With all of the technology and busy parents trying to keep up with this rat-race economy, it can be really easy to forget how much our kids need to be outside enjoying the natural world :
Leave no child inside – Missoula Independent Online
It shouldn’t take a rocket-scientist to tell us that outside is better for the kids, even so, studies show it’s true. It’s true for you and I too. For my part, I fall into that busy place all-too often, hell, I’m probably there right now. How about you?
Time to take the kids out…
Brian Ertz
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Good article. I was happy to see that the other reasons for kids nature deficit being explored than the reasons of television and video and electronic things. Parents are not getting out and have forgotten how, so how can they let their kids go play outside?
Structured outside learning is not the same thing as unsupervised explorations so it will be interesting to see how parents solve these issues in the future. I feel these issues are very important for the health of our wild places as people who never see wild places won’t want to save them and when they move there they will want anything dangerous or inconvenient killed or moved. That will be a sad day. A little girl I talked to today said she wanted the world to be totally free of mosquitoes. She didn’t like it when I told her the salmon salad she was eating wouldn’t exist without mosquitoes because baby salmon love to eat them and it is often the only food they can catch when they are fingerlings. She wanted bees gone too, not connecting them to honey. She was about eight years old.
But who can blame her when I know of women in their forties who think the same way.
One has to experience nature and God’s glory before they can appreciate them. If one doesn’t appreciate something, they won’t think its valuable. If its not valuable, it won’t be protected. Sad, but true.
Looking back now, I’m glad I joined the Scouts in my younger years, a marvellous group that teaches teamwork and a respect for all aspects of nature.
Linda, would you believe there are still some adults who don’t know where milk or beef comes from?
I completely agree with Wolfy, this very easily could be teh answer to our environmental issues. After all, if we make sure our kids get out more, they will grow up with an appreciation of the outdoors, and therefore be more active in protecting it. Since they are the future, maybe this will help turn things around.