Welcome to Day 1!

Our programs and courses were developed as a part of a long lineage of natural and indigenous learning models strethching back thousands of years through the oral tradition.

Over 25 years ago Nature Educator and Master Tracker, Jon Young synthesized this traditional learning model into an ‘8 shields’ framework that we use here at Earth Track. All the skills, studies and experiences at Earth Track are categorized in these ‘8 shields’ of learning.

The following video will introduce you to the model. (To view the videos in this course in a larger format, click on either the ‘full screen’ icon in the bottom left of the screen once it is playing, or the ‘watch in youtube’ icon).

 

 

How to plan your day with this course using the eight shields model

diagram: the eight shields model used to show the eight times of the day.

 

The best time to start each day of the program is in the evening when you sit down at the computer and read about whats ahead for the day. Then you can sleep and let the new ideas percolate in your brain. The following morning is the best time to do the exercises for the day outside, though if it works better to do them in the afternoon that can work too. The afternoon is a good time to do your journaling and mapping and then watch the closing videos and then in the evening prepare again for the next day.

 Day 1 Exercise

Today we would like you go outside and find somewhere safe to sit in the natural world. This can be in your backyard, a nearby park or wilderness area. Ideally this place will be nearby and convenient for you to get to each day. It will be somewhere that you find beautiful, comfortable and inspiring. Don’t worry too much about it being perfect, but find a spot that you can stick with for the duration of this seven day course.

In the following video, Nature Educator, Simon Harrison will talk to you about how important and beneficial the ‘sit spot’ experience is in the development of naturalist and wilderness skills and life in general.

 

If you are going to be spending time outside in nature, exploring and learning it is important to stay safe. The following video was made with students of our program on Salt spring Island BC about most of the major hazards in British Columbia. Remember, knowledge is freedom.

 

Find some time today to go outside (dress for the weather) and spend 20 minutes at your ‘sit spot’. While you are at your spot, imagine that you are bird, a high flying bird like an Eagle looking down at your ‘sit spot’ area. Picture in your mind the ‘bird’s eye view’ with everything that you can see and everything that you know of the surrounding area.

When you get back inside, I want you to draw a simple map of this ‘bird’s eye view’. Go into as much detail as you can , but don’t judge yourself (we won’t!) just enjoy the process of remembering and making the ‘bird’s eye view’ map of your sit spot and surrounding area. Keep it to scale as best that you can and go up to 10 miles in all directions if you like or just a few hundred feet if that is better for you. Find the limits of what you can do.

When you have finished today’s ‘sit spot’ and mapping exercise, blog your experience. Share as much as you feel comfortable sharing. What was pleasurable? What was challenging? What did you notice? What did you learn? Photograph and upload your map if you feel comfortable sharing.

Below are some examples of ‘sit spot’ maps, but if yours looks really different that’s great too. Be creative!

Enjoy! See you on day 2….