LITTLE EXPLORERS
There are plenty of ways to teach your kids or grandchildren to fall in love with nature
With many places still closed, there’s one often-overlooked option still available to kids this summer: nature.
But that’s problematic for kids who are scared of bugs, afraid to get dirty or bored by nature — or who simply prefer to sit inside all day with video games.
Nature is good for kids, but you need to figure out how to lure them there.
We’ve got some suggestions:
GIVE THEM THEIR OWN SPACE
Jennifer Gulizia, a flower farmer and blogger in Oregon, carved out a small space on the family’s flower farm so her five-year-old daughter could grow flowers. Start with an indoor pot just to get them used to nature (and eventually move it outdoors). It gets kids accustomed to feeling dirt, learning about flowers and understanding that none of it is scary or something to avoid.
PLAY WITH BUGS AND WORMS
“We have a worm farm and an ant farm,” said Elle Meager, the Australian-based founder of Outdoor Happens, a blog that helps people create little nature havens in their backyards. Meager said playing with bugs and worms is fun for kids and may be more appealing to them than simply taking hikes. Her kids like to dig through the dirt to look for worms.
LET THEM BE MESSY
Children need to be permitted to explore freely in nature and that isn’t always pretty and it isn’t always the best thing for nature, said Victoria Hilton, founder of Stepping Stones Nursery School in Chicago. She said it’s OK to let children pick flowers and occasionally stomp through the garden. “Sometimes, overprotectiveness toward natural things can lead children to fear interacting with nature.” Kids should be allowed to get dirty and explore, and although they should learn to be respectful of nature, they also need to experiment, Hilton said. Running through the grass to snag a firefly is a classic way to play in nature and learn how amazing it can be (and it presents an opportunity to teach kids about why fireflies glow).
GO BIGGER OR SMALLER
Simply walking into a forest and expecting children to find a love of the outdoors is unrealistic for most kids who are accustomed to constant stimulation, said Nick Wilkesmann, head of outdoor education at Haileybury Rendall School in Australia.
Try renting mountain bikes, kayaks, surfboards or other toys to make time outdoors more interesting. On the other hand, parents may be tempted to go full tilt with a camping trip or long hike, but that may be too much for some kids, so think about your own child first.
If your child isn’t ready for a full forest immersion, go slowly, said Jenn Wisegarver, who runs an inhome daycare. “Provide a bowl of potting soil to play truck in on a bath curtain or a tarp,” she said. Or let them play with bug toys and then show them picture books of bugs. Teach them the parts of an insect and let them marvel at their functions. (For example, a spider’s spinnerets can make a delicate egg sac for their babies.) Then go explore those insects outdoors.
LET YOUR CHILDREN PLANT FOOD THEY LIKE TO EAT
Let your children plant food they like to eat or things you’d like them to try, Meager said. “My kids love strawberries, so they’ve planted strawberry plants and they check on them every day,” she said.
They’ll learn that their food doesn’t grow in the supermarket, and they may appreciate it even more. Plus, if they’ve planted their own fruits and veggies, they’ll be more likely to actually eat them.
Start by shopping with them for seeds; this can be done online. “When the seeds arrive, they’re their responsibility,” Meager said. “They plant them, water them and look after them from seed to harvest.” This can be done even without a yard by having potted plants.
CREATE A SCAVENGER HUNT
Write down objects for your children to find outdoors or draw pictures if they can’t read yet, said Marybeth Hamilton, a Minnesota-based blogger. Kids can do it with their eyes if they’d rather not engage their other senses, Hamilton said. Translation: This is great for kids who aren’t ready to touch nature yet.
MAKE NATURE A GAME
Kristi Mason, a celebrity nanny in Los Angeles, likes to set up a ninja warrior set in the back yard, working with the kids. “Having them create and build the obstacle course will provide a lot of excitement, but also a sense of accomplishment,” Mason said. Once they master the course, use a timer and they can get competitive.
START A COLLECTION
Encourage your kids to collect shells, rocks or leaves, Mason said. (Remember not to take items from national parks and other protected habitats and teach kids about Leave No Trace.) Provide space for the collections and let them show them off to anyone and everyone. Help them research the items they’ve collected.
SNAG A WILDLIFE ‘PET’
Let kids interact with non-endangered, abundant wildlife, said Jodi Wheeler-toppen, a science educator. “Almost every adult naturalist you will meet has stories of keeping pet frogs, lizards, beetles, fireflies and such,” she said. “There is something about putting a small creature in a container and naming it that breeds love for nature in children.”
Wheeler-toppen suggested helping your kids research what the creature needs to survive and having them return the pet to the wild after an afternoon or a few days. Another key wildlife lesson: Teach your kids that some food is not appropriate. (For example, don’t feed the deer.)
LIVE BY EXAMPLE
If you’re telling the kids to get outside and play, but they don’t see you doing it, they’ll be less likely to get out of the house, Mason said.
“If they see their parents or caregivers sitting inside bingeing TV, eating Cheetos, they will most likely mimic that behaviour,” she said. “If they see them outside having a blast or just enjoying the day, they will be quick to follow.”
For The Washington Post