Nature is the best classroom
GW’s Rachel de Thame has issued a rallying cry to connect children with nature after familiar names like buttercup and cowslip were cut from the newest edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary. Rachel, vicepresident of Plantlife, spoke in support of the charity’s Forget-me-not campaign: “I believe that connecting with nature is vital to the wellbeing of all children.” In an exclusive interview with the magazine she told us: “Studies bear this out, but my feelings stem largely from observing how my own children, and now grandchildren, respond to the natural environment. The simplest family activity, whether it be strolling through woodland, making daisy chains, or exploring a riverbank, can become an adventure. In these settings children transform, from tantrum-prone toddler to budding entomologist, and from stroppy, disengaged teenager to rosy-cheeked collector of conkers. “Nature provides the best classroom and offers experiences that stay with us for life – helping to instil a love of nature, and in turn encouraging children to become future custodians of the natural world. “For us to connect with nature, we need the words that describe its diversity. It’s my view that removing many of these words from the OJD does a disservice to all our children. But most worryingly, it distances those that have few opportunities to spend time in natural surroundings from the wonders of the real world, while the virtual universe becomes increasingly accessible. Those from deprived inner city areas deserve access to an equally rich vocabulary via their dictionary.” Do you agree with Rachel? Write in and tell us your views...