At Least Once
Growing up like many children mentioned in The Last Child in the Woods, I can’t help but reflect on my life and memories; having mud fights, climbing trees, riding my bike with my siblings and many, many other activities throughout the years. When we had the opportunity, my dad would always take us out to the hills up the street from my our old house (the East Hills). There, amongst other families, is where we would go to ride horses, milk cows, run around and hike. My dad, who just happens to know everything, would educate us on everything along the way; the lizard we saw shuffling by, the bobcat we would see from a distance , the plant with a strange berry growing and would at least follow up with a story about once upon a time in his several acre ranch in Mexico. Because of how much time he spent on the trails of his families land, it became second nature for him to teach us similar ways. I am not saying that you have to spend every minute of every day of your life in the outdoors for a good upbringing, but I do agree with Richard Louv’s in that “attaching ourselves to land is good for both us and the land; people who are attached will find importance in the land; spiritually, emotionally and mentally. When attached children grow up, they will prioritize the importance of natural resources and land and will be passionate about doing so” (from my Chapter 12 Outline). This passion is only one of many features the outdoors offers; self confidence, leadership and mental health are important features that nature can offer. Unstructured time in an open area within your community can be a good alternative for those who are not fortunate enough to go out and explore the wilderness. Having that open grass are can creative minds, can release the pressures of having to be part of an organized group activity, whether from school or an extracurricular activity.
For many parents, being outside, without structure, almost feels like a waste of time. Chores, errands and other things on a to-do list are considered far more important than spending 30 minutes outside. What those parents don’t realize is that “nature does not steal time; I’m amplifies it.” Unlike TV, it allows children to expand on their creativity and their imagination; like make up games and scenarios in which they are in control of. The possibilities are endless, as are the activities that can be done in an open field. Throughout The Last Child in the Woods, one of Louv’s crucial tips on how playing outside can make the most of your time is by being involved. For one, children should almost always be supervised (unless they are in the backyard). Supervision is the first step, being actively involved is the next…key work, actively. David Sobel, one of many parents mentioned in the book, teaches his daughter confidence and proper observation through “assessing ice.” His daughter not only will live and grow up with those teachings, but she will have the memory of her father and his parenting ways that affected her so positively. It means everything to a child when the parent can take their time and participate in children’s quests; having those family values create a better community for a child to grow up in. In return, that child will also grow up valuing his/her natural surroundings. But being outdoors isn’t just about physical health; mental and emotional health play a huge role in a child’s upbringing. Discipline and rules are very important and vital in society, since we pride ourselves in how polite and well mannered we are (some people anyway). We are taught at an early age to follow these rules or else; well, this is where sports and lessons come in. Any sport, whether it’s soccer or little league baseball can teach children a variety of things; commitment, teamwork, leadership, etc,. Any recitals or music lessons like the violin or piano can also teach a child something valuable, like the appreciation of the beauty of melody and sound. But nature can do all this, too, and more. The common theme in any and every sport is winning, with a capital W. Because they base their worthiness by this title, children in sports only focus on beating the other team with aggression. Behavior like this can only lead to serious injuries, without even thinking on how to prevent them in the first place. When a child had the opportunity of free play or outdoor time, they learn to become more astute and learn to pay attention to his/her surroundings. In doing so, their brains start to develop survival skills, adaptation, and awareness to be able to prevent any possible injury since they will be “constantly aware of [their] surroundings.”
Being able to see what surrounds you in half of the fun; you need to stimulate all of your senses for the full experience. If you sit outside for a while, whether you are in the woods, the rainforest (for those in the amazons), or possibly in your backyard, you might just hear at least three different kinds of birds native to your area. If you are in a transited city like New York, you might not get so lucky, so try going to Central Park (or your local park will do just fine). These places all have in common two things; plants and trees. Can you guess what these two things attract? That’s right, birds and insects. Some of the most intriguing chirping are made by the Mocking bird, mimicking the chirps and songs from others for territorial purposes. Imagine the symphony of songs this kinds of birds creates, not only with others of his/her kind, but with many other species of birds. Birdwatching, like fishing and “wildcrafting” can be a great activity and alternative for those that can not fully commit to relatively extreme outdoor pursuits. Even Teddy Roosevelt and his “poor eyesight as a child” managed to “imitate hundreds of birdcalls.” Now, there a few things you can do to be able to create your own nature atmosphere in your backyard. One suggestion I found in Louv’s book was to take up gardening, which has a great deal of benefits. Once you start planting your own tree, making your own vegetable garden with herbs, hundreds of animals like insects, birds and reptiles will be within sight. In a way, you have created your own little ecosystem that is 100 % accessible to a child in your home. At that point, a child learns the importance of food sources and sustainability. “[…] Instead of exposing to harmful chemicals, expose them to sun, dirt and other natural substances,” harmful chemicals being pesticides and toxic chemicals that can be found in toys. This mother from the Parents article finds that gardening is as easy as “making slime,” so kids can surely “plant a flower or a vegetable.” While teaching her children the benefits of gardening, she also teaches them about recycling and how it plays a crucial part in their lives. Like her, many parents are scared to expose their children to the outdoors because of climate change and toxic air. This is why it is vital to have a connection with nature and be grateful for the resources it provides. People from the 1970’s or earlier did not seem to care for the environment as much as we do now , so they grew up creating big corporations, who according to Adam H. Johnson, are responsible for “71% of global greenhouse gas emissions.” Because of these greenhouse emissions, “85% of […] reef system[s] perish due to rising ocean temperatures,” which rises the acidity of the ocean. There is an abnormal amount of Carbon Dioxide ( ), which remains trapped in our atmosphere, depletion the ozone layer, little by little; it takes about “20–200 years” to resolve in the ocean. No one should have to grow up in an environment that houses these synthetic compounds, it is harmful to the natural world around us, destroying it slowly but surely, so that one day, we won’t have enough of it to enjoy. Because journalism (the media) plays a huge role in how climate change messages are delivered, it is difficult for children to to be influenced on how the view nature. They first make us believe that we, the buyers, have a problem; we shop too much and purchase things that are bad for the environment. What we don’t see is that companies who take empty fields or forests and use them to make offices and factories, are the ones harming the environment. The instill in us what I like to call buyer’s remorse; they make us feel guilty buying products they create, while their factories and warehouses are the ones destroying natural Earth. If we let our children grow up with the mindset that creating a product is more important than taking care of our world, we will soon not have one to live in.
Our reefs, forests and deserts will soon be habitats of machines, not animals. Events like this take a toll on our mental health, not just physical; levels of anxiety, and depression rise. Children look for stimulants that can only be provided by the outdoors; sure, TV and video games can entertain, but they rob the child of their senses. This is because technology is always advancing and electronics never remain the same, children can have a new video game, and will be excited for about a month or two, then comes the “I’m bored.” Being outside will never do that to a child because there is an infinite number of things that child can do outside; learn about habitats, animals native to the area, migration patterns, astronomy, botany herbal medicine, how to make a fort and thousands of other things. If we don’t have a clean earth, how can we explore the outdoors safely ? Raising a child that can appreciate and relate to nature and see its beauty, will grow up, engraved with those values. Activist and conservation groups trying they hardest to continue to influence people in appreciate and value nature, and as parents, we can control that aspect in our child’s life. Taking the first step is the hardest, after that, its a walk in the park. Literally.
