Back To School

"It is a wonderful world in which we live and vegetation is the garnishment of it.  It is a marvelous experience to see the manifold forms of life emerge from the bare earth, all the greater because we do not recognize the sensation.  As we are inhabitants of the planet it surely is our part to appreciate and utilize the objects and incidents with which we are placed.  The interest in them, and their meaning for us, lies in their essential nature and in the fact that they are partners, and the sense-sensations of color and fragrance are only attributes." --Liberty Hyde Bailey

 

 

Future site of the outdoor classroom

 

The new school year is underway!  For those of us who are in the field of education, we seek once again to bring the joy of learning to our classroom of new students.  Teaching, when fully engaged, is not simply a passing on of information or a presentation in formal methodolgy.  It is a complex web of connections between us, our students, and the subject matter.  Ultimately, teaching comes from the heart.  When we are at our best, we are sharing, inspiring and thinking as a community of learners in new and creative ways that come from the best of who we are.  Liberty Hyde Bailey surely shared his love for learning and teaching with those who were fortunate enough to be his students and colleagues.  I like to believe that he would be happy to know that his appreciation for nature study with children has again found a foothold in formal education.  One thing I know for sure is that his teaching has had a lasting inspiration for students like me and I am forever thankful.  

 

The Liberty Hyde Bailey Interpretive Garden Path continues to grow.  If you would like to be a part of this work, consider joining us for a meeting on September 26th at 7:00 p.m. at the Liberty Hyde Bailey museum.  Learn about the progress to date, hopes and dreams for the future and how you can be a part of this growing outdoor learning movement here in South Haven, Michigan!                    





Students capturing the sounds and sights of the wetland
 



Butterfly Garden Flower