Connecting children with the natural world
Pat Simmons, 69, is a writer of poems, short stories, flash fiction and articles. Her work has been published in anthologies and children’s magazines and she has won writer competitions in Australia and the UK.
This is a subject close to my heart and much is written these days about the importance of connecting children with the natural world.
When reading an article on this very topic recently, I was reminded of my own childhood experiences and my passion (which is still with me) for exploring nature.
I don’t wallow in nostalgia and I certainly don’t think about my years at primary school with any great passion. After all, this was England in the 1950s and each class contained about 50 children. There always seemed to be at least three kids in my class called Patricia, sometimes more! But the walk to and from school, now that’s a different story.
I’ve listed just some of the things I can remember doing on the way to and from school, which was about half an hours walk each way:
- Splashing in puddles
- Getting stung by nettles then looking for a dock leaf to rub on those stings to relieve the itching
- Picking blackberries, rosehips and elderberries
- Collecting dandelion leaves to feed my guinea pigs
- Blowing dandelion seeds (We called them dandelion clocks)
- Bending a twig to ‘catch’ spider webs still covered in dew
- Holding a buttercup under each other’s chins to see if we liked butter
- I remember finding a dead dragonfly, its wings still so colourful and perfect and proudly taking it to class for the nature table
None of these activities involved adults and that was probably the beauty of them. We were just kids being kids.
Society has changed and I don’t have any truck with that. But children nowadays need our help to connect with the natural world. Many are now driven to and from school and even if they walk to school they probably aren’t walking through fields or near bushes… and if they splash in puddles they’re often in trouble!
During my 20 years working in children’s services I’ve met some wonderful, innovative child educators and there are many, many fantastic child care facilities and schools now doing everything they can to connect children with the natural world. They are creating veggie gardens, keeping chickens, going on bush walks, bird watching and much more.
It’s difficult in today’s society to allow children to ‘free range’ but there are other things we can do as parents, grandparents or anyone caring for children. Here are a few suggestions and I’m sure you have many more:
- Grow some veggies or herbs in your garden or on your balcony
- Keep chickens or other pets which will interest children and I don’t just mean furry pets. Insects fascinate children and there are some great companies in Australia who sell ‘mini beasts’ complete with care instructions. Sadly, when adults show revulsion towards ‘non furry’ creatures this affects children’s attitudes towards these creatures.
- Start a worm farm. If you don’t have a garden, a mini worm farm can be created in a two litre plastic drink bottle. (I can provide more detail if you’re interested.)
- Collect ‘found’ objects such as pine cones, banksia cones, leaves etc. for children to touch and feel and talk about.
- When you’re outside with children take a paint chart with you – yes a paint chart, greens, browns, greys maybe and ask them to find ‘things’ the same colour.
And please let them get dirty and jump in puddles. Have fun!
What do you do to encourage your grandchildren to connect with nature? Share your tips in the comments below.
Related links:
The importance of family gatherings
A walk down memory lane: Growing up in the 1960s
21 lessons I learnt from my grandmother