Children and Nature - the Great Challenge
If you knew, as a parent, of a single way to protect your children's physical and mental health, boost their immune system, develop resilience, improve concentration and school performance, reduce stress, help social and emotional development and give them life-long pleasure you would surely make use of it. A connection with nature has been proven by world-research to do all this and more besides. Symptoms of ADHD are reduced and surprisingly, a finding by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2011, reveals the link between time spent outdoors and reduced rates of nearsightedness. Perhaps our grandparents knew this all along, a profound interaction with nature has positive impacts on children's development.
So how best can parents develop this vital connection? The first principle of successful learning is that children must learn through active involvement - experiencing nature first hand, using their senses. They need free spontaneous play outdoors, with lighter parental control, (think puddle-jumping, tree-climbing, den-building and maybe some bruises). This will reduce restlessness, help vital social skills and develop resilience as they learn to cope with adverse weather. But when examining an insect, or wildflower, or butterfly, children slow down, they need to be still and quiet and focus and observe closely. They learn to listen and respect the welfare of tiny creatures.
Very small children benefit from the freedom that outdoor play confers. They can be noisy, they can be messy, they can move in an unhindered way. And to counter the disadvantage of extra washing, they will sleep better! They can compare leaves and spider webs, take bark-rubbings, make an insect house, count the petals on a flower and watch to see if the flower closes at night. They can discover different creatures on or under leaves and hedges. There are very many activities that will entrance them and helpful web-sites on which advice can be found.
As children reach primary age, it is helpful if a close adult can model a love of and interest in nature. In the future this will give them treasured memories. This way they will learn to name plants, birds and butterflies, learn about metamorphosis, perhaps grow flowers from seed. (Marigolds are ideal). I know of a 9 year old who was captivated by a birdsong identifying app on his mother's telephone called 'Merlin'. It is not infallible but fairly accurate. This boy can now identify countless birdsongs and birds and loves to spend hours birdwatching. Children could try 'worm-grunting' - making vibrations on a damp day. It is said this will bring worms to the surface, thinking moles are about. They could then examine the worm, locate the mouth and observe how it moves. The Woodland Trust provides a detective sheet to help identify ladybirds. They could observe pollinators drinking nectar and transporting pollen, or go on an organised bat watch. Maybe they could take charge of a small corner in the garden. Perhaps some of the words dropped from the Junior dictionary - bluebell, acorn, conker, kingfisher, wren and otter, all astonishingly and sadly among them, could be reintroduced.
Nor should we forget teenagers. It is customary for there to be a turning away from the great outdoors for many, as the allure of screens and social media prove strong. Organisations such as Explorers and initiatives like the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme keep children in touch with nature. Or pocket-money could be awarded for helping in the garden. Volunteering for wildlife trusts or engaging children's interest in new(ish) revolutionary ideas of rewilding could help. An interest could be stimulated through cooking and farming and the origins of the food they eat. The NFU has a site called 'Farming STEMterprise' which helps children grow and market their own product. Or, they could use an app. to record and identify species and perhaps contribute their findings to citizen science.
It might be butterflies, or river-life, or tiny mammals, or plants, that capture an individual child's first attention and interest, but exposure to the natural world will help him/her to connect and learn and wonder. It will also enrich their entire life. In difficult times this appreciation will be a deep resource; it will feed the imagination, the creative spirit, and it will enlist a new generation to help protect our natural world.
Useful websites
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July 2024
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