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How Can I Share a Love of Nature This Earth Month?
Creating a complex, interactive relationship with nature this Earth Month and beyond is a powerful tool for helping your child move forwards in a world that is at times distressing and often distressed. The issues of environmental contamination or degradation can be solved by the children growing up now, and in turn the environment around them can provide a source of strength and beauty needed to move forward in a difficult world.
Bring nature inside. Having access to the outdoors is wonderful when possible, but at times allergies and related costs or logistical issues make getting outside difficult. When this happens, it’s always possible to bring nature indoors: non-flowering plants in your child’s room, whether real or false, can instill an interest in growing things.
Look for bugs. The littlest inhabitants of our planet are some of the most interesting and complex! Learning all about the bugs in your backyard is an easy way to start a lifelong interest in the world around your child, which is proven to have positive benefits for mental health.
Learn the names of outdoor species and items. Finding and sharing the names of plants, clouds, bugs, birds, and other animals can help spark curiosity and turn into an ongoing game. Some of the best short guides to spark interest are “Peterson First Guides”
Spend time playing outside daily. Getting outdoors each day can be a fun, enjoyable way to add a dose of nature to your child’s routine. Playing simple outdoor games like soccer or pickleball can not only get your child to spend some time in the sun—the exercise will also ensure they are happy and healthy today and into the future.
Go “exploring”. Just as self-directed, unstructured play is important to a child’s development, self-directed nature exploration gives your child the chance to construct their own beliefs and visions surrounding the wider natural world. Starting their own relationship with nature is a great way to get your child to share a love of the world around them. Walking at the local ASC Greenway or another park and answering any questions that come up to the best of your ability is a great way to do so.
Creating a healthy relationship with nature isn’t just good for the environment: time in nature is proven to act as a highly effective solution for anxiety and to promote good health. Your child’s actions in the future can help save the environment we all need to survive. And the environment we all need to survive can serve as a mental resource for your child and their children.