Life Lessons from Nature for Kids in a Modern World
The Albert Einstein quote from a recent addition to our Inquiring Minds. Inspiring Finds collection sums up today’s discussion quite splendidly. The reminder is more important than ever as artificial intelligence (AI) transforms the way our children consume information and apply what they learn to school, creative time, and play, all of which echos into adulthood. As parents, guardians, and educators, we are charged with a very important duty; to ensure that the next generation stays close to the natural world. Einstein’s words above are as enduring as his Theory of Relativity, and so we take a look at life lessons from nature that your kids/students won’t find anywhere else in this ever-changing society. Please keep reading.
5 Life Lessons from Being Immersed in Nature that Kids and Students Will Greatly Benefit from in a Highly Digitized World
Nature Can Heal Us
When given the opportunity, children will quickly learn that practically everything we/they need to maintain and sustain optimal physical health is found in nature. A trip to a community or school garden uncovers a wide number of herbs that can be consumed to treat all sorts of ailments, including common (and not so common) colds and flus. And it’s not just about crops with beneficial compounds and extracts, as simply being active outside more often will result in numerous health advantages that serve as an alternative to “indoor” solutions. For instance, optimal Vitamin D can be attained from the sun instead of relying solely upon bottles of pills and liquid drops, while a mountain hike surpasses the wellness benefits of any Peloton StairMaster.
Nature Can Make Us Happy
When they spend more time in nature, kids will quickly discover that the key to happiness is not attained via the possession of material things nor found on a digital network. As a parent and/or educator you can confirm to them why they come back inside smiling so brightly by teaching them how fresh air and natural light release the brain’s feel good neurotransmitters of dopamine, oxytocin, endorphin, serotonin. Or, tell them nothing of it, and let them enjoy the magic and mystery of it all!
Nature Can Teach Us to Nurture
Spending time in nature imparts feelings of caring and compassion while bringing out a child’s innate capacity for nurturing behavior. This comes from their discovery and attention to birds with broken wings, land-stranded sea creatures, orphaned baby creatures, and sprouting plants in desperate need of water.
Nature Can Teach Us to Create and Innovate
Here’s a fun experiment for those who haven’t done so before. Enjoy a walk with the kids to your nearest forest, find an open space, ask them to build anything they want, and sit back to witness the process as new neural connections are formed to ignite creativity. They will discover that nature provides for everything they require to turn any vision for a construct into a reality. Timber, straw, leaves, sticks, twigs, rocks, stone, and even mud all provide the tools needed to innovate and create. This lesson can resonate into young adulthood as they gain an advantage in the fields of architecture, engineering. and ironically into the likes of urban planning, industrial design, and more.
Nature Can Bring Us Together
Ponder those dances in the school gym that you attended back in elementary and early-secondary school. For most of the allotted time kids stayed in their small cliques, too intimidated to mingle with one another. But what happened the next day at school during outdoor recess or on the weekend at the local park’s playground? You and your closest friends ended up playing and interacting with kids that you may not otherwise have connected to. There’s just something about nature that brings people together who would not normally “hang out”. You see it all the time in adulthood among social groups of cyclists, hikers, joggers, sailors, skiers, surfers, and the like. Simply put, when kids spend more time outdoors they discover nature’s capacity to build communities.
We hope everything above provides you and your children/students with inspiration to connect to nature as often as possible. Meanwhile, please note that the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation inspires and promotes healthy living and learning for kids across Canada. You can help us help the next generation by pledging your support too! View more on how you can get involved.
