Cyndi Palmer Photography: Nature Journal Week 1: Frozen Waters

“Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the

most important events in their lives.” – Thomas Berry

One of my goals for 2016 is to document my children as they interact with the natural world around them. Growing up in a small Wisconsin Town, I had plenty of opportunity to roam, explore, get dirty, stay out past dark, ride my bike, and play in the streets. To put it plain and simple...I had the perfect childhood to just be a kid. These early childhood experiences left me with a large appetite for adventure and a love of the great outdoors.

I feel most at home in nature and it dramatically affects my mental and physical well-being when I don't get enough time outdoors. In the world we live in today, I feel that my kids don't have that same freedom in regards to nature, and it concerns me about how that will impact their lives. My husband and I talk constantly about the pressures to get them involved in "organized" activities. It's so tempting to just sign them up for all sorts of youth sports and before you know it they are being asked to play on select teams or travel teams. Weekly practices and multiple games on the weekends leave little time for kids and families to be together in nature in a more unstructured way.

Every week, I will post a different theme and photos of my kids as they explore the natural world around them. My hope is that this experience will instill in them the same love and respect for nature that I have. I am also hopeful that it will give me a window seat into their inner beings, help me to learn about their strengths and weaknesses, and give me a chance to capture them in nature, through the lens of my camera.

Week 1: Frozen Waters

“Let Nature be your teacher.” – William Wordsworth

It has been an unusually warm fall and winter here in Missouri, and we have just experienced historic flooding in the past week. The recent rains have left lots of water in the creek bed that is part of a common area behind our house. On New Years Day, the sun was out, the temps were in the 40's and I was longing to feel the wind on my face and to smell the earth, so I put some boots on my kids and we walked down to the creek.

The creek bed sits mostly in the shade, so even at 3:00 in the afternoon, there was a film of ice lining the water left from the rains. My 5 year old daughter Macey noticed it first and was overjoyed to jump in the middle of each puddle breaking up the solid surface with her boots. She proceeded to take off her gloves and pick up a piece of ice and examine it. We talked a little bit about how and why ice forms, and the importance of being safe around ponds and lakes in the winter time. Growing up in Wisconsin, and living much of my adult life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I was able to spend a lot of time out on the frozen lakes. Some of my fondest memories are snow shoeing or cross country skiing at night and watching the Northern Lights dance all around me. Here in Missouri, unfortunately, it just doesn't get that cold.

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better". -Albert Einstein

My 3 year old son, Myles, has an agenda all his own and rarely wants to do what everyone else is doing. He was busy climbing on the rocks and running back and forth over the little bridge. I tried to get him to come look at the ice, but he was not interested, however, once he saw that there were stones to throw into the water, he was 100% invested in the creek as well. Myles is slow to warm up to new things and he gets bent out of shape easily. All was going well, until he stepped into the water and his boot got wet.

After the crying stopped, we moved on to bigger and better adventures. My daughter is pretty athletic and she discovered a good challenge of jumping over the creek bed and seeing if she could get just a little further with each jump. It's funny watching your kids do things that just take you back to your own childhood. I was a major "tom boy" and I was super competitive with all the other boys in my neighborhood. I loved to climb and run and jump and play all sorts of sports. Macey loves to do a lot of these same activities, however she is much more kind-hearted, concerned with everyone's feelings and keeping things fair than I ever was. She's such a nurturing child, especially to her little brother. It's a great quality to have and she's actually much more like her father when it comes to her temperament. Myles on the other hand is stubborn, feisty and competitive .....just like me.

Myles copies EVERYTHING his big sister does, so I knew it wouldn't be long before he was trying to jumping over the creek as well. At first, he was a bit apprehensive and mostly because he doesn't like getting his feet or hands dirty. He soon got the hang of it, and although he landed in the creek more times than clearing it, he didn't mind getting his feet wet as long as he could make a big splash.

We had a great time playing in the frozen stream, but wet hands and feet led to cold and cranky kids, so with the promise of hot cocoa at home, we decided to walk back to the house. Myles is a funny kid. He threw a fit not wanting to go over to the creek in the first place, and then when it's time to go home, he doesn't want to leave. So kicking, whining and screaming away we went back to the house, but I accomplished what I had set out to do.....be outside, create opportunities for my kids to explore the natural world around them, let them run, jump, climb, get dirty, wet and be cold. I had also been rejuvenated by feeling the sun warm my body, listening to the wind in the trees and using my camera to tell my story.