Kiddipedia
By Louis White
Spending time with nature will make our kids more active and attentive, but there’s so much more they can learn beyond just a love of the outdoors when we delve a little deeper into environmental education. It’s never too early to educate little ones about our responsibility to the planet.
Below are some tips and ideas to get you started:
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READ MORE BOOKS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT WITH THEM:
I started reading to my daughter Lily when she was still in the womb and was inspired to write The Adventures of Lily series, to teach her and other children, about the five essential insects needed for mankind to survive and thrive.
When Lily reached the age of three she had an insatiable appetite for books and I decided to create The Adventures of Lily series in order to help children understand ecology, the environment and the role they play, as they interact with humans.
Our daily reading sessions encouraged Lily to ask questions and to peruse the real world where the many creatures of nature worked harmoniously in tandem.
It was also important to take Lily outside to our garden and to go on nature walks so she could see first-hand the beauty of everyone and everything being woven together. To be curious is a natural inclination for any child and books are the perfect way to nurture that curiosity.
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HAVE ACCESS TO PETS
Where possible, it is great for a child to have a pet or access to someone who does. It helps build important social skills and promotes interactions. It teaches children to care for something else besides themselves and teaches them empathy.
It can also help build family bonding time if, for example, you have a dog and can take them down to the park and/or beach and play together.
It also teaches children to be responsible and can reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
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SPEND TIME OUTDOORS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
When children spend more time outdoors, a love and care for nature develops and so to, the desire to care more for their environment. While not exactly synonyms, environmental education and outdoor education are closely related, and both help improve the lives of our kids as well as the environment. In Lily and the Ant, Lily learns how important ants are in helping seedlings get all the nutrients they need to grow shoots. All of these bits of knowledge help her see these creatures with more respect for the role they play in the life cycle of nature.
Furthermore, being outside in nature offers kids the freedom to be kids. Kids explore, run, shout, and laugh; they hop over puddles and climb up trees; they invent games and fictional worlds. These activities let kids take risks, discover things, question, and experiment. This self-expression is invaluable to their development and allows kids to discover themselves while interacting with their natural surroundings.
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ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO FORM SUSTAINABLE HABITS
Teaching our kids about the environment can help them develop sustainable habits that are likely to stick with them as they grow up. Even small actions have large impacts over time. Some of the simple sustainable habits might be recycling, turning water off while brushing your teeth, using your reusable bags at the supermarket. Lead by example and be sure your kids understand why each of these actions is important.
As a children’s author and father, I believe it is incredibly important to provide our children with an environmental education that encourages their curiosity and passion for nature, climate change and the protection of animals, plants and species. By encouraging this passion at an early age, we have a better chance at raising a generation of lifelong environmental advocates that will continue to live sustainable lives into their adulthood.
Louis White is an experienced journalist and corporate writer who has written for major daily newspapers in Australia. Inspired by his daughter Lily and her curiosity and passion for nature, he began writing the ‘Adventures of Lily’ series with an aim to encourage children to get closer to nature and understand the world around them. His other books include, ‘A Christmas Story’ and an adult fiction book titled ‘One Season’.
To purchase a copy of Lily and the Ant or learn more about the Adventures of Lily series head to:
https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=lily+and+the+ant&productType=917504
