Opening day

  You may be wondering what's behind my blog title, "Naturalists Adventures".  Well, it all started seven years ago when a unique man named Don Tolman came to the religious community I had been involved with at the time, and spoke to us about healthy eating, "eating from nature's table", he called it.  He taught us seven key principles of living that I try to live by every day of my life: 

• drink half of a gallon of water everyday
• eat raw, whole foods
• get enough exercise
• have healthy relationships
• have a passion about something
• breathe clean air
• get enough daily sunshine 

  He didn't stop there. He also taught us about connecting with nature and finding nature's five common patterns: five-pointed star, hexagon, spiral, square, and circle. This had been introduced to me about a decade previously, but something about the way he shared these patterns with us inspired me to become an outdoorswoman and find them for myself. I became addicted to pattern-hunting hikes with camera in hand.  Thousands of pictures later, I began publishing my writings and photography, and sharing my passion with my students. He also taught us about education. Alternative education. I had already been teaching for seven years and was fed up with the the students sitting like stalwart soldiers in their seats and the ongoing battle of coercing them to listen to my lecture-style instruction. I knew something had to change and Don gave me the new set of tools I needed to breathe new life into my career as a teacher. Don had a creative edge, making lessons come alive with not only his entertaining zest for explaining things, but setting children up for success by giving them the tools to learn on their own. Thank you Don, for giving me the tools that inspire my work today, to live outside the box and believe that our children when given the right tools can turn our world inside out and upside down....

Upside down

Boy, you turn me

Inside out

And round and round

Upside down

Boy, you turn me

Inside out

And round and round

UPSIDE DOWN by

Bernard Edwards / Nile Rodgers

   Don has since moved on in his life, and now I've moved on in my new life's direction. Having left my suburban apartment and joined an intentional community, I've now begun my dream. On September 2, 2010, Heathcote Art & Science Center opened its doors to nine homeschooled youth. Our MathArt program focuses on studying the patterns in nature.  This blog is about the adventures we experience in our lovely indoor learning center in an old renovated 1800's community house known as "The Mill", our amazing outdoor learning center, complete with 112 acres of forest, stream, pond, meadows and trails for endless exploratory opportunities.  I currently run three homeschool programs per week: Mad Scientists, Junior Naturalists and MathArt, and a school holiday program called Daylong.  All of our programs have a nature focus; therefore my blog is referring to my students and me as "the naturalists”. I hope you will stop by here often and read about our adventures.  Namaste!

Natureglo