Wednesday, April 29, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
How to do a ‘Sit Spot’ in nature
Correspondent
Kids and adults alike can
enjoy a regular <sit spot= in
a natural setting. From reduc-
ing anxiety to improving test
scores, the benefits of nature
time has been proven both
by common sense and by
over thirty years of scientific
research.
Formerly a nature educa-
tor in California, Susan Prince
has taught Sisters Country
kids through Deschutes Land
Trust, SPRD, schools, and
New Oregon Arts & Letters
(see related article, page 3).
Here she shares tips on get-
ting reacquainted with nature.
Turn off your phone, sit in
nature for 20 minutes, then
share your experience by
drawing a <story map.=
Fox Walk & Owl Eyes
Before heading out, try
walking very quietly like a
fox, while using your periph-
eral vision like an owl. <You
can see so much more when
you9re out there, if you use
these tools,= said Prince.
Details on these techniques
are available on the New
Oregon blog (neworegon.
org).
Sitting
Quietly walk to a spot in
nature. Your backyard may
work. If you can go out into
a field or forest, sit 15320
feet away from other people.
Housebound? Look out an
open window. Set a timer for
20 minutes, and sit.
Observe what9s around
you, engaging all your senses.
The wind in your hair, the
calls of birds, sunlight on
water: notice everything
around you. Try closing your
eyes for a while so you can
concentrate on sounds and
smells.
It may take a few minutes
to let go of everyday wor-
ries and settle into being with
nature. <If you9re frustrated or
impatient, that9s okay,= said
Prince. <You9ll still notice
things. Next time, it9ll be
easier.= If people or machines
intrude, notice them the same
way you might notice a lady-
bug or a squirrel.
Story Map
After your sit spot, gather
everyone around one big
sheet of paper, with plenty
of markers or crayons. Chat
about what you saw, heard,
and felt in nature, while draw-
ing pictures inspired by your
experience.
<Our ancestors would be
going out hunting, gather-
ing, during the day, and they
would come back 4 no
books, no TV, no phones,=
Prince said. <They would
share what they saw out in
nature with everybody around
the campfire, and that9s how
people in the community
learned.=
<They learned where the
berries were, where the foxes
lived, where the bear was,
perhaps,= she said.
In other words: primitive
social media, without hearts,
likes, or swipes. While nature
awareness on its own brings
many rewards, Prince said
<repeating the story back to
the community is a really key
part of it.= If you9re socially
isolated, send a photo of your
solo drawing to friends or
family.
Postcard-perfect wilder-
ness images are not necessary.
During a Sisters High School
sit spot, <you could hear peo-
ple doing construction on the
Hayden Homes,= said Prince.
<Students worked that right
into the map.=
Age and Attention Span
<There9s a certain amount
of supervision required, to
make sure that kids stay
where they are= and don9t dis-
tract each other, said Prince.
She said she9s been surprised
how rarely they try to talk.
A person9s attention span
is an important consider-
ation, but <it isn9t necessarily
age-related.= Prince told of
a group of homeschool stu-
dents, mere 2nd through 4th
graders. <Those kids could sit
for half an hour; they could
really hang in there,= she said.
<The middle school kids actu-
ally had a harder time.=
Sit spots are a practice. Just
as in sports, arts, or music, the
more you practice, the bet-
ter results and the longer you
can stick with it. <People can
definitely get the hang of it,=
Prince said.
Coyote Mentoring
Much contemporary edu-
cation focuses on informing
students of various scientific
facts. Parents, teachers, and
the Internet jump in with
information long before a kid
Don’t throw it away, we can fix it
PHOTO BY TL BROWN
Local kids used colorful Sharpie pens to make a “story map” with nature
connection teacher Susan Prince.
has a chance to observe and
explore.
Prince prefers the <coyote
mentoring= approach favored
by her teacher Jon Young,
author of <Coyote9s Guide to
Connecting with Nature.= If
a student noticed a snapping
turtle, the mentor might ask,
<What do you think about that
snapping turtle? How long
has it been there? Where does
it go in the winter?=
The student learns to think
and learn from their personal
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observations. <If you have to
go figure out what the snap-
ping turtle is doing by watch-
ing the snapping turtle, you9re
going to remember it,= Prince
said with a laugh.
Returning
Experts recommend
returning to the same spot
over and over. <We notice the
changes from day to day, week
to week, season to season,=
Prince explained. <We9re not
just walking through it any-
more. We9re integrated.=
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