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By Marilyn Smith
Last August, Lucy Hartley, Program Specialist for Charlottesville Parks & Recreation reached out to Rivanna Master Naturalists to see if we could help with their youth programming in the Fall. They are trying to give kids a break from their virtual world. Lucy had read about Voices From the Land and was hoping we could conduct an after-school program. The class size was to be limited to a maximum of 10 requiring social distancing, masks, and sanitization of all surfaces. All classes were to be held outdoors at Pen Park.
Time was short but we were able to pull this together because of all the work done in the past to develop a detailed curriculum. First, we had to make sure we could provide enough staff and sent out a call for volunteers. Six Master Naturalists with Voices experience (Janelle Catlett, Jane Erwine, Marjie Giuliano, Christine Kastan, David Smith, and Marilyn Smith) stepped up. Next, we needed to adjust the program for 7 weeks and modify it for slightly older children. There was also a bit of administrative issues and background checks that needed to get resolved because we had never worked with Parks and Rec before.
Eight children registered for the class. It just so happened that each kid came with a buddy in their “pod” so it was easy to work in teams of two; 4 boys and 4 girls, all 10 years of age. After the first session, we asked the kids what they liked best. One boy said, “I am happy that I was able to spend time with my friend”. We were convinced then that we were filling a need in this virtual educational world.
For seven weeks, we all explored the trails at Pen Park learning about the trees, plants, ecology, and progression of the seasons. They learned about photography, created art and some basics of performance all while getting some exercise. They also had a lot of fun. There was a lot of laughter. The volunteers learned quite a bit too. For example, how to adjust for different age and size groups and accommodate COVID considerations. We also had a lot of fun and look forward to doing this again hopefully this Spring.
When we can finally open up again, we will conduct another training session for anyone interested in helping with Voices From the Land.