Project Wild

The Missus and I took off Friday afternoon right after I got off work and headed South. We spent the weekend in Terre Haute. I attended a workshop on Saturday for Project Wild and she visited with some family. The workshop was geared toward getting youngsters ages 3-7 outside so it was all women in the workshop except the presenter's father. Nice old dude - retired shop teacher - who I chatted with during one of the breaks.

While I'm not a preschool teacher, I do have a couple of grandsons that fall into the age group and I'm interested in when and why the disconnect comes with kids going outside. It appears that part of the problem is the parents. They don't want the kids to get dirty, they're afraid of what might happen to them if they are outside - anything from too much sun, or bug bites to who knows what. Also, lots of working moms who don't have the time to spend with the little darlings. One lady said the Indian population where she's at sends the kids to science and math camp during the summer instead of them getting outside. That might explain all the Indian physics professors and doctors. The people running their own preschools all seemed to be very interested in doing what's best for the little ones and seeing to it they get a chance to get outdoors and learn some things and have some fun too. That was good to see.

The workshop was held in Dobbs Park and we stayed right across the street Saturday night at a Bed and Breakfast. After checking in, the Missus took a little nap and I hiked around the perimeter of the park. The weather was great and there were quite a few people in the park. It seems like you never meet too many on the hiking trails, however.

So it was a pretty good weekend. I learned a little something, spent a little time with some educators I normally would have no opportunity to talk to, and spent some quality time with the Missus. Back to the old grind tomorrow.