Earth School nurtures children’s connection to natural world

Patricia Walsh-Collins, founder and director of Earth School, is taking a new approach to education through her nonprofit educational organization dedicated to nurturing and facilitating a child’s connection to the natural world.
“Our basic mission is to nurture and cultivate the inner wisdom of the young,” Walsh-Collins said. “We see ourselves as a conduit to the higher teachings of the Earth.”
The Earth School uses a sensorial approach to its teaching, primarily focusing on the sixth sense of perception and intuition. In doing so, Walsh-Collins said it is “demystifying their spiritual intelligence,” noting it is not related to religious studies.
The organization, which started in 2014 with only one child, is now working with 100 children this summer. Walsh-Collins left the education system seven years ago where she worked as a visual arts and world religions teacher.
It’s her own spiritual path that led her to create the Earth School. Walsh-Collins has adopted the teachings she has personally experienced through world travels. She is influenced by the cultures of the indigenous Quichua people, Peru, India and Nepal.
The summer camp offered is a blend of the physical and metaphysical aspects of the natural world, which includes spiritual teachings, art, Earth studies and energy work. A typical summer day begins with a centering practice such as breathing exercises, yoga or silence. Children then engage in free-flowing time guided by a theme related to an Earth element. One such activity is meditating with a “tree partner” for the week.
“Now the world is catching up, it’s OK to love a tree, and Earth School kids truly do, and they feel that love in return,” Walsh-Collins said.
Walsh-Collins structures her teachings in a way that is not time restrictive by following the energy of the children in her program.

“We’re all living in a world that has worked really hard to keep us disconnected,” Walsh-Collins said. “Kids work is to play; their minds function on curiosity.”
Walsh-Collins noted that Earth School children have been more engaged throughout the pandemic than in the past and more parents are recognizing a need for children to be outside and to interact with one another.
“It’s one of the gifts of the pandemic that people are refocusing on their inner lives, family lives, connections, and relationships and I’m seeing that also means their relationship with the natural world,” Walsh-Collins added.
“There’s a lot of love,” she added. “I’ll paint a picture for you: Walking through the forest with a bunch of kids behind you and they’re all singing and it’s not anything I started. It’s complete joy.”
In the fall, the Earth School will offer homeschooling, pre-school, after school, and Saturday workshops for children and professional development workshops for educators. Walsh-Collins is also developing an inner wisdom course for teenagers because she saw a need in this age group.
Walsh-Collins’ greatest hope is to eventually enter the school system with her teachings.
“I want to have a hand in changing the education system of this country,” Walsh-Collins said.
“Spirituality is a window into a culture and certainly a window into one’s own identity. Social and emotional learning is great but it’s not deep enough, not for the time we are living in,” she added.

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