Rain or Shine We Are Out !!

During our course, there was one particular day when we got lucky with the weather and explored the nearby 'oak-landscape' called Tinnerö. I still remember how beautiful it looked with the warm sun and the amazing nature. It was our second outdoor class and it one of our favorites! There were so many majestic oak trees that surrounded the landscape, and beautiful yellow, white and purple flowers. It was here for the first time I saw a tree with completely white trunk. I asked my friend from Iceland whether she knew the name of the tree. And she said that it is called 'Birch' tree. I was so fascinated by its unique color of the trunk. 

Yes, we were lucky to be here and thats our outdoor classroom !!

An excited bunch of 'outdoor educators' ready to explore! 

The purpose of the outdoor classes was to acquaint us with the 'outdoor pedagogic tools' and also  in the process help us gain confidence in planning and executing outdoor lessons. As a teacher, I slowly realized the potential of the outdoors in broadening the scope of learning because the moment you step outside of the four walls with children there is so much to learn and every little experience becomes educational. 

While we walked up a small hill, I remember one of our classmates spotting a lizard, and my friend from UK exclaiming with excitement 'Look at the lizard!!' In no time all of us were keenly looking at the lizard with so much fascination and were discussing about it. 

Lizard that we spotted in our outdoor classroom!

What was even more exciting was to have intriguing conversations with other classmates as we walked along in our outdoor classroom. These conversations were so important in building that rapport, understanding and in strengthening our friendship. In my experience it was the outdoor classes that facilitated our in-depth conversations and nurtured the mutual love and care for each other. I remember stepping out this bright sunny day for our outdoor class, and being an new-bee in Sweden I did not realize how cold it is going to be with the winds even though the sun was shining. So, my friend from Austria gave me her extra jacket which saved me from freezing. It was these small acts of kindness that slowly helped us come together during our outdoor classes. It was equally fun to be with nature and explore the Swedish landscape. What more does nature enthusiasts ask for? - Nature and some good company as we learnt and were groomed to be outdoor educators. 

The little beauty on an oak leaf

Purple beauty

Using the barn as an educational resource

As a teacher, I was slowly fascinated by this pedagogy but I also questioned the challenges that would come along with it. Well, it was just the second week at the course, and it is too early to conclude, or decide about this unique pedagogy all at once. I had to be patient and experience, learn and read more of it. Two weeks into the course and I learnt: 1. Rain or Shine, as an outdoor educator there is no excuse not be out there 2. Being outside broadens the scope of learning 3. The scope for rich engaging conversation among students and the mutual love and care that nurtures a healthy relationship among the students. So folks I will soon bring more stories and fresh insights for the mind and the soul from the outdoor classroom. 

Rain or Shine We are Out !!

Here comes the first blog post on my experience of pursuing Masters in Outdoor Environmental Education at Linkoping University in Sweden. Well, by now after reading through my blogs you would have guessed how 'tropical person' I am. I had grown up in south of India - 12 years in Palakkad, then 6 years in Madurai, and 3 years in Ujire and guess what is common to these three places. It's the heat!!! From my childhood, I have experienced the tropical climate with average temperatures of 28°C. I am used to heavy rains during monsoons, and the sun and the warmth the rest of the year. It was always the mango trees, and the coconut trees that surrounded me. Growing up in these places made me think it is normal to sweat and it is very 'abnormal' not to sweat. During my short visits to Bengaluru for meetings, I realized it was too cold for me, and I didn't sweat which according to me was considered 'abnormal'. So, moving to Sweden which is located in the Northern Europe was a stark contrast!! When I landed in Sweden mid August 2015 and started living there, I realized how my body had got used to the tropical climate. And also it was a landscape that was so different. Soon I realized I was surrounded by pine trees, maple trees and oak trees! It was completely a new feeling. I was really excited to explore this new landscape!! 

The first thing I learnt from my new friend in the corridor (living space for students in Sweden are called 'Student corridors') was about the nearby forest 'Rydsskogen' ('Skogen' means forest in Swedish). I remember going up to this forest early morning along with her. I was thrilled to be amidst the tall and the huge pine trees, and walking along the carpet made of blueberry and raspberry plants.

Blueberry plants that surround Rydsskogen

These raspberries taste and smell really good! Fresh and organic

Well the second most important thing I did was to buy a cycle. I totally adore Linkoping because of the amazing bike roads that take me everywhere. As a student living in Linkoping, bicycles make it economical and also it is a very good way to keep myself healthy. Just a week before my course began, we went down cycling to lake Roxen organized by ESN (Erasmus Student Network). This was the very first time I encountered the vast country side, the yellow flowers and the blue sky (reminds you of somethings? Yes the Swedish flag!!). On the way I would stop and watch the butterflies and observe how unique or similar are they to the ones I see in India. Well I ended up spotting the 'Small Tortoiseshell' butterfly. 

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly spotted in the countryside in Linkoping

Beautiful countryside landscape en route to lake Roxen through the amazing bike roads!

And beside the lake Roxen, I happen to see the first ever Dandelion in my life. It was never a part of the tropical landscape where I grew up. So, everything was so new and so exciting for me to learn, observe and understand. 

My first ever Dandelion!!

Soon Rydsskogen became my favorite place for spending time with nature observing birds, animals, trees, bugs and so many beautiful elements of nature. I remember spotting a slug during one of our walks to Rydsskogen and shouting out, 'Oh wow, look at the snail!'. And it was then they told me that, it is a slug and not a snail. Well, snails were an important part of the ecosystem where I grew in Palakkad. As a kid I remember the huge snails sliding through the ditches in the monsoons!! I used to watch their big shells and how they moved through the wet surfaces. It was quite an exciting thing to do during monsoons. It was not until I went to Linkoping that I saw 'slugs' - the shell-less 'snails'. Interestingly, now that I am blogging about snails and slugs, I have so many questions like 'How does the shell develop? Does it grow in size?'. And I don't have a memory from school where we played and interacted with snails to learn more about it's interesting anatomy or its life in general. I wonder, why didn't the teacher take me out and teach about this interesting animal that was around us all the time! It would have been so interesting to be with the snails and learn about them than to read about it in my Biology textbook that had classification etc, etc. and huge chunks of data with amazing pictures. Well, thought for all the teachers out there who want to make learning engaging to children.  

Slug in Rydsskogen

As a Master student of Outdoor Environmental Education, I was privileged to meet students and teachers from different parts of the world who had come together for a common purpose. I had the unique opportunity to explore the 'outdoors' that triggered and opened up so many new ideas and challenged the approach to education that is currently driving the world - the way we are educating students at school, and the way children are brought up by the parents in the current society. During the first week of my course, I learnt one important lesson, 'There is no bad weather, only bad choice of clothes'. Well, coming from the tropical place, I could not gauge how cold it can get in Sweden if you get wet in the rain and when you have to stay outdoor for an extended period of time. Interestingly if I look back now, most of the days when we had our outdoor class it was cold or rainy or snowy. But we never had our outdoor classes rescheduled because it was 'raining' or because it was 'snowing'. We were out there no matter what - 'Rain or Shine we were out there to learn and explore'. As teachers it was important for us to learn this lesson that you cannot blame weather but instead it is up to you to make the best of it.

Our outdoor classroom!!

I feel a sense of excitement writing all about it now. This is how my journey kicked off at Linkoping, and it only gets more interesting!! So, folks soon I will bring more new stories, insights and fresh food for the mind and the soul.