Plugging Kids Into Nature was originally published in the BFEC Newsletter, Vol. 12/No. 4, Fall 2008.
Environmental educators have been striving for decades to get kids out-of-doors for meaningful experiences with nature. Lately, a convergence of factors has made that need seem much more urgent.
Statistically we know that children weigh more than they used to and obesity rates are up. And anecdotally, most people who spend time with children can tell you that they are playing outside less, preferring to be glued to a seat in front of a computer, television or video game.
Meanwhile, the visibility and urgency of some environmental issues, such as global warming, have been steadily rising.
These factors have lead to a crisis as far as Richard Louv is concerned, author of the book Last Child In the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.
According to Louv, the ramifications of children’s decreasing access to nature are profound. Not only are children overweight and undereducated about the world around them, but they are missing that vital personal connection to nature that could lead them as adults to making better environmental decisions. In other words, if children are ignorant about the out-of-doors, why care if nature disappears?
Louv also outlines how the lack of contact with nature affects kids physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively.
For instance, nature offers an open venue for children to explore their individuality outside of the structure provided by parents. The opportunity to be self-directed with other kids significantly affects development of decision making skills.
And for children and adults alike, research shows that contact with nature significantly decreases stress and feelings of depression and anxiety.
At the BFEC, we are attempting to provide at least a small remedy to the situation with outdoor programs for kids and families.
One of our largest and longest running is our elementary field trip program. For over ten years we’ve invited teachers to bring their classes to the center in the spring and fall for field trips that focus on nature and science. Last year 800 school children were able to make the trip.
We’re especially pleased to be working this year with the Knox County Educational Service Center to bring all 300 fifth graders in outlying school districts (Centerburg, Fredericktown, East Knox and Danville) here once a year.
Serving that many children with 1.5 staff positions (Program Manager Heather Doherty and Programs and Facility Assistant Jill Kerkhoff) would be a very tall order. Luckily, we’re in the unique situation of having direct contact with a sea of potential volunteers with pockets of free time during the day: Kenyon College students.
This fall, forty students have lead trips. Doherty is “always really impressed with students who have the maturity and organizational skills to fit it in. It also seems to offer them something special.”
According to Laura Paul, ‘11, “Leading field trips is one of the most rewarding activities I'm involved in at Kenyon. Not only is it time spent with people that aren't twenty-something year-olds, but I have the opportunity to both teach and learn. Spending entire mornings running around outside with a group of elementary school kids gives an insight on nature that no class could give. There is nothing to match a fifth grader's excitement at spotting a pileated woodpecker or a third grader's wonder when holding a tadpole.”
While we feel that children having any positive experience outdoors is a step in the right direction, we also recognize that we must be serious about educational goals for it to be worth educators’ energy and resources to make the trip. That’s why the center is offering field trips that are aligned with state grade level science standards.
One of the BFEC’s strongest assets in meeting standards is habitat diversity. Elementary students are learning about ecosystems, how they support different organisms, and how those organisms work together. With prairie, river, ponds, gardens and forest, the BFEC is well-equipped to show them those principles in action.
We’re also setting the stage for children to realize that the interconnectedness of living things that we study in ecosystems expands to include us! The take-home message: If we like living on this planet, then we must think about our impacts on ecosystems and not comprising our own needs for survival (such as clean water and air).
We’re delighted when classes visit the BFEC, but children are probably even more apt to value nature if they pick it up from their parents. The BFEC offers a wide variety of ways for families to enjoy the outdoors. Take a hike on our trails, attend a program, or enjoy an outdoor event (like the annual Fall Harvest Festival).
Valuable time outside, however, need not be scheduled; a child’s imagination can be stimulated by the creek behind the house or small woodlot down the street. If anything, we’re learning that this kind of free exploration is what they need most.