The Basics of Nature
For day one, we talked about what we would be doing in this STEMmersion, why and how to set up our blogs (more about the STEMmersion and blogs themselves can be found on the "ABOUT THIS STEMMERSION" page), as well as some outdoor activities. The first thing we did outdoors was play a game called, "The Wind Blows." It was where we would have a specific spot in a circle with one person in the middle. The person in the middle would say, "The wind blows to anyone who..." and then says something true about themselves. If the thing that was true about themselves was true for anyone else, we would run to another spot. Whoever wasn't on a spot, would be in the middle next. That was just a fun game to play and to get acquainted with everyone. Then later, after lunch, we went down to the pond east of our school to sit and observe for ten minutes. We had to find two things that we felt, three things that we saw, and three things that we heard. I sensed all the usual things like birds chirping, water moving, and bugs buzzing, but the thing that stood out the most was the feeling of the present. It's something you don't particularly feel on a day to day basis unless you try to feel it. When you're in the present, you forget about the concept of time. You know it exists but you don't feel it. And it's hard to think about the past, future, or anything really besides what is around you. You're just in this place that is blank, but the place is nice. Sitting out in nature without any music or other noise and just staring at the pond is what took me to that place where time doesn't exist, and everything is still and peaceful.
Any Questions?