Be a Nature Mentor to the Children in your Life!
Over the past weeks, I have researched and learned about the history of the connection between children and nature. The general consensus is despite the benefits of nature for children, over time children are losing their connection to nature because of being overscheduled, strict school curriculums that allow less time for unstructured play outdoors, the rise of technology, and a heightened concern for safety while playing outdoors. One of the most helpful tips I have come across to encourage a connection to nature for the children in your life is to become a nature mentor, from the book, How to Raise a Wild Child, by Scott Sampson.
To start you have to develop your own connection and passion for nature because children learn from the behaviours that adults in their life model. One easy way to do this is to discover a nature activity you enjoy such as hiking, bird watching, kayaking, or paddle boarding. It can be anything you are interested in or always wanted to try out. Then encourage the child in your life to come with you! Another great way to get started is to go on a nature adventure with the children in your life in which you explore different nature activities until they find one that they really are passionate about. By having the children in your life be the leader in this adventure you are not only encouraging them to get out in nature, but also to develop their independence and leadership skills!
Some of my favourite nature activities/adventures I have learned about:
Go out on a Wander: Go and explore nature with no set plan or purpose. This is a great activity to practice mindfulness in our over-scheduled world.
Nature Sculptures: Go out in nature and find different natural materials (leaves, shells, pebbles, sticks, etc.) to create a sculpture. What is your sculpture’s name? Can you create a story around your sculpture?
Moon Walk: Go outside at night and look up at the sky. Can you see the moon? What colour is it? What shape is it?
Nighttime Walk: Find a safe place to go on a nighttime walk with your children. At night being outside can be quite the adventure to spot some nocturnal animals!
Nature Story Time: Create your own stories using nature as your inspiration. This is a great way to allow the children in your life to be creative and explore their imagination. As Albert Einstein said, “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
I hope these nature activities/adventures give you the inspiration to explore nature with the children in your life!
