Sally Gillespie
Young children have an affinity for our natural world, relishing the company of animals, birds, trees, rocks, shells and places as their special companions and friends. Getting to know our world through encounters with tadpoles, wind, rock pools, caves, ants, or autumn leaves, weaves children into the larger life of the world. These encounters arouse the child’s curiosity and feelings of kinship to Earth and her many beings. They also calm and soothe, helping children to develop mental and emotional resilience along with physical strength, co-ordination and confidence.
Children’s outdoor life has been eroded in recent generations, as Richard Louv wrote about in his ground breaking book The Last Child in the Woods. Urbanisation, digitalisation and education and parenting practices all contribute to what Louv describes as a nature deficit disorder caused by decreased outdoor experience and play. This is a significant issue as nature-related experiences can be highly beneficial to mental health, learning abilities and overall wellbeing. They also encourage children to identify with and care for our natural world.
Now more than ever is the time to nurture our children’s and our own connection with the natural world, as we grieve the losses of floods, bushfires, droughts and biodiversity, as a result of our lack of care for our natural world. To love and care for our land well, we need to spend time with her forests, animals, insects, rivers and beaches, and to cherish them. We also need to learn from Australia’s First Peoples whose culture places care for Country as a primary value and activity in life.
Most young children are natural scientists and adventurers, happily becoming absorbed in studying the movement of ants, or climbing trees. This may look like play time but it is also a vital activity for developing an understanding and bonding with nature’s processes. When adult carers support nature connectedness, by providing plenty of unstructured outdoor time and encouraging a child’s natural curiosity, they lay foundations for wellbeing, resourcefulness and ongoing care for our planet and her beings.
Here are 6 ways to nurture your child’s nature-relatedness:
- Treasure a natural place that your child loves, whether it be a garden, beach, park, or tree. Go there often, learn about it and care for it together, sharing discoveries and doing some back up reading or viewing about the ecological life of such places, and pick up any trash you find there.
- Grow food. Nothing is more magical than watching seeds sprout and grow into sunflowers, cucumbers, or snow peas- all of which are simple and quick to grow even in pots. Encourage your child’s preschool or school to set up a vegie garden if they haven’t already.
- Join up as a family for a local tree planting day or clean up day, or become part of a community garden. Teach your child how caring for land is part of an essential part of life.
- Make your next holiday a camping or tramping one. The more you physically engage with the natural world, the more comfortable and curious your child will be about the world we live in. Take along a birdwatching guide and see how many birds you can spot and name.
- Choose a wildlife charity to support with your children. One whose focus includes understanding and saving animals’ habitats as part of their mission. The Australian Marine Conservation Society is one great example which has a special focus on engaging with children.
- Participate in a child-orientated citizen science project like Questagame or FrogID
