There was voting in the gym at school so we had to have Health and Wellness class outside. There was a 60% chance of rain in the next hour, nothing looked like it was coming on the live radar, but it looked like it was going to rain. If there wasn’t voting in the gym, I would have held class inside. Since it wasn’t an option for today, we went outside for a hike through the woods.
Although it was a lovely hike, at first the kids complained. “Why do we have to go outside?” “It’s gross out!” “I’m cold!” “It’s my birthday and we have to do this?!”
We hike on. We play in the creek with our hands. We jump through the rocks. It was lovely.
Drizzle. Pitter patter. It’s starting to rain.
We are 20 minutes away from any building. I notice the students are having fun with this little bit of rain, finding it fun to be outside and get a little wet. I admire their playfulness and watch how they slip into the depths of presence that being in childhood offers them. It’s about time to head back and I gather everyone to check in about their experiences, to “catch” their stories.
Then the drizzle became a downpour. The students laughed with joy and surprise as they were caught in the rain in the middle of a school day. I actually have to shout to be heard over the sound of the rain, I ask my typical check-in: “Thumbs up if you feel better than when you came to class, thumbs to the side if you feel the same, thumbs down if you feel worse than when we started.”
Eleven out of the twelve thumbs were enthusiastically up. We RUN back to the school building and I couldn’t help but shout, “I feel so alive!”
I really did feel so alive. Getting caught in the rain provides an adventure that engages all of your senses. Smell, touch, taste, hearing, and seeing. It is a full-body adventure that most (11 out of 12) people can fully appreciate enough to acknowledge. I’ll never forget the day we got caught in the rain. I wonder if the students won’t either.
Outdoor Learning with Weslie 