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Connecting Children and Nature

"In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy: a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace." --Excerpt from Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

On November 3, 2007, Mass Audubon's Education Department hosted a conference at Wheelock College exploring new avenues for education. Connecting Children and Nature attracted educators, public officials, students, and many others with an interest in children's education from all over New England. In total, over 475 people attended the event.

Keynote speaker Richard Louv

The keynote speaker, Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, addressed the growing disconnect between children and the outdoors. Peter Forbes, Executive Director for the Center for Whole Communities spoke about creating a new land movement with children. There were also presentations about the No Child Left Inside initiative and immigrants' engagement in public open space.

Afternoon workshops allowed participants to explore topics such as cultural competency, accessibility and inclusion, connecting children and science in the elementary classroom, physical education outdoors, and mentoring children. Overall, it was an inspirational and provocative day that led to a new way of thinking about environmental education in the region and a way to transform educational experiences for children.

The following is a summary and review of the morning session from two participants: Maeve Ward, and Laura Patey. Maeve is Chair of the Faith and the Environment Committee, Parish of St. Paul, Newton and Board Member of the Green Decade Coalition/Newton, and Laura is Coordinator of Disability Services at Lesley College.

Connecting Children and Nature

Connecting Children and Nature Conference attendees

Mass Audubon recently sponsored a fascinating and inspiring conference—Connecting Children and Nature—at Wheelock College. During the opening of the conference, a slide show presenting images of children and adults interacting with nature and breathtaking scenes of natural beauty greeted the target audience of educators at all levels.

The speakers included Peter Forbes, the Executive Director of the Center for Whole Communities; Ashley Lanfer and Madeleine Taylor, Consultants, Barr Foundation; Gina McCarthy, the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection; Priscilla Geigis, the Director of State Parks for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation; and Richard Louv, the Chairman of the Children & Nature Network and author of, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder". Their rich experiences and ability to convey hope about our children's future and the importance of connecting everyone, especially our children, with nature proved to be uplifting to the 500+ attendees. They did not focus on the environmental crisis that we know exists today; instead they provided us with inspiration and motivation to share the wonders of nature and to help us all make the "soul/soil connection".

Forbes asked each of us to picture a special place from our childhood. He then asked us to raise our hands if that special place was somewhere inside? Only one or two people raised their hands. For everyone else, that special place was a place in nature. He followed us by asking if we had ever returned to that place. Forbes tried to return to his favorite childhood haunt--a mysterious babbling brook. As he searched for this place he realized that it had been taken over by a development. Through this and other examples he continued to speak to the problem of consumerism, the disconnect between the real and the artificial. "Does the American dream", he asked, "represent progress or extinction?"

Forbes reminded us of the importance of putting the child back into nature. Conservationists, he pointed out, are good at preservation but not relationships. "Look at the signs posted all across the country -"Keep Out," "No trespassing, etc." We can only win through relationships that touch the human heart - not laws or limits. We need to tell stories that inspire such as the story of Classy, who turned a vacant, trash-strewn lot in Harlem into a bountiful small vegetable garden. This garden provides an environment filled with joy and wholesome nourishment for the kids and adults who dwell in a sea of stark, tall buildings. When Forbes visited with Classy in Harlem, the woman introduced him to her Dad. She asked, "Don't you feel that my Dad is your Dad?" We are all connected. Forbes' final question left us with much to consider - "What does the extinction of the condor mean to a child who has never known a wren?"

Ashley Lanfer and Madeleine Taylor illustrated how different ethnic groups and the natural world interact. Some small urban gardeners prize both the aesthetic and nurturing aspects of gardening; others value only the productive results. Also those who come from cultures and climates where living takes place mostly outdoors treasure open space.

[Last summer one of the co-authors witnessed an example. At Spectacle Island a group of Latinos was hanging out at one of the park's picnic sites. An intergenerational mix, they played card games, laughed and chatted excitedly in Spanish, and gyrated to Hispanic music from a radio they had brought with them.]

Gina McCarthy and Priscilla Geigis introduced the "No Child Left Inside" programs offered through the Massachusetts and Connecticut parks systems. They were so clear in their message that we now we have to teach kids about nature, and the earlier, the better. McCarthy told how her mother woke her and her siblings up before 7 am and shooed them out of the house. To punish her kids her mother kept them inside. She followed up by saying that if her mother did that today, she might be arrested. This problem occurs not just in urban and suburban areas, but in and rural areas as well. In fact, with televisions on buses and the prevalence of video games the rural kids may spend even more time inside. So what can we do? In both States these leaders have innovated very successful nature-based programs in the State parks to attract families, all kinds of families. As long as the group includes someone over the age of 18 with someone under the age of 18 - they consider them a family.These nature programs appeal to all types of interests, talents, and abilities. Participants who take part and visit a certain number of parks within a specified time receive awards, such as a year's membership at Mass Audubon.

Some of the James K. Whittemore Young Naturalist Award winners.

[During the course of the Conference, Mass Audubon's Director of Education, Gloria Villegas-Cardoza, and the Society's President, Laura Johnson, presented the James K. Whittemore Young Naturalist Award to youngsters who had demonstrated excellence in environmental stewardship. They had excelled in nature-based programs at the various Sanctuaries.]

The keynote speaker, Richard Louv, began by saying, "I'm used to depressing people. And we have a cultural addiction to despair." But then he challenged us to change how we talk about these important issues. He encouraged us to "Tell the good news" as he reiterated Peter's eloquent plea for connections to the human heart as shown through the example of Classy. "How could he top that?" he mused - "and the exciting adventures in the state parks: what more?"

For mental, physical, and spiritual health we need nature; survival, even sustainability, aren't enough. We are conditioned to fear for our lives once we go out the front door. Yes, dangers do lurk in the natural world. Remember the adages that we learned as children: "Leaves of three, let them be," or "Stay on trails." And the media don't help by over-the-top reporting about crimes against children that occur outside our homes and the subsequent trials that happen. But locking our kids up inside in order to keep them safe is causing more harm than good. Tell the good news, he expounds. Plopping down with your kid into fresh-fallen snow to create snow angels--helps reduce stress. Nature therapy affects creativity, and for kids, helps cognitive development and perhaps even Attention Deficit Disorder. Talking up new careers that will open up to combat climate change will thwart teenagers' despair about the survival of the Earth. To combat global climate change we'll have to change everything, economically, socially, politically, etc. - and the change has already started. Louv warned in conclusion: what's at stake is nothing less than the survival of our communities, our states, and our nation.

Let's take up this challenge and go for it!