There is a quote I recently read in a book talking about the loss of connection between children and nature. It rings true for me: "Direct contact to nature is essential for physical and emotional health." (Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv)
Kids need time and opportunities for unstructured play. Where they can use their imaginations. Make discoveries. Day-dream. Create. Explore. Wonder.
Here's a list of things I came up with to help remedy what's being called "Nature-Deficit Disorder":
A Naturalist's Remedy to Nature-Deficit Disorder!
Follow a stream * Walk a dog * Swing in the park *
Follow an animal trail * Splash in a puddle of water *
Sing in the rain * Gaze up at the stars *
Rake leaves and jump in them * Go fishing * Go hiking *
Try snowshoeing * Go camping * Climb a tree *
Make a leaf print * Find a pet rock *
Watch a bug crawl through the grass * Take a nature picture *
Start a nature journal * Find a quiet place *
Draw a picture of a tree, flower, rock, or mountain *
Listen to a bird sing * Learn a bird song and sing back *
Build a fort * Make a bird feeder * Identify animal scat *
Build a snowman * Stop and smell a flower *
Go swimming in a lake * Make a snow angel *
Have a snowball fight * Look for bugs *
Be still and LISTEN * Play tag *
Cook s'mores over a campfire * Go geocaching *
Drive through the canyon and look at fall leaves *
Wonder through the woods * Take a walk with a small child *
Visit a park * Go on a bike ride *
Skip rocks on a pond* Listen to a babbling brook *
Visit a nature center * Raise a frog
2 comments:
love the list. thanks
Ditto. I've done most of them...but that skipping rock thing. I rot at it. Maybe you need a brother not a sister.
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