TEACHING BEAUTY AND RESPECT FOR NATURE TO THE CHILD
Among the endless avenues of awareness, the ideals of beauty in sound, sight, nature, literature, architecture, dance, and human behavior may be imparted to the child constantly through common yet varied experiences. One may not know at the time how exposures to field trips, concerts, recordings and programs in the community affect the child; so many of his faculties are still developing, but often when one least expects it, some impression or experience of seemingly minor import makes the greatest effect. The wider the range of positive experiences, the broader will be the child’s reference; his reality proliferating into rich appreciations and greater abilities in childhood as well as later in life.
For example, so much can be included in a simple picnic.
The family planned a picnic in the mountains for a pleasant Sunday afternoon. Mother and Middle Johnny prepared a special lunch of sandwiches, some fresh vegetables, bananas, apples, oatmeal cookies and a healthy drink of fruit juices that Middle Johnny had concocted. Mrs. Stiller would tend to the baby. They would drive to a park where Father wanted to take the three older boys on a short hike.
Mother packed some games and fun toys for the ride. Big Johnny sat in the front seat with Father who often pointed out problems with driving and traffic, for it would soon be time for Big Johnny to learn to drive. Mother knew something about the towns they passed and the history of the area. They saw the remains of an old mill and the place where the early pioneers entered the valley was impressive. They got out of the car to read the inscriptions on the monument and take in the view before driving up the winding road to a quiet, cool campsite where they found a table, a tap for drinking water and lovely trees surrounding a gentle slope.
They planned to eat lunch and then rest a little while as Father explained some of the flora and fauna of the area, to see if the two older boys could recognize some of the things they saw, including the strata of rock formations farther up the slopes. They had books along for reference, which they looked at after lunch. Father wanted to have time to hike up to a lost mine he had visited when he was a boy. Some of the climb would be steep so they decided that Mother and Johnny would walk along the trail that led from the camp. There were two empty tables besides the one where they had set out their food. They had come up far enough and picked a good day for their outing. The ranger down the road a few miles told them this was the area of the mine to the east side of the mountain but the trail stopped short of it, to his knowledge. If they had the whole day, they could have gone farther up the mountain to the lake and deserted cabin but that was a different project.
Soon Father and Big and Middle Johnny left for their hike. Father carried a light pack of water. The two boys put in a box for specimens for future science reports. It was not too far into summer vacation for beautiful wild flowers to be out, and Father wondered if he would find the lonely poplar that used to grow over the first rising hill.
Mother and Johnny watched the three older men of the family disappear through the trees, and as they were cleaning up the table and putting most of the utensils back in the car, they could see the three figures, larger, medium and smaller, slowly trudging up the first hill until they vanished over it. Johnny wished he was old enough and big enough to go with them, but looking up at the flitting birds nearby and at the variety of trees, this place seemed very inviting too. Mother would show him how to identify trees by their leaves and seeds if they found any, and the trail led down to a canyon stream. They rested a few minutes in the car as Mother had been up early. Johnny helpfully put all of the garbage in the trash cans and picked up around the table. Mother applied some disinfectant to clean his hands. They put on some more sunscreen, got out of the car and crossed the campground.
There were outhouses where mother went and told Johnny to go also, but as she closed the door, he thought he saw something running along the edge of the trees. He ran over to see what it was and, sure enough, it was the cutest grayest bushy-tailed squirrel that he had ever seen. It didn’t seem to mind the attention it was getting because it had seen little boys around there before. It wandered almost idly down the trail keeping just a little ahead of Johnny. It seemed to think he had some food for it; he was disappointed that they had cleaned up around the table so well. It didn’t appear to the young boy that he was going far and he was so intent on chasing the fascinating little creature, but suddenly the trees closed in and the feathery gray tail darted up a tree. Johnny couldn’t see it any more. He felt disillusioned. It would be such a great pet to have for his very own. He had only seen one scruffy little brown squirrel before and that seemed so long ago, when they had been in another park.
Then he thought he’d better get back to where his mother was. She may be cross as he’d lost track of time. He wandered among the tall trees, his little feet sinking into layers of pine needles and leaves. But it was shady, and he couldn’t find the trail. He was sure it wasn’t far from the camp so he kept looking, going farther into the closing trees.
It took some dazed wandering for Johnny to realize that he didn’t know where he was and that he had become lost. He remembered how his mother had told him to stay in the same place in the mall where he had last seen her, and that if ever he were lost, he should not wander around but stay in one place. He shouted as loudly as he could and scared some birds that fluttered away in the treetops, but no one answered. He got hoarse and sat down on the soft ground.
By now, Father and the older boys had climbed up several of the steep hills, resting a short time to notice the types of rocks, some wild flowers and types of desert bushes. Big Johnny was more interested in the types of rocks and spotted a bright gold one, which Father identified as fools’ gold, to Big Johnny’s disappointment. It looked just so beautiful and yellow; gold could not have been prettier. They rested on a granite rock, which made a nice seat in the shade of some scrub oak. They looked for lava and pure obsidian among a cluster of dark stones. There were many other kinds of stones, pink, some with stripes in them telling histories of long geological periods and some had green streaks.
Farther up were some colorful flowers. White sand lilies, purple cat’s claw: this one had circular conglomerate leaves and was nearly through blooming. There were sego lilies, and they looked for the bright flashing Indian Paint brush. Father pointed out the choke cherry bushes farther down the canyon along with slight touches of the beautiful pink roses. Middle Johnny wanted to go down the steep slope to the canyon creek, but there was stinging nettle along the way and Father mentioned that there would be a profusion of poison oak along the water.
They went more slowly as the mountain steepened, clutching onto bushes and big rocks to keep their balance and digging their feet into weeds and soil. The sun shone warm on their backs as Father and the two older boys trudged up a steep slope where they stopped to take a drink. Entering the shade of a sweeping, forest-like cluster of scrub oak they decided to look for what Father called his favorite wild flower, the rare, shy yellow violet. They spent some minutes parting the dry fallen oak leaves and brushing away acorns and did find what was identified as the leaves of the beautiful, shy flower, but it was not in bloom.
“When are we going to find the old mine?” Middle Johnny asked as he watched a stone roll down the hill as they arose to resume their little journey.
“It should be just beyond that cliff; you can see it in the east over the next rise here. It’s on the side of the mountain. I wonder if it still can be recognized, as I haven’t been here for so long.”
“Did you ever go in it?” panted Big Johnny trying to keep up with his father’s larger strides and feeling it his duty to keep ahead of his younger brother.
“A person could go a little way where the timbers were still firm, but further on they said was a cave-in and most of us were afraid of mountain lions or bears in those days. I did explore the inside with a flashlight with my father, but it was dirty and dark and we didn’t go far. We were told not to go in or our parents wouldn’t allow us to hike.”
“Did you ever see any wild animals up here, a mountain lion or a bear?” asked Middle Johnny almost out of breath.
“I know of those who have, but I mostly saw snakes and deer. If you see a snake, just go right on. They will not bother you if you don’t bother them.”
Middle Johnny wasn’t too anxious for that, but as they turned to travel along the mountain toward the old mine, he slowed down again and fell behind, and looking down he saw a huge tarantula almost in front of his foot.
“Come here Father! See this!” He tried not to scare the huge spider. Father and Big Johnny turned around and cautiously walked back a few steps. Oddly, the spider stayed where it was. It’s tawny yellow spots looked pale and dry as a yellow withered petal. Father and Big Johnny contemplated this strange phenomenon of nature as they had among the other fascinating flora and fauna that they had encountered. “He must be an old fellow,” Father said “or he would have moved out of our way. And see, he’s large and lighter gray than those I’ve seen that must be younger.”
“He’s kind of ugly,” Middle Johnny observed. He wanted to take a rock and kill the ugly fellow. There were plenty handy, just the right size,
“This is his home. Middle Johnny, step around him and let us keep going. We must be turning back soon.”
In the meantime, Johnny got tired of sitting on the leaves waiting to be found after he had lost track of the squirrel he had chased, so he looked around where he was and noticed a bare spot among the leaves where there was a white rock just big enough for him to turn over. No telling what he would find under such a nice rock. He struggled a few minutes and pulled the rock over. Sure enough there was a trove of insects under it including a centipede. Johnny thought this was a great find but it marched away under a nearby leaf. Crickets sounded out, disturbed by such an interruption in their daily rest and a beetle and a few slugs were too drowsy to move much. Johnny got tired of watching them and sat down again under the tree with the soft needles and leaves. The sun was flickering through the rooftop of leaves and beginning to slant farther down in the sky.
Johnny was scared as he leaned against the tree with his knees near his chin. He thought he heard strange noises, but as the sun began to shine more dimly as it inevitably coursed toward the west, weariness gained predominance in spite of an occasional ant crawling along his pant leg. When one eventually began to crawl up his neck, Johnny opened his eyes and it was almost dark. He sat still, for it seemed the noises increased. His vision adjusted to the lessening light and he thought he saw a doe poke its head from behind a tree. It gently sniffed the fallen leaves and disappeared with their sound.
Then Johnny thought: what if a bear came through the dark trees? The strange noises increased even more. Then panic was about to set in. He thought of something he had forgotten. Although he was lost, he had been taught his Father in heaven knew where he was. He would want him to be all right so he must ask Him. Johnny knelt down into the whisper of leaves. He had been told not to be a fair-weather supplicant and to say his prayers every morning and evening. Thinking what he was saying, first to thank for the blessings he could enumerate, and knowing God knew what he most needed, and to say “Thy will be done.” He heard more noises making it hard to concentrate. He wondered why he hadn’t thought of this before.
He started over, trying to blot out the scary distractions. He remembered his mother telling him that God would always take care of those who remembered Him and tried to keep His laws. He knew now he had been thoughtless in following the little squirrel and that it was his own fault that he found himself in such a predicament. He ended by saying, “Father in Heaven, I think you know I’m lost out here. Please, let me get back to my mother and father and brothers. I’ll not follow squirrels any more. Please keep the bears away.” Then he said the Lord’s Prayer for good measure. He was glad they had to memorize it for a family night and he had been next to Middle Johnny in learning it first.
After all this work, Johnny sat back against the tree and waited for his family to find him. No one came. The noises in the trees were coming down again under the tree with the soft needles and leaves. The sun flickered through the rooftop of leaves and began to slant farther down in the sky.
Johnny was scared as he leaned against the tree with his knees near his chin. He thought he heard strange noises, but as the sun began to shine more dimly as it inevitably coursed toward the west, weariness overtook him in spite of an occasional ant crawling along his pant leg.. When one eventually began to crawl up his neck, Johnny opened his eyes and it was almost dark. He sat still for the noises seemed to increase. His vision adjusted to the lessening light and he thought he saw a doe poke its head from behind a tree. It gently sniffed the fallen leaves and disappeared with their sound.
Then Johnny thought: what if a bear came through the dark trees? The strange noises increased even more. Then panic was about to set in. He thought of something he had forgotten. Although he was lost, he had been taught his Father in heaven knew where he was. He would want him to be all right so he must ask Him. Johnny knelt down into the whisper of leaves. He had been told not to be a fair-weather supplicant and to say his prayers every morning and evening. Thinking what he was saying first to thank for blessings he could enumerate, and knowing God knew what he most needed to say “Thy will be done.” He heard more noises making it hard to concentrate. He wondered why he hadn’t thought of this before.
He started over, trying to blot out the scary distractions. He remembered his mother telling him that God would always take care of those who remembered Him and tried to keep His laws. He knew now he had been thoughtless in following the little squirrel and that it was his own fault that he found himself in such a predicament. He ended by saying, “Father in Heaven, I think you know I’m lost out here. Please, let me get back to my mother and father and brothers. I’ll not follow squirrels any more. Please keep the bears away.” Then he said the Lord’s Prayer for good measure. He was glad they were assigned to memorize it for a family night and he had been next to Middle Johnny in learning it first.
After all this work, Johnny sat back against the tree and waited for his family to find him. No one came. The noises back in the trees were getting stranger and more frightening. Then he remembered Father had said you pray and then you get up and do all you can for yourself. He thought he had better call and let them know where he was. “I’m Johnny! I’m here!” he kept calling as loudly as he could. He called for a long time and he was becoming hoarse. Maybe he hadn’t done the praying part just right. He must have forgotten something. Oh, that was right. God knew everything and what was for the greatest good. He hadn’t said “Thy will be done.” Maybe he hadn’t learned what all this being lost was to teach him. He prayed he’d learned his lesson. When he began calling again, his voice sounded stronger. He thought he got it right — but then he was supposed to be trusting that all would be all right.
Small as he was and dark as the night had become around him and with the noises getting louder on all sides, somehow he felt peaceful. He didn’t care if he had to stay there all night if God wanted him to for God knew everything and he would do what was best, as mother had always said. He kept calling “I’m here,” until he finally thought he saw the moon coming up through the trees. Then he thought he heard a man’s voice calling quite far away. “I’m here!” he kept calling.
Suddenly a light came through the trees and a man came stomping through their higher branches. At first Johnny thought it was his father, but he could see it was a forest ranger. He was so relieved; he had trouble holding back the tears. He was found.
On the way home in the car Johnny could relax and think about what happened. Father and mother had been strangely silent even though he had explained about the squirrel. Big Johnny had later told how they had hiked and followed the trail to the lost mine but it had either disappeared or they were in the wrong place. Father had said perhaps there wasn’t time to look far enough. Middle Johnny had really scolded Johnny for being so much trouble that they even had to call out a small posse from the nearby police to look for him.
Mother had only hugged him. No one was saying anything now on the long way home on the lonely road. Big Johnny put his hand on his little brother’s shoulder and kept it there for some time as if he were making sure he was there. Johnny wanted to say something to make things right with all the trouble he had caused. After riding along in the dark through the mountain road, the car broke out onto the highway. Then Johnny remembered the last part of the prayer. He was to thank the Heavenly Father for taking such good care of him. He wanted to thank his family for being there when he was found, but the tears began to come. He felt how thankful they were too — in spite of all the trouble he had been. Later he would tell his parents how he had done many of the things they had taught him while he was lost. He would wait until family time and he knew they would be happy then. Right now they had become very tired 
Here we see that whatever is imprinted early on the child’s consciousness can come to bear for good or ill at later times. The earlier one is taught to call on the almighty power, and is shown how to do so, the sooner the learning becomes a part of the character. It is best emphasized and seemingly over-emphasized in the very young, where it takes root and comes into play in difficult situations. It is a great assurance to know that one need not merely trust in one’s own powers for right action to occur. Even great tragedy can be endured and understood with this deeper truth.
Notice in the above story that Johnny has not yet come to the final step of his experience. In the family session relating to and analyzing what happened at the outing there should be a review of all that happened and then Johnny will remember to be truly thankful for his deliverance and will be able to use it later in life in times of stress and trials.
Allyce Cay Bothmann
Tags: childhood prayer, children and prayer, respect for nature
