Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting
September 3, 2010 by admin
Filed under Recommended Reading
- ISBN13: 9780982354513
- Condition: New
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Product Description
Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting is a narrative of mother-and-son nature outings across the state of Wisconsin. In a style that blends the voices of Janisse Ray and Annie Dillard, a mother and son explore parallels in the world of people and nature. The interconnected chapters stand on their own and build upon each other. These explorations of natural history, flora and fauna, and parenting themes demonstrate that the mythic thread that winds t… More >>
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One of the most moving passages, toward the end of this book, addresses our biggest challenge. Amy Lou Jenkins says: ” How do we, and how will our children, understand how to have dominion over a natural world (in which our attitude has moved from survival, to comfort, to avarice) when we only know summer nights by the comfort of lying in bed in a sealed room while the air conditioner blows away the feelings of the season? Most of us don’t hear the loon call at sunset…..the baritone gulp of the bullfrogs.”
The author shares problems she has had with her former spouse, religion, parents, suburbs, decaying cities, a distant daughter and an unresponsive educational system, but it is her inspired trips with her eleven year old son that pull us outside to experience nature. He represents us, the skeptical audience, who she patiently mentors in the history, images and sensations of the natural world and away from a world of controlling relationships and hollow consumerism.
I would have opted for a more memorable title, but the writing itself is wondrous. Every generation has needed an Aldo Leopold or Thoreau to waken us from the weariness of the day-by-day. Amy Lou Jenkins is our John Muir and we never needed what she does more. She writes, “We who are drawn outdoors are trying to understand the community to which we belong; we are seeking spiritual awe; we are hunting wholeness. This is why we walk.” Or, as Muir once observed, “I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
- John Lehman, Rosebud Book Reviews
Rating: 5 / 5
The great outdoors have a lot to offer the world and a parent should try to teach their children that. “Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting” is a collection of reflections on five seasons where Amy Lou spent with her son in the outdoors of Wisconsin and the lessons that she and her son learned along the way. With plenty of poignancy and thought, “Every Natural Fact” is a read that any nature loving parent will want to consider when sharing that nature with their children.
Rating: 5 / 5
It is said we are all products of our environment. Amy Lou Jenkins wanted more for her son DJ than playing video games, watching TV, being on the computer or talking on the phone. She wanted to create a stronger bond with him, and to help him to learn some of life’s lessons he would be facing someday. That was the beginning of their nature walks together, across Wisconsin.
With each new trip or adventure DJ was learning to love the magic of nature. Watching a bird that had been on the endangered list, or learning about plants and seeing trees as they changed was something DJ came to love. The history of an area or the folklore fascinated him.
When Amy would talk about her family or different experience’s, she was teaching him the importance of not only family but of man and nature to connect. That it is our responsibility to take care of our planet. To ensure it is just as beautiful for the next generation to come.
They also enjoyed the fun they had just being together. Laughing and learning new things on each trip they took. To me, what I enjoyed so much was the descriptive way the author talked. I was able to learn also. This book is a great read for anyone
Rating: 5 / 5
Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Air Parenting
By Amy Lou Jenkins
Nature and the wild is so beautiful and when experienced can bring about a true understanding of the world and all of its beauty. When people deface the trees, burn them, or abuse the beautiful land we live in, measures need to be taken to protect our forests, parks, land and greenery. Amy Lou Jenkins in her book has brought to light many issues that are not only faced by humans when exploring the forests, the oceans and natural resources, but she teaches the reader a lot of animals, ecology, the environment and enjoying nature with her son, DJ. DJ and Amy spend many long weekends, days and more hiking throughout the state of Wisconsin and share with the reader their exciting experiences, the history of many of the parks, forests and places they visit and her family. Throughout the book, the author tells the reader about many of her family members that visited the areas she and DJ are seeing for the first time and of the wonderful memories that she will never forget.
I enjoyed reading about the cranes and how she was determined to see a White one and the history of that crane and how some are endangered really enlightens the reader and helps you understand why it is important to have sanctuaries and safe places for these and other birds, and animals to thrive. Sharing with the reader how one man was able to teach these cranes how to migrate for one season and come back for another was truly amazing and exciting to read. Of course my favorite, was her Grandma Bertha who definitely reminds me of my Grandmother who was also Bertha and my Aunt Lil that resembles hers in so many ways.
Bonding with a young child is difficult when they start middle school and are beginning to form different friendships and relationships. Teenagers and preteens would rather spend time with their friends, watching football and enjoying activities whether indoors or outdoors with people their own age. The fact that DJ was willing to go on these adventures with his mother is truly remarkable and quite commendable. I really liked when he asked Amber to come on one trip and how she was treated as one of the family and asked to be the navigator on the journey. DJ’s polite ways and respect for both adults and other kids and his sensitivity to Amber and how the people they met seemed to treat her, is a tribute to the author and how well brought up and mannered DJ is. Amber sounds like a wonderful young lady who could use some extra help in school and needs to feel special in her own right.
Each essay enlightens the reader about the wonders of nature and the remembrances that they trigger in the mind of the author from her past. Some are good and others evoke thoughts that she shares with her son and the reader about her childhood, her parents and the many events in their lives that helped create who she is now and was then.
From her experiences the reader learns about the many seasons of nature that she shared her experiences with not only with DJ but her family too. I really enjoyed reading about the Audubon Center and its history. Her son’s excitement going bird watching and seeking the landscape through his own camera and eyes was exciting. Describing her father and her relationship with him as child, pretending to be part of the crowd during one of their parties and understanding her limitations and sharing her love of nature with her son. I love watching birds, so the descriptions of the red cardinal and the woodpecker interested me as well as the excitement of their trip to Lake Superior.
Living in the city you rarely see the changes in the seasons and nature that someone living in a rural area sees. Learning to sit upon her throne of silence the author learned the comfort and wonders found in stillness. How many people look out of their windows and marvel at the beauty of the landscape, the trees that and changes throughout the seasons, the animals that appear and migrate, or take walks to jus to appreciate each other? Each season that is described, each journey that she and DJ takes brings the reader to a closer understanding of the bond that she has with him and the relationship with her son that is firm and solid.
The history, the stories, her love of nature and her family come through in these wonderful essays. Which ones did I really love the best, try all of them. I especially loved Valley of the Snake and County of Origin. Read these essays and learn why DJ and Amy Lou loved their time together and really became one with nature.
I give this book five more perfect seasons for Amy and DJ explore the world of nature.
Fran Lewis
Rating: 5 / 5
As her son, DJ, neared adolescence, Amy Lou Jenkins decided to begin a series of mother-son walks with him as a means of both strengthening their bond and better preparing him for the upcoming life changes he would soon undergo. Over the course of a host of outings that spanned the state of Wisconsin, Amy and DJ explored not only the natural wonders surrounding them, but also the interconnectedness of humanity, flora, and fauna. What resulted was a spiritual transformation that forever altered each of their individual perspectives, changing the ways in which they related to one another and the world around them.
In Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons Of Open-Air Parenting, Jenkins recounts her mother-son outings with DJ in vivid detail, sharing with the reader the applied knowledge and insight that each of them gained over the course of taking them. Combining a keen sense of history with effective parenting measures, Jenkins shows herself to be an astute student of the human condition as she shares invaluable life lessons with her son – who is inarguably better off for it. With a nod to the powerful spiritual roots that we all share, Every Natural Fact is a poignant reminder that we best enhance our own individual growth and development by maintaining a healthy deference to the inherent wisdom that lies within us all. An enlightening, spiritually fulfilling read.
Dominique Sessons
Apex Reviews
Rating: 5 / 5