<On taking kids outside, by Naturalist William Hudson|neoNaturalist.com
Connecting People with Nature

On Taking Kids Outside

By Naturalist William Hudson

My friends at Beaver Meadow (a nature center in Western New York) tell me that I am allowing myself to become chained to the desk. They are right, of course, and I'm trying to venture forth as often as I can to walk the trails or lead a program for the hundreds of kids who come through the center. When I stay in the office, I miss a lot of magic.

One of my favorite rewards for leaving the office behind is watching kids as they pile off of the busses or climb out of cars; to see their faces light up and hear them say "ooooh, look at that big spider" or "coooool, a turtle, look mom, I see a turtle!". Anyone who has taken kids out on a discovery walk has seen the enthusiasm for nature that seems to be part and parcel of being a child. So long as no one has taught them to be frightened, kids are drawn to nature like moths to a flame.

Nurturing a child's exuberance for nature is very important, in my book. Socrates said that wisdom begins with wonder; the key to growing adults that will love and respect nature is the simple sense of joy that comes from spending time outdoors, preferably in the company of a caring adult. The details of natural history and ecology, of habits and habitats, and later, of taxonomy and evolution and pollution will fall on deaf ears if the child hasn't first discovered a mystery on their own for which they seek answers, and developed an affinity and a fascination for all things wild. Given the state of local and global environmental affairs, our society is certainly in need of citizens with a love of nature, a strong environmental ethic, and a sound ecological education.

But there is problem looming on the horizon. Kids just don't go outside as much as they used to. Increasingly hectic schedules, our children's growing fixation with electronic entertainments, and their parent's sometimes imagined fears of disease or abduction have led to a condition that author Richard Louv has recently named "nature-deficit disorder." According to Louv, spending one's childhood indoors not only leads to a feeling of detachment from nature, but it also cheats children of the opportunity to develop "keener senses, nimbler bodies, broader minds" and probably, stronger immune systems. Many of the career naturalists that I know have noticed the same phenomenon. There was a time when we cursed and worried about the footpaths, forts, swinging vines and other telltale signs of kids playing in the woods and fields. Now we're worried that these signs have begun to disappear.

There is a lesson in this. We can argue statistics about whether or not playing at the fringes of civilization is really any more dangerous than it used to be. We can bemoan the loss of vacant land in and around our neighborhoods, or blame society for the loss of leisure time and the need for computer literacy in a global economy. We can accept the specter of pale kids who have never skinned a knee, caught a frog, or skipped a stone, or we can make a commitment to get them outside to play as early and as often as possible.

Times have changed, but the basic human need to grow up with a feeling of connection to the earth hasn't. Maybe you don't feel safe sending the kids out on their own but what about going out and exploring the woods and fields with them? Take them outside with a blanket of sunscreen and a cell phone if you must but please, take them outside. Both you and your children will be better off.

Other writings by Naturalist William Hudson:

Lucky Stones,
an essay by Naturalist William Hudson

A tribute to the Asters of September,
an essay by Naturalist William Hudson

The Greatest Show on Earth,
an essay by Naturalist William Hudson

Large Scale Stream Dynamics

On taking kids outside,
an essay by Naturalist William Hudson

Another Symbol of the Wilderness in Peril,
an essay by Naturalist William Hudson

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