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EESTI ELU reedel, 7. mail 2021 — Friday, May 7, 2021
Memories are made from these
Educase: the tool that broadens access to nature’s sensations Vincent Teetsov Imagine being at the seaside, in the forest, or in a wetland area without being able to see what it looked like. Or let’s say you could see it, but you couldn’t hear the sounds those places emanated: bird calls, crashing waves, wind rustling through the reeds. You might say that you weren’t able to fully access the experience of those places. While being blind or deaf doesn’t define people, and those experiences are too complex to be generalized, one educational tool that crossed my path recently is yet another example of design as a discipline broadening access to fulfilling experien ces and improving quality of life everywhere. As it stands, for many children who are blind or deaf, part of the childhood educational experience of being outdoors is limited. Why is outdoor learning important? Because, although we may spend a large portion of our lives inside, we humans are ultimately organisms who are connected to all of the other organisms out there beyond our walls. We are sustained by the planet, of which we use roughly half. And the rest is there to be understood. We may take it for granted when we get older, but use of the senses is critical in early childhood development. In a Michigan State University report on cognitive development, it was expressed that “In play experiences, combining the sense of touch with the senses of vision, hearing, taste and smell helps build cognitive skills... It is the foundation of all the skills children will use in school learning to read, write and solve math and science problems.” Sensory observation equips children for subsequent
One of three varieties of the Educase.
situations that demand sensory abilities. The value of outdoors education doesn’t disappear when one learns how to read braille or printed writing, however. The Estonian outdoors has many sensations to offer a child of any age, and the Keskkonnaa met (Environmental Board) recognized this. As the Kesk konnaamet sought a learning tool that would engage the senses in an outdoor learning setting, the design agency Velvet stepped up with a solution – the Educase. Velvet was founded in 2004 by Aivo Kallas, Markko Karu, Mart Lankots, and Janno Siimar. Since they began, Velvet has gone up and down in the number of people on their team, but no matter the size of their company, it has created a solution that embodies the creativity of a focused cluster of thinkers. The design of the Educase is straightforward. There’s a durable, round fabric case with five side pockets and a top pouch. Each of the five side pockets contains some item that demonstrates an aspect of a natural environment. There may be plant matter in a sealed bottle that can be smelled; bird eggs or fur that can be felt; or moulded animal footprints to hold in your hands and identify. The content of the pockets varies depending on which type
Photo: velvet.ee
of ecosystem the Educase is for. Velvet has designed three types of Educases, representing beaches, bogs, and forests. The top pouch of the Educase contains resources for a teacher accompanying the child. There’s a teacher’s manual with exercises to reinforce the learning experience. Cards are included that show images of animals and describe them in more detail. Animal sounds can be accessed through a QR code printed on the cards. Through out the case, there is braille to communicate further details. It’s a friendly tool that combines a whole lesson into one object, whether the user is in the specific ecosystem or elsewhere. Even just its outer appearance is inviting, with embroidery indicating flora and fauna of each ecosystem on the outside. And many individuals put their minds together to create it, including teachers Kairi Ilmets and Raili Loit, the naturalist Arne Ader, and the Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired. The Educase is being used by a few dozen kids so far, and who knows how far it will spread, judging by the interest shown in other countries. It’s just another example of design in action, making our world more accessible.
Dear Members of the International Estonian Communities, Estophiles, and Interested Singers: As many of us come from a heritage of singing, I would like to present to you an opportunity to come together virtually in song. The current objective is to have a pair of songs that we will all rehearse and sing separately and then submit for inclusion in a virtual choir. The
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objective is to submit these individual parts by June 1st, 2021, and have the combined virtual choir available for presentation some days before Jaanipäev 2021 (June 24th). Instruction and help for pre paring for the submission will be available. Participation in this virtual choir is open to all interested singers, and it is not necessary that the individual submissions to the choir be perfect. The songs planned for this virtual choir are the original compositions of Brigitte DossJohnson and Kaja Weeks. Kaja Weeks is a published Estonian-
American poet who composes in both Estonian and English. Brigitte Doss-Johnson is an American choral conductor who recently led the San Francisco Estonian Choir to the 2019 Estonian Song Festival. She has an abiding interest in Estonian choral music. The pieces for the virtual choir, Rise and Midsummer, are happy collaboration that include both English as well as ancient Estonian verse set to music that incorporates the characteristics of runic modes. To express your interest in sharing your voice and to receive more details, please sub-
The slimster recently read, somewhere, that during the pandemic the best way to deal with solitude, enforced through the present lockdown, is via humour and music. Well, as Homer, the TV cartoon guy, not the Greek poet, would say – Doh! The former is not the slender one’s forte, obviously, but without the latter the lean machine might just go nuts. Or ballistic. Neither option is good. But to create the endor phins needed to feel good, both are much sought after. Not nuts, fer heavens sake, although they do taste swell. Unsalted, please. A good mood needs balance. (And funny. Or is it funnily. The onset of senescence might thus be delayed. Although, as the significant one often remarks, how could she tell if that is the case?) As is well known, with the advance of aging, memories from one’s youth become more pronounced. Nowhere more, for this gracile guy, than with music, especially popular songs. It is amazing how many lyrics are stored in the memory bank, brought up immediately upon listening to just the first notes of a song. From the fifties on, up until the mid-eighties. After that popular music went down the crapper for a while. And the brain stopped recording. Coincidence? Think not. Childhood songs, first learned in Estonian, are prominent in this array. As a fledgling the grey matter is incredibly and impressively porous, sucking up just about anything. As a teenager, it was de rigueur to memorize lyrics. Not only as an aspiring musician, but also so as to not to stand out. What, you do not know the words to Dylan’s “Blowing in the wind”? Hey man, I can accompany myself on the guitar and do the whole Monty. Sing ‘n’ strum. Oops, a leap ahead. First those Estonian songs, dem dat are indelibly embedded in the mind and mouth. Some spout forth spontaneously these days. And how many of those have to do with past, hence, memories? Try Kord mina pargis tukkusin (Once I dozed in the park – oh yes, do that now as well on the bench there. With much more drool than then). Or Kui mina alles noor veel olin (When I
mit your contact information using the link: https://tinyurl. com/laulusild. This link to Laulusild 2021 also carries further current information about the project. Materials for the project and instructions will be forthcoming directly to the email address you submit. You may be confident that any information you provide in this submission will not be distributed beyond the organization of this event. If there are other questions
was just a wee sprout). The classic Kui mina alles umba, umba? (When I just umba, umba. What the heck is umba anyways?). My favourite childhood song, Meil aiaäärne tänavas (our garden-side streetside, a cumbersome translation, proving that it is necessary to know Estonian to get the true feelings that the language conveys) is often on the lips. Then all those hits heard first on the radio. (Yes Dorothy, there was such a thing. Still listen to that, us codgers do. To heck with Spotify and its ugly ilk). How is it that great oldies spring to the fore. Tennessee Ernie Ford and “16 Tons”. Roger Miller’s “King of the Road”. Oh, I truly drive sweet cheeks intentionally up the wall whenever I pipe up with Trailers for sale or rent… So many more. And as stated, only up to the mid 80’s, Laura Branigan and Bonnie Tyler, Graham Parker, Elvis Costello were, for these ears, the last of an era of quality. Though some may disagree. One assumes that by this time the slimster had consumed too many beers from aluminum cans. And hence, memory began to fail. As well as taste. But the slender fellow digresses. An obvious sign of senectitude. (Is that not a city in upper New York State?) It is about memory and musical triggers, to lyrics, singing along. Or to oneself, as is desired these days. Such as Babs with the proboscis, Streisand and her lovely “Memory”. Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ‘69” qualifies, surely. The Beatles hit “In My Life”. (And “Yester day”, for us old farts, who cannot remember those bygone 24 hours). Of course The Supremes’ splendid “Reflec tions” should make any list. Even Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock” is about the past. And perhaps my fave from this selective geriatric list is Jim Croce’s “Photographs and Memories”. Wrapping up with John Prine’s “Souvenirs”. With the classic line “Memories, they can’t be boughten”. Coining a new word in the process. Indeedly. Memories are unique to the individual, and how they crop up, well ‘tis often both a surprise and a pleasure. Here’s hoping yours are such as well. OTEPÄÄ SLIM
regarding this event (Laulusild 2021) that need clarification, you may contact me (Aare Onton)* directly at aareonton@ gmail.com. Respectfully, AARE
* Aare Onton is a Tartu-born American residing in Saratoga, California who traveled to the Estonian Song Festival 2019 as a participant with the San Francisco Estonian Community Choir directed by Brigitte DossJohnson. He is assisting in the organization of this virtual choir event, Laulusild 2021.
