Back on the pond and a Personal Reflection
Once turned around it was smooth sailing, or paddling I suppose, in favour of the current. It was nice to me pushed along with only needing minor corrections to prevent from entering the reeds. While on the expedition up and down stream I collected whatever trash possible. One group had an awesome shovel discovery, needless to say all bragging rights go to them! Nonetheless I felt very proud getting what trash I could out of the water.
After making out of the secret steam the class played a friendly game of canoe rugby. It was great fun putting all our skills together to play the game! Bragging rights for my team, red, for winning the game 2-1! But it was all in good fund and I think everyone had a few good laughs from the entire canoeing time.
Going up this stream I felt like the little girl in the "Secret Garden" who discovers a wonderful garden but is fearful of sharing it with anyone else because she is nervous the joys and beauty of the place might be taken away due to not being allowed in the area. The back story of the main characters, Mary, is that she became an orphan and moves in with her uncle. She is sour, rude and does not want to live with her uncle. Mary is bored because she is used to attending lavish events and continuously being catered. However, since moving in with her uncle the chamber-maids do not have the resources to allocated to Mary due to her sick cousin. To sum up a long story Mary's mood changes after the discovery of the garden and her allegedly sick cousin, Collin, also becomes well after exposure to sunlight and the garden.
The stream the class went up was well hidden with reeds and trees. If not for being told about the stream, or exploring the area, I am sure this little spot would go unnoticed. "The Secret Garden" and the secret stream make me think about two things. First, the de-natured children where families spend less time in leisure experience and children are spending an increased amount of time in front of the TV which is also causing a growing in obesity. This leads me to believe if the movie "The Secret Garden" was to be remastered and depict current times instead of Mary finding solitude in the garden she would instead play with some sort of electronic device. Second, how Collin found himself feeling better after exposure to nature which lead me to think about nature's Ritalin. Children outdoors experiences is helping to reduce ADHD symptoms. While Collin in "The Secret Garden" did not have ADHD, that we are aware of,he did experience some sort of illness but with the exposure to the garden he found himself feeling better and had more energy. I really think he was more a case of depression due to the death of his mother and lack of attention from his father, but who am I to diagnose? However, what I do know in the movie is that the garden brought everyone together and restored their sense of family and togetherness.
Going up this stream also gave me the sense of togetherness with the class because this is something only us, those before us on the pong and now you know about. Going on the pond is also a great way to get out into nature allowing for participation in an activity that can be done as a group or solo. Also, there is the
convenience of Pippy Park's proximity and while I do not see canoeing listed under the "What To Do" it would be a nice activity to offer to park visitors.