It’s been a minute since I’ve made sitting down and writing a post a priority…
As I look out at the beautiful winter landscape here in Wisconsin, I notice the thick white snow sticking to bare branches and trunks of the hardwood trees in my backyard. There’s a lot of white and shades of grey and brown. My attention is drawn, this winter, to oak leaves in a way it never has been before. I can attribute this awareness to one moment in particular that I had this fall…well before there was even a whisper of snow in the air.
Earlier this fall, I was sitting with a group of elementary schoolers in the woods of a natural oasis, hidden amongst the hustle and bustle of the city. We had been exploring and climbing and chattering away. That afternoon a prominent figure in our glen was a fellow named Wesley. It is because of Wesley that the oak leaves are still on the trees, you know…
We were there as part of a program I co-mentor, called OASIS. OASIS stands for Outdoor Adventures Steeped In Story. I became involved with OASIS when another local naturalists, Coral Conant Gilles, invited me to join her in this new adventure. Coral is a phenomenal storyteller. Moments when she tells stories are magical times in the woods or around the fire. It is such a gift to see the children drawn in to the world she creates. The magic doesn’t end when the story does, because the stories she tells are all connected to the natural world. The children take those stories with them as they continue to explore and engage with the natural world around them.
Utilizing stories as a bridge to the natural world isn’t new. This is a practice that humans have done since before we had spoken language, telling stories in picture. Spoken stories have been utilized as a way to teach, to explain, to reason, and to reckon. Reviving the art of storytelling and infusing it into your toolkit is invaluable. This tool is versatile and requires no extra equipment! Just spin a tail to fit the situation at hand… Not a storyteller? Not to worry… Ask your local librarian for help finding a volume or two of regional folk tales or traditional Indigenous stories. Share them as a family and see where those tales may take you.
If you are interested in OASIS, or any of the other programs Coral Conant Gilles hosts, check her out at www.coralconantgilles.com or find her on Facebook. Oh - and her stories aren’t just for kids! She has tales to tell to us grown folks as well. I promise you will not be disappointed.
I guess I never did say who Wesley was… For now, I’ll just say he was a weasel, and I’ll never look at oak leaves the same again!