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Sharing Nature with Children, Volume 2
Chapter Two: Flow Learning

Natural Steps to Nature Awareness

In leading nature activities over the years, I gradually realized that there was a sequence for using games and activities that always seemed to work best, regardless of a group's age, its mood, or the physical setting. I became convinced that the reason people responded so well to this particular sequence was that it's in harmony with certain subtle aspects of human nature.

In time, I blended all the outdoor activities I'd ever collected or created into this natural way of teaching. I've been using it now for almost ten years with great success, in tremendously varied situations, and with groups of many nationalities, ages, and backgrounds.

I call the system Flow Learning, because it has four stages that flow from one into another in a smooth, natural way:

Stage 1: Awaken Enthusiasm
Stage 2: Focus Attention
Stage 3: Direct Experience
Stage 4: Share Inspiration

Let's look at the stages one by one:

Stage 1: Without enthusiasm, you can never have a meaningful experience of nature. By enthusiasm, I'm not talking about wild-eyed, jumping-up-and-down excitement, but a calm, intense flow of personal interest and keen alertness. Without this kind of enthusiasm, we learn very little.

Stage 2: Learning depends on focused attention. Enthusiasm alone isn't enough. If our thoughts are scattered, we can't be dynamically aware--of nature, or anything else. So we must bring our enthusiasm to a calm focus.

Stage 3: As we gradually focus our attention, we become more aware of what we're seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and receiving through intuition. With calm attention, we can enter more sensitively into the rhythm and flow of nature all around us.

Focused attention creates an inner calmness and openness that allows us to experience nature directly, without the interference of static from the mind. So the third stage is absorbing direct experience.

Stage 4: Experience opens up deeper awareness. What do I mean by this? In Sharing Nature with Children I described a game called Still Hunting, where the player remains very, very still while nature returns to its normal routine all around.

Let's imagine that you're still hunting and birds land very close in a tree overhead. By remaining still, you begin to feel a kind of breathless oneness with life all around you, almost as if you were blending into the scene and experiencing life through the birds, the grass, and the waving branches of the trees. In that stillness, you can sometimes feel a great, bursting joy or a deep, calm happiness, or an overwhelming sense of the beauty or power of creation.

Nature is always inspiring, and it's only our restless minds that keep us from being more often joyfully aware of this.

A leader can help a group deepen its inspiration by telling stories about nature that uplift and inspire, or by telling stories from the lives of the great naturalists and conservationists, such as Rachel Carson, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and Henry David Thoreau.

I call the fourth stage sharing inspiration, because sharing strengthens and clarifies our own deep experiences.

Learning with a Natural Flow

Flow Learning allows you to create an endless variety of nature experiences, each ideally matched to present circumstances and no two ever exactly alike. Although it's based on a few simple principles, it's not a rigid system of activities that you always have to do the same way. You can use Flow Learning with the games and activities from my books, and with any other resources you may know.

I've used Flow Learning successfully in sessions that lasted from 30 minutes to all day. I've used it indoors in rainy weather and outdoors in the sun. It's very flexible, because it gives you the freedom to respond appropriately to the needs of the moment.

The goal of Flow Learning is to give everyone a genuinely uplifting experience of nature. After a successful Flow Learning session, each person feels a subtle, enjoyable new awareness of his oneness with nature and an increased empathy with all of life. You'll find, too, that people will listen much more enthusiastically to discussions of the scientific side of natural history and ecology if you first help them get into a receptive and inspired mood.

How Flow Learning Can Work for You

Outdoors, there are any number of distractions that can prevent your group from becoming aware of its surroundings. Aside from distractions like cars, machinery, and even human voices, they may be feeling cold, or they may be worried about personal problems. A great strength of Flow Learning is that it helps people free their attention so they can relax, have fun, and enjoy the natural world.

The strong central current of a river carries away the sluggish eddies that form along the river's banks. Similarly, when you introduce people to nature with playful activities that energize body and mind, the high energy that the games develop washes away personal problems and moods. Freed from personal worries, their enthusiasm and attention can flow into new and fascinating experiences.
HOW TO ORDER:
All Sharing Nature Products are now available through secure online ordering.
Or call toll free to order through Inner Path at 866-665-7765

In the United Kingdom you can order our books from Deep Books, ltd.
Contact: David Birkett, david@deep-books.co.uk

Joseph Cornell's books are currently available in the following foreign languages: Chinese, Danish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Slovene, Spanish, and Thai.

Excerpts from Sharing Nature with Children, Volume 2

Contents
Flow Learning
Stage 1: Awaken Enthusiasm
Stage 4: Share Inspiration
Sample Activities

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Sharing Nature Foundation
14618 Tyler Foote Rd.
Nevada City, CA 95959
530-478-7650
e-mail: info@sharingnature.com

			Home Flow Learning ™ Nature Activities Programs Calendar of Events Sharing Nature Worldwide Country Coordinators Joseph Cornell Books and Resources Connections and More Information
	Sharing Nature with Children, Volume 2 Chapter Two: Flow Learning Natural Steps to Nature Awareness In leading nature activities over the years, I gradually realized that there was a sequence for using games and activities that always seemed to work best, regardless of a group's age, its mood, or the physical setting. I became convinced that the reason people responded so well to this particular sequence was that it's in harmony with certain subtle aspects of human nature. In time, I blended all the outdoor activities I'd ever collected or created into this natural way of teaching. I've been using it now for almost ten years with great success, in tremendously varied situations, and with groups of many nationalities, ages, and backgrounds. I call the system Flow Learning, because it has four stages that flow from one into another in a smooth, natural way: Stage 1: Awaken Enthusiasm Stage 2: Focus Attention Stage 3: Direct Experience Stage 4: Share Inspiration Let's look at the stages one by one: Stage 1: Without enthusiasm, you can never have a meaningful experience of nature. By enthusiasm, I'm not talking about wild-eyed, jumping-up-and-down excitement, but a calm, intense flow of personal interest and keen alertness. Without this kind of enthusiasm, we learn very little. Stage 2: Learning depends on focused attention. Enthusiasm alone isn't enough. If our thoughts are scattered, we can't be dynamically aware--of nature, or anything else. So we must bring our enthusiasm to a calm focus. Stage 3: As we gradually focus our attention, we become more aware of what we're seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and receiving through intuition. With calm attention, we can enter more sensitively into the rhythm and flow of nature all around us. Focused attention creates an inner calmness and openness that allows us to experience nature directly, without the interference of static from the mind. So the third stage is absorbing direct experience. Stage 4: Experience opens up deeper awareness. What do I mean by this? In Sharing Nature with Children I described a game called Still Hunting, where the player remains very, very still while nature returns to its normal routine all around. Let's imagine that you're still hunting and birds land very close in a tree overhead. By remaining still, you begin to feel a kind of breathless oneness with life all around you, almost as if you were blending into the scene and experiencing life through the birds, the grass, and the waving branches of the trees. In that stillness, you can sometimes feel a great, bursting joy or a deep, calm happiness, or an overwhelming sense of the beauty or power of creation. Nature is always inspiring, and it's only our restless minds that keep us from being more often joyfully aware of this. A leader can help a group deepen its inspiration by telling stories about nature that uplift and inspire, or by telling stories from the lives of the great naturalists and conservationists, such as Rachel Carson, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and Henry David Thoreau. I call the fourth stage sharing inspiration, because sharing strengthens and clarifies our own deep experiences. Learning with a Natural Flow Flow Learning allows you to create an endless variety of nature experiences, each ideally matched to present circumstances and no two ever exactly alike. Although it's based on a few simple principles, it's not a rigid system of activities that you always have to do the same way. You can use Flow Learning with the games and activities from my books, and with any other resources you may know. I've used Flow Learning successfully in sessions that lasted from 30 minutes to all day. I've used it indoors in rainy weather and outdoors in the sun. It's very flexible, because it gives you the freedom to respond appropriately to the needs of the moment. The goal of Flow Learning is to give everyone a genuinely uplifting experience of nature. After a successful Flow Learning session, each person feels a subtle, enjoyable new awareness of his oneness with nature and an increased empathy with all of life. You'll find, too, that people will listen much more enthusiastically to discussions of the scientific side of natural history and ecology if you first help them get into a receptive and inspired mood. How Flow Learning Can Work for You Outdoors, there are any number of distractions that can prevent your group from becoming aware of its surroundings. Aside from distractions like cars, machinery, and even human voices, they may be feeling cold, or they may be worried about personal problems. A great strength of Flow Learning is that it helps people free their attention so they can relax, have fun, and enjoy the natural world. The strong central current of a river carries away the sluggish eddies that form along the river's banks. Similarly, when you introduce people to nature with playful activities that energize body and mind, the high energy that the games develop washes away personal problems and moods. Freed from personal worries, their enthusiasm and attention can flow into new and fascinating experiences. HOW TO ORDER: All Sharing Nature Products are now available through secure online ordering. Or call toll free to order through Inner Path at 866-665-7765 In the United Kingdom you can order our books from Deep Books, ltd. Contact: David Birkett, david@deep-books.co.uk Joseph Cornell's books are currently available in the following foreign languages: Chinese, Danish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Slovene, Spanish, and Thai.


	Excerpts from Sharing Nature with Children, Volume 2 Contents Flow Learning Stage 1: Awaken Enthusiasm Stage 4: Share Inspiration Sample Activities

	\| Flow Learning™ \| Nature Activities \| Programs \| Calendar of Events \| \| Sharing Nature Worldwide \| Country Coordinators \| Joseph Cornell \| \| Books and Resources \| Connections and More Information \| Mailing List Sharing Nature Foundation 14618 Tyler Foote Rd. Nevada City, CA 95959 530-478-7650 e-mail: info@sharingnature.com