is like a 'supermarket', providing nature's gifts for our daily lives. For example, the most vivid embodiment of genetic diversity can be to take children to the market to feel - all kinds of eggs with different eggshell colors, various types of vegetables, and so on. ”
Li Weiwei said, "At the table of each family, we can also carry out local 'biodiversity on the tip of the tongue' on-site experiential education. At COP15 (the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity) China Pavilion, we have a spice wall of 'Smell Yunnan', which collects more than 100 spices from all over the world. Like ethnic minority dishes, there are often special signature flavors such as various local spices such as lemongrass. You may wish to work with your children to investigate the spices in local specialties, or make a map of local seafood, Chinese wax flavor map and so on according to local conditions. ”
Not only the table, the tip of the tongue, but also the green plants, pets, cut flowers, and even uninvited cockroaches, rats, mosquitoes and mites hidden in the mattress... These creatures are worth studying with children, and these organisms are also part of the biodiversity that makes up urban spaces. Taking children to experience the biodiversity of the city can start from the home and community and be an activist in life.
In Li Weiwei's view, enjoying the "wild university" with children is the most nourishing and abundant education in the heart. If everyone knows more about biodiversity, we can reduce the "mistaken injury" to the ecological environment. For example, rational use of water, electricity, and gas resources, practice disc actions, etc., and be a resource guardian and a low-carbon traveler. "All things have their own harmony and life, and each has its own nourishment. Together with our children, we can start from small things, adhere to the ecological concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and protect the urban biodiversity ecosystem, which may be the friendliest environmental education on the earth. ”