#Earthschooling365: Day Fifty-Three
Inner Work Meditation (Heart): Today we noticed so many things on our nature walk that we usually don’t notice. I walk by these flowering bushes and flowering trees every day and usually notice that they are pretty but I don’t usually take photos. But today something was different! They were all covered in rain-drops after a gentle rain this morning. In fact, even the spider-webs that are usually hidden were exposed by the raindrops. Take some time to meditate today on how “rain” in our lives can do the same thing. Sometimes we wish that life could always be filled with sunshine but isn’t it the “rain” and the “raindrops” in our lives that often expose sides of ourselves and others that we would never have seen or paid much attention to before? Try to think of at least one example in your own life where the “rain” in life has allowed you to see deeper into yourself or another person or has taught you something new about yourself or another person.
Nature Walk Idea (Head): On today’s nature walk we enjoyed the rain. It is so beautiful to see how the rain changes the world around us. Everything becomes sparkling and magical! The most fascinating thing we found was a spider web covered in raindrops. It was so beautiful to see the raindrops lining the web like a water-pearl necklace. Your nature walk assignment for today is to try to find a spider web yourself. They are often easiest to see after the rain or when reflected in the early morning or late afternoon sun. Sometimes the dewdrops on a humid morning can reveal them as well. If you don’t have these advantages on your walk today then try to look in places where you think they might build a web. Ask yourself, “If I was a spider, where would I build my web and why?”
Photography Notes (Hands): A couple weeks ago we spent some time learning about shutter speed. Then we learned a bit about ISO. Finally we explored aperture in great detail. Yesterday we took that a step farther and explored how aperture and ISO are related. Your assignment for today is to explore how aperture and shutter speed are related. We explored this a bit when we talked about shutter speed. However, today we will explore this in greater detail from the perspective of shutter speed. Today you will set your camera on aperture-priority and will take note of how this effects the shutter speed. What shutter speed do you need to shoot at today? If your subjects are not moving then you can shoot at 1/60th or 1/125th of a second. What aperture are you forced to use today to be able to use that shutter speed? Do you have any flexibility today (this will depend on the weather/lighting/location/time of day)? Are you able to shoot at faster speeds and still find an aperture that works or are you limited by the aperture of your camera? What other solution could you use in this situation? (Answer: Use a higher ISO). The chart below can help you visualize this.
Verse: Acrostic Rain
Copyright Kristie Burns
Revealing secrets
Activating powers
Illuminating bleakness
Normal devours
Dainty yet mighty
Rescued Aphrodite
Oblique yet tidy
Pearls on a stem
Serendipity’s gem
*These poems have been created for many purposes – from early childhood circle time verses to inspirational or expressive. They vary from day to day so you may find the way you use them or enjoy them also varies. If you would like to set these poems to music consider our tutorial: Creating Your Ow Waldorf Verses or Finding Your Inner Voice.
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What is #Earthschooling365?
This series takes you through an entire year of our nature walks and is part of our non-profit project #Earthschooling365 at www.Earthschooling.org. The photos and posts in this series are all copyrighted. Please do not share or re-print them. Instead, share the link to this blog with your friends.
Along the way I will be sharing our favorite photo of the day, an inner work meditation for the day, photography assignment/tip for the day, nature walk theme for the day and a short verse for circle time (children) or meditation (teens/adults). We invite you to “walk along with us” this year, take some time to use the inner work meditation, be inspired by the nature walk theme of the day and perhaps even start a photo series of your own. To join the community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram please tag your photos #Earthschooling365. To receive these inspirations in your e-mail inbox daily please subscribe to our blog alerts HERE. Don’t worry about missing days – you can join us as many days as you want this year!
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