#Earthschooling365: Day Ninety-Three
Inner Work Meditation (Heart): We did a meditation a few weeks ago based on how animals are sometimes able to live in harmony together in nature. Let’s take that idea a bit deeper today. When I saw this rabbit so close to the deer I thought to myself, “why isn’t the rabbit scared it will be stepped on?” Another day this week I had seen a rabbit unflinchingly allow a big black bird to land near it. That surprised me because considering that owls and hawks are major rabbit predators I would have guessed that rabbits would jump at any large bird swooping down from the sky. I was wrong. This rabbit didn’t care at all. It got me thinking – why are they so calm? What cues are they using to let them know this animal is safe even though it appears to me that it is not? A lot of it is probably body language.
In the same way – what cues do we use to know that another person is approaching us with peace and not with anger or violence? What are these cues we use in our personal relationships and how can we make them clearer for the people we are working with? So often people are misinterpreted, not by what they say, but by body language. Is your body language sending the wrong signals? Is someone else (or a child you teach/parent) always getting in trouble or making others angry or upset because of their body language? Think of ways in which you can encourage positive body language in yourself and others around you.
Nature Walk Idea (Head): I’m always fascinated by the relationships between the animals and birds on the trail. The other day there was a big black starling that came swooping into the grass right by a baby bunny and the bunny didn’t seem to mind. Somehow it knew that starlings don’t eat bunnies even though rabbits are typically scared by any quick or sudden movements. In the same way the bunny above does not seem to mind that this large creature that could crush it with its hooves is standing over it. Today on your nature walk take some time to observe which animals, birds and insects are living in harmony and which ones do not seem comfortable with each other. Why do you think these differences exist?
Photography Notes (Hands): Today’s photo was taken with a telephoto lens. We have talked before about telephoto lenses, light and background focus but we have not yet talked about how a telephoto lens can bring subjects closer together. This photo is a good example of that happening. In this photo the rabbit was actually about twenty feet from the doe but in the photo appears to be only 5 feet from the doe. This is a feature of a telephoto lens you can use to your advantage when needed but also a feature you need to be aware of when trying to keep a subject out of the photo. In the photo above I wanted to show the peaceful relationship between the two animals so I wanted them to appear close in the frame. Your assignment today is to use a telephoto lens to bring to subjects closer together (your subjects could also be trees, buildings, flowers or anything). If you are using a cell phone to take photos you will not get the same effect unless you use an attachable telephoto lens.
Verse: Doe & Bunny
Copyright Kristie Burns
What kind of bunny are you?
I have long ears and you do too
We both nibble weeds
And move at great speeds
And we like to drink morning dew
Why are you up there so high?
With your long neck and head in the sky
Your legs are so long
Your tail’s shaped wrong
I’m simply curious why
Which is your favorite game?
Hide-n-seek – mine’s always the same
You leap and don’t lop
You run and don’t hop
Look down here and tell me your name
*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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Waldorf homeschool curriculum
Waldorf inner work
Free photography lesson
Free Waldorf verse
Waldorf nature table
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