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eco: Connecting with Nature
| by Elise Jones
Earth Day is April 22 and it is a day marked
to celebrate the earth and identify ways to
protect the environment. One way we can extend our Earth Day activities is to take a vow
to spend more time in nature. It’s one easy
step that has many lasting benefits for both
the environment and people.
According to Janice Swaisgood, Children
& Nature Network’s National Coordinator
of Nature Clubs for Families, here are some
easy ways to connect with nature this Earth
Day (and beyond):
30
1. Explore nature in your yard or nearest
nature area: turn over pots, snap pictures
of living creatures and allow unstructured
time to romp and connect.
2. Attend a community Earth Day fair and
learn about ways to protect the nature
areas around your community.
3. Gather a group of friends to play and
learn in nature at a local trail or park.
4. Pledge to join or start a nature club of
your own. Check out this helpful nature
club tool kit from Children & Nature Network.
Swaisgood adds, “there is mounting research
that supports the idea that children [and
adults] who spend regular time playing and
learning in the natural world are happier,
healthier, smarter, more creative and better
problem solvers.”
“Earth Day should be
Children have
seen as something
few opportunithat happens more
ties for unstructhan just one day
tured play due to
a year! Earth Day
hectic schedules,
should be seen as a
lifestyle changes,
celebration of what we
environmental
do to play and learn in
barriers and the
nature all year round.”
rise of electronic
- Janice Swaisgood
media. Current statistics state that over 90% of a child’s
week is spent indoors and 50 hours per week
is spent on screen time (TV, video games,
iPods, etc). That’s a lot of inactivity and it’s
leading to some major health problems.
“We have emerging research that links children’s mental, physical and spiritual health
directly to their association with nature. We
can look at it this way: time in nature is not a