By Denise Duval
“I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face.” - Langston Hughes
March 13, 2014
Yesterday was the first day of spring for me this year. The sun was warming the earth to a glorious 60 degrees, and amidst the last small piles of snow on the side of the road in Baltimore, a purple crocus emerged. I stopped to look at it and felt a rush of joy and wonder, just like when I was a child. Nothing could be more magical or miraculous than the sprouting of a plant in springtime.
When my nine-year old son came home from school, he rushed through his homework so he could get outside and feel that warm sunshine. When I finally made him come in for dinner, he was covered in mud. He had found a big patch of dirt that was saturated from the melting snow and had dug down and inserted his feet--and other body parts--as far down as he could get them into the earth. He was smiling from ear to ear. I smiled too and ran the tub. As I helped him wash his feet, he told me about how good it felt to have mud squishing between his toes, how fun it was to be barefoot again. We talked about the snowdrops that are starting to sprout and the red cardinals that are beginning to look for nesting spots. We talked about things we’re looking forward to that the warm sunshine reminds us of--baseball, swimming, watermelons. We talked about his grandfather who is sick, and how spring might be feeling to him, hoping it would bring renewal, knowing that the cycle of life is ever-spinning.
Nature is my religion. I believe that it is always better to be outside, and that everything you need to know in life you can learn from nature. I find inspiration, contentment and deep refuge in nature. I am glad that my son feels a warm and trusting connection with the earth. I see him learn, like all children do, by feeling something first, experiencing it, and then developing a curiosity to know more. I believe that connecting children to the natural world and teaching them about it is one of the most important things we can do for them.
I love Great Kids Farm because it connects children to nature. I believe we owe all children that connection, that it is their birthright as humans. I believe we should provide it to them as much as we possibly can.
Today it is colder, and it looks like rain. But I know spring is inevitable and that the rain will work its magic. Let’s get out to Great Kids Farm and connect kids with nature this spring. Growing along with the swiss chard, the sorrel and the carrots, I know I will see joy, wonder, curiosity, discovery and great beauty in the faces of Baltimore City’s school students as they dig into the earth.
“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” - Langston Hughes