Where do Lions live? In a zoo!

Have you ever asked you child or any children where exotic animals live? Lions, Tigers, Giraffe, Elephants, Polar Bears.... What was their response?

During the first days teaching a new group of children, this question always occurs and the answer usually is "In a zoo"!

I remember hearing this for the first time and being shocked. They had no idea these animals were wild, that they lived in different parts of the world and not behind bars, or in cages but in the wilderness, away from humans. To say this was upsetting would be an understatement.

Yes, how would children know where a Tiger originally came from if all she/he saw was one in a zoo, of course it makes sense.

What doesn't make sense is that the child was not told the truth. Tigers don't live in zoos, they don't belong there, they never were born to be raised in a zoo. They are wild animals meant to live free, in the wild.

Now how am I supposed to tell my 3 year old where Tigers came from? How am I supposed to explain that Elephants, Zebras, Bears, live in the wild and not behind bars? Why explain at all? The animal is being cared for and we get to see creatures we would never see because we don't live in: Africa, Asia, South America... There's nothing wrong with them living in zoos, they'll probably live longer here than if they were in the wild. Yes, I can hear you now!

Why explain? Letting children think this is ok leads to the acceptance of caged life for these beauties. And while there are many zoos that do care for these creatures, there are more that don't. Behind "closed doors" these animals may have no natural materials in their enclosures. Some may never have set foot on real grass or soil. Some may never see the light of day. And some are starving to death.

There are facilities that are only in this for the money, not for education or the rescuing of wildlife. There's big bucks in the animal trade and purchase. Tens of thousands of dollars. Capture a Tiger cub, rip it from its Mother and you can make a fortune through cub petting, circus acts, pay to play gigs and so on.

But they're only animals, right? Exactly. And so are we! I always tell people, imagine yourself living behind bars for decades simply because of who you are. Sounds like jail, except you didn't commit a crime. Well, neither did these creatures.

On the flip side, there is the belief that zoos are helping to educate. That if these animals weren't in zoos, we would never see them in the wild. Take the Addax for example, only last year there were 3 left in the wild! 3! Why? Take a guess.

Do I go to a zoo? Yes, there is one that I do visit frequently. This zoo originally started out as a rescue. They take amazing care of their animals. I have seen their homes, talked at length with the owner, asking challenging questions about each animal, the size of their enclosure, if I see one who doesn't look well. At this time there is one of the cougars who may not be around much longer. Why? Age. Arthritis and other ailments that come with being of later years. The owner and staff have been watching this beauty daily, to ensure his comfort and well-being. This is how it should be. Loving the animal and making it's life in captivity as free and happy as possible.

If you visit zoos, ask questions. Where did the animal come from? Did they purchase it as a baby? Was it because of their demand that it was torn from its home and family? Did you pay for it? Trade it with one of your animals? There are ways to ensure the safety and well-being of wildlife living in captivity.

Most often if an animal has lived in captivity its entire life, it will never be able to be released into the wild. Never. It would have no hunting/foraging skills. It wouldn't be able to defend itself if met with another of its species. It wouldn't fit in with a pride/pack, etc. It would most likely live alone and starve.

So, do you educate your children about life in captivity? Yes. Be honest. Depending on their age will determine the direction and extent of your explanation. I tell my pre-school children that mean people take the animal from their homes and aren't nice. When asked why, I again explain that these people aren't nice. Go from there. Older ages can understand more, but keep it simple. These types of conversation often lead into climate change, pollution, and more endangered species talks. It is up to the next generation to fix the problems that ours and previous generations have all but destroyed.

This is only the beginning of this conversation. Wildlife is as important as our life. We are all connected, regardless of whether we can see it or not.

We are all Mother Nature's Heroes, all deserving of life, together.

WORLD ENDANGERED WILDLIFE DAY.

This day is terribly sad that it even has to exist. No where in the world should an animal have to fear for their lives on a daily basis, yet this is reality. This is happening and unless people change, recognize and care for non-humans, it will continue to happen. Money is the root and although some think it makes the world go 'round, you can't take it with you.

The INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCN) has what is called a "Red list". This list at the present moment lists over 79,000 species with over 23,000 threatened with extinction! This is appalling! The reason? Take a guess. Yes, humans. Overpopulation, poaching, "trophy" hunting, loss of habitat, illegal pet trade.....

At the current moment, I follow over 2 dozen wildlife, sanctuary, rescue sites, etc. Reading horrendous stories day in and day out brings me to tears. Why do I read them? Why put myself through the immense sadness on a daily basis? Why bother learning about nature, wildlife and the terrors they endure?

Because learning about these crimes allows me to educate young people. To show them my passion and love for wildlife makes them realize that yes, animals are important. Yes, all life is deserving of freedom. Yes, all living creatures belong in their natural habitats. And most important of all, YES, wild animals deserve to live IN THE WILD!

Learning the percentage of decline in population of certain species is staggering. While there are discrepancies between sites, any creature on this list is heading for eventual extinction if humans don't intervene immediately.

Here in Canada we are at risk of losing the fastest animal on the planet! The Peregrine falcon. This bird of prey has been recorded at speeds of close to 400km/hr when diving for its prey! Remarkable!!! This picture is of Maverick, who is no longer with us, at Mountsberg Raptor Centre, part of Halton Conservation. This is a facility that houses non-releasable birds of prey due to injury/illness or human imprinting.

The beautiful Grizzly bear, one of the largest land carnivores on the planet, second only to the Polar bear! Both these gorgeous creatures are endangered. From the Massassauga rattler, Warbler, Snail, Caribou, Saw-whet owl, Bee and more here in Canada are either threatened or endangered.

The largest animal on the planet, do you know what that is? Yes, the Blue Whale. Endangered. Numerous species of Dolphin. Turtle, Owl, Bird of Prey, Endangered.

All of the 4 Big Cats, the Siberian Tiger, Lion, Jaguar and Leopard, Endangered! Quite often these exotic creatures are ripped from their Mothers as young cubs and used as props or for "cub petting", circuses, zoos or when adults as "trophy's" to be hung on some wall.

I could write until my fingers grow sore from all the wildlife humans are destroying. This is a topic I am fiercely passionate about. Am I becoming repetitive? When you have a passion for something, you do love to talk about it. When the passion is about another life, and you see the life being taken in some form, wouldn't you want to do everything you could think of to help?

Teaching children about wildlife, fostering their love and appreciation and even encouraging the development of their own wildlife passion is one of the most amazing things I have witnessed and been a part of. And I will continue to do so until I am no longer able.

So, what can you do about it? Be aware. Be aware of the food you eat and where it came from. Be aware of the clothes you buy are how they were made, from what resources and where. Be aware of the companies whose products you purchase from food to health and beauty to electronics and so on. Be aware. Research.

Yes, I can hear you now and I get it. That's too much work after a long day. I'm tired and just want to relax, be with my family... I know. I wanted to do just that tonight. Relax. But if I did, this wouldn't be written.

However, my goal is to do what I can to educate you. This is my passion, this is what I do. I read, research, contact these sanctuaries and ask questions, challenge what I've read and the answers I've been given, dig, dig and dig. I want to know to pass this on to young people and younger people. This is what I do, and what I love. Even my books feature animal characters!

If you have any questions, about any species, ask. If I don't know, I will ask someone who does. There are several Friends of Mother Nature's Heroes on the sidebar at the right. These are direct links to their pages and each site is a fountain of information regarding their particular interest and sanctuary.

After all, we are all Mother Nature's Heroes, all deserving of life, together. 

Why are you leaving? What did I do?

This post is not what you think it is. This is about young people learning to cope with a mentor/educator moving on. Yes, every year this happens and it's expected, it's what happens when you grow up. Different grade, different teacher, or even different school. Normal life events as a child.

It doesn't matter if the child was in a day care, after school program or private home. Growing up and moving on is a part of life and everyone experiences it, everyone. You get used to saying good-bye to your favourite teacher and sometimes can't wait to move on because they weren't your favourite teacher. Yeah! Hopefully the next year is better. Maybe this year you'll be with your best friend, be challenged, learn and have fun wherever you are. Great.

What if you aren't the one moving on? What if you're still in your class/group and your teacher announces they are leaving. Or worse, there's no announcement and one day your favourite teacher is...gone? No explanation. No "Good-bye". No "I'm moving to another town/job/won the lottery/following my dreams", etc. What then?

Does it matter? People move on all the time. Kids have to learn this is life and stuff happens. You'll be fine, don't worry. Your new teacher is really nice/fun/smart/kind... Life's tough, you'll have to get used to things happening you don't like.

Well, yes, it does matter. Children matter. Feelings matter. If you find it hard to relate, stop and ask yourself "How would I feel?" or maybe you experienced this yourself? How did you feel? Someone in your life you looked up to, an educator, dropped out of your life without warning, or maybe with notice? Perhaps you were told it's a part of life, get over it? Or these things happen? You may not have been able to express yourself. Whatever your story, having someone leave doesn't feel good. Know that the loss of life isn't the same. Losing someone can be discussed at a later date.

I recently left a position with school-age children and it was incredibly difficult. For reasons I won't divulge, the time had come for me to leave. The difficulty lay in the fact that only months prior, these children experienced their mentor up and leaving. One day he was there, the next he wasn't and he never returned. No notice, no warning, no "Good-bye". These school-agers were devastated. They felt it was their fault because they were loud/not listening...We had numerous conversations, our usual group of 30, where they expressed their sadness, confusion and inability to understand what happened. And there is no understanding. What happened was wrong and the children knew that.

My assurance that I was staying was also followed by: unless I win the lottery, become the next best seller, move, become ill or my business does really well, I'm not going anywhere.

When a mentor leaves it's up to the remaining educators to reassure the children that they aren't going anywhere, unless of course they are. Being honest, watching what you say and how you say it based on age, is vital. Kids are smart. They know. They know when something isn't right. They know when adults are keeping things from them. They know when someone isn't happy. Long gone are the days when children were seen and not heard. Now, they have a voice and they matter too.

Honesty is always the best way to handle any situation, again, based on age. Limiting your explanation for the younger audience, keeping your answers short and to the point, is advised.

Announcing my leave was difficult. There were gasps, hands to mouths, tears by most, shocked looks on faces and blank stares. And there was also: Did you win the lottery? Haha, I wish. They were told I needed to work on my books, my business. Being honest months prior helped them to understand my decision. And they knew how hard a decision it was, they saw my face.

This is the right way to leave. Give them notice. Explain as much as you are able.

Do your best to make sure they are ok and answer any questions, help them through the transition, help them deal with their emotions. Reassure them that they have nothing to do with the decision because even if you feel working with children is not your career path, it's not because of the children you are leaving. It is because you have become aware of what does and doesn't make you happy. Own your decision and make it yours, not one that was forced upon you as no one can make you do anything you don't want to do.

Bottom line: be honest. Never abandon your students, for any reason. They deserve an explanation. They are people too. And they matter.

We are all Mother Nature's Heroes, all deserving of life, together.

Wanted: Illustrators and Authors ages 4+!

As a young child I would read about contests for authors and illustrators. I always wanted to enter one but never believed I was good enough. I certainly was never acknowledged for any illustrations in school and my short stories were personal, just for me.

Even as an adult, I never thought my stories were worth writing, let alone becoming published. Even after my Mother telling me to write a children's book, I still didn't think I could. So, what changed? Good question.

I just wrote. Suspense fiction. Then I took an on-line writing course and became extremely discouraged. No encouragement. I pretty much gave up. Everyone was right, I wasn't a writer and certainly not an illustrator.

Then I heard about a writing teacher, Brian Henry, and went to a few of his seminars. I followed his blog, researched everything I could find about writing, agents, links from blog to blog to website. Hours and hours I spent reading this and that. I took his writing course and learned, listened and researched more and more. Then I started to submit my suspense and to my utter surprise, I was accepted in several on-line magazines! I can tell you I cried tears of joy! And that is how my journey began.

Now, I want to help other young people.You see, art is subjective. Everyone has an opinion and there are no wrong opinions. This I have learned. What I perceive to be beautiful may be viewed by someone else as simple, plain, ugly and so on. I have read books only to wonder how they ever became published. Not my taste but that's my point.

The stories/books I like to read aren't necessarily favoured by everyone. And that's ok. We are all different. We are all unique. That is what young people need to know. In fact, being different is what makes us individuals.

As you can see the snake image here is the very first illustration of Sally I did years ago. Quite different, isn't she? Practice, looking at books, pictures, images on the computer, that's how Sally ended up going from the cute green snake to the detailed reptile in Sally the Snake -The Quest to the Beginning. I still sometimes have difficulty viewing myself as an Illustrator. It takes effort. Writing comes easier for me. But without doing it, you'll never know if you can and you may very well surprise yourself! I did!

At my after school program a young boy, 9 years old, ripped up his wonderful illustration because it wasn't chosen in a colouring contest the program held. This was distressing to see. He was in tears. It's hard for young people to take rejection. Unfortunately with dozens of choices, and only a few "prizes", not everyone can be picked. Rejection isn't fun, it's hard. Many of us take it personally. Illustrating for me stresses me out occasionally, then I realize I can re-do something I'm not happy with or even eliminate it altogether which I have done!

Rejection happened quite often when I submitted Sally to literary agents. That was hard. And so discouraging. Then I learned how some of my favourite authors were rejected close to 100 times! And now they are best sellers.

I can't say every submission will be posted, however I can say I will do my very best and if not posted, names and locations may be mentioned as well.

Here is your first tip: FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES. Guidelines are criteria the author/illustrator must follow in order to be considered for publication. If these guidelines are not met, the submission is automatically rejected, no questions! Also, ensure your submission fits the genre and interests described. Failure to do so will also result in rejection.

I realize these criteria may feel demanding, however as I mentioned earlier, we all have unique interests. If we didn't there wouldn't be a variety of...anything!

GUIDELINES: Submit your short stories and illustrations. Please keep the stories to 500 words or less. This limit may change in the future. Send in your illustrations in jpeg format. Make sure to include your name, and age and the area in which you live. Ages 4-13. Submit to: michelle@mothernaturesheroes.com

I would love to see illustrations of wildlife, magical creatures, nature of any kind. Nothing violent or graphic. Those won't be posted.

Stories again in the nature theme, wildlife, action adventures, danger. I love mysteries, suspense. A great animal adventure mystery? Yes please! Ensure your story has a strong beginning. The first sentence or paragraph must grab the reader. Make the characters connect with the reader, even if they are "the bad guy", they have a story, a past. Pair your story with an illustration if you like although this is not required.

I will post at a later date some tips I have learned from all the research. They may come in handy in the future for a young writer!

Remember, we are all Mother Nature's Heroes, all deserving of life, together.

Is your child being harassed by a ...teacher?

This is a topic I have wanted to write for quite a long time, before this blog began. It will be on a general level as this topic can be discussed at much more length, but for today let's start here.

The thought of an educator of any type badgering a child/young adult is abhorrent. Does this happen? Yes.

Whether the person is a school teacher, day care teacher, instructor of any kind, they are working in some capacity with young people and must conduct themselves accordingly.

There are those teachers who go above and beyond, staying after school to work on special projects for the class or taking work home to do the same. Teachers who book trips, outings or other extra-curricular activities not required by the Ministry. Adults who love nothing more than to see the joy and happiness on a child's face. Those teachers make a difference, forever.

Unfortunately there is the flip side. The adult who behaves like a child. The frustration that is allowed to escalate into a temper directed towards children. Words hurled and damage done. As upsetting as this sounds, it's happening. In schools, after school programs, day cares. Disturbing, isn't it?

Often one hears how a child is "good". But if a child isn't told they're "good", then they must be "bad". It's logical. Remember the previous post regarding positive and negative words? This can be seen here as well. "bad" is very detrimental to a child. So, why not eliminate it? There is no such thing as a "bad" child. There is one who isn't listening, or who isn't nice, simple as that. If a child grows up believing they are "bad", they will live that life, why not? Everyone had told her/him they were bad so they must be. Adults are always right...wrong! But tell that to a young person that the adult they know is wrong. Young children will have a hard time believing it, unless the issue is abuse. That is for another day.

Older school agers will quite often take it. Often they will talk among themselves, knowing the teacher/instructor is wrong but they have no choice. They are bullied into submission. The adult throws around their "power" and the child must succumb or be punished. Forced to put their noses to the wall, sit in silence for long durations, yelled at, not allowed to talk, being left out of the special activity, made to do extra work, this list goes on.

Remember, children are behaving as children, learning, exerting their power, figuring things out. That's what it's like to be a child, explore, learn, grow and have fun.

Educators are the ones in the wrong when they harm a child in any way, physically, mentally or emotionally. Often the thought process is one of "that's how I was raised..." This doesn't make it okay, it makes it acceptable to the adult. They are able to justify their actions as they received the same treatment. Quite often the adult is damaged themselves. No, this is not an excuse. Too often I have seen and/or heard of this behaviour from adults. Do I say anything about it? Absolutely. Adults are the ones that need to control their emotions, not the other way around. When adults complain that the child is being mean/rude/not listening. etc, it is their job to educate the child how to handle these situations, how to best deal with their emotions. It's surprising to hear how some educators are mad when a child behaves...like a child. Frustrating to say the least.

What do you do? Listen to your children/tweens when they tell you what is going on. Ask them questions about their friends, teachers, etc. Be specific. If you're general "How was your day?" they will be too. Do you know the teacher's name? Their instructors? Day care teachers? What is their experience? How long have they worked in the field? Ask, ask, ask. You're the parent/guardian/relative, etc. Be nosy. Take what your child says as truth and investigate, ask other parents/friends if they've had the same experience. Talk to the supervisor/principal. Do some digging. If all else fails, go to the Ministry of Education.

These are our children. Aren't they worth it?

We are all Mother Nature's Heroes, all deserving of life, together.

May the 4th be with you!

As many of you know, yesterday was "Star Wars" day! And yes, I have become a huge fan of Star Wars. I love Yoda so much that I have a t-shirt with my favourite quote. I even had class discussions about him in my school age class several years ago!

Every morning during the summer break, we would have a meeting to discuss the plan for the day and to delegate the tasks in the classroom. Students would help set the lunch table, be in charge of organizing the book shelf, sweep the floor, etc.

And every morning one child would have the opportunity to choose a Yoda quote among those taped all over the room.

There were quotes such as:

"Do or do not, there is no try",

"(Luke):"I can't believe it. (Yoda): That is why you fail.",

"You must unlearn what you have learned.",

"When you look at the Dark side, careful you must be. For the Dark side looks back."

These quotes were the beginning of teaching the children about positivity, energy, the force. And what better way to relate to young people than through Star Wars? Most of the children had either seen some of one of the movies, or at the very least, heard of Yoda, or Darth Vader.

This led to teaching about word choices. There are books in the popular book stores showing how positive words have an energy signature and do affect living matter.

The children learned how to rephrase sentences to eliminate negative words from their vocabulary. They became so aware that they were listening to one another and helping their friends use positive and supportive words as well, even catching me!

And just what are some of these negative words? Keep in mind that negative is a broad term for these words, these words have a negative effect on us, how we think and/or how we feel which in turn affects how we emit energy, the force. This then leads to what we attract, be it positive or negative which affects how we feel...and so on.

Take a look at the few quotes mentioned earlier. "Do or do not..." This is perhaps my favourite quote of all time. If you are always trying to do something, you are never doing it, or succeeding. Your mind set is one of trying, not accomplishing or doing. Either do it, or not. There is no other option.

"I can't believe it." Can't. This is a very destructive word. "I can't do this, I can't be that, I can't..." Then yes, you are right, you can't. Your belief is your reality. Eliminate can't and replace it with CAN. Your energy will shift, positivity will take place of the defeat or hopelessness once felt. The force will surround you. How do you feel?

"When you look at the Dark side, careful you must be. For the Dark side looks back." This quote was perhaps the most interesting to discuss. Teaching the children that looking at the negative, it looks back at you, they are actually inviting this type of thought, feeling, into their lives. Once you head down a negative path, you can easily be consumed with it.

Think about it. How often have you "tried" not to engage in gossip, or not to lash out or yell at perhaps poor drivers, or in your opinion, stupid people? You feel anger. This often sets your day, and/or mood. Then you feel irritated by almost anything. Eventually that is your day, one of racing out the door because you're late, hitting traffic, not finding a good parking spot, someone bumping you, having a fight with a co-worker/boss/friend/spouse/child, etc. Then ruining dinner only to finally go to bed and start the cycle all over.

You are living in the dark side. And it's not fun. I'm going to point out here, notice how "dark side" is now in lower case? Even how we write/type our words can either give something attention or not. A capital on a word gives it more power.

There are many words of which to be aware but one of my favourite words is: should. Should is a guilt inducing word. It tells you: you were wrong/you are wrong/you're going to be wrong. Instead of saying what you shouldn't do, say what to do. Focus on the positive, always.

When you watch how you phrase things and are aware of your word choices, and you beliefs, your energy will shift. It has to. It is the law of attraction. It is the force.

And this matters because all life matters.

We are all Mother Nature's Heroes, all deserving of life, together.