9 Fun Ways to Help Your Kids Appreciate Nature

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Appreciating nature is both fun and important. The Bahá’í writings and those of many religions refer to nature with reverence. Experiencing nature’s wonders helps us (and our kids) grasp the beauty, depth, and meaning intended in those sacred writings.

Cultivating a relationship with nature has benefits for people of any age. But starting young to develop that relationship offers distinct advantages. Spending time in nature can enhance feelings of calm, help heighten our observation skills, excite the senses, and inspire awe, humility, and wonder.

Kids build their imagination skills by playing outdoors. Some of the best times I remember from my boyhood came during unstructured play in the woods — doing things like building forts, hunting for pollywogs, or pretending to be pirates on a “ship” imagined from a fallen log.

Richard Louv, in his book Last Child in the Woods, explores a condition he calls ‘’nature deficit disorder” — not a medical term, but a description of the human costs of alienation from nature including many behavioral and health problems cropping up with frequency in today’s world.

To avoid such problems and enhance the quality of life, here are nine fun ways to get started building appreciation for nature with your kids:

1. Spend time in nature

Most of us spend too much time in front of screens — computers, mobile phones, tablets, or TVs. Get outside, leave the screens and routine to-do lists behind, and go on a family hike to a park or someplace else of beauty. Set aside an hour, a morning, an afternoon, or a whole day or more and discover something new out there. Honor nature by investing your time in connecting with the outdoors.


2. Take notice

When you’re on your outdoor adventure, take time to stop and notice what’s around you. Embrace the silence and stillness, instead of rushing along, talking and laughing. If you only use this time to socialize you may miss some of the wonders of nature around you. Make the effort to look around and discover those wonders together.


3. Take an even closer look

Teach your kids to look around for a feature of nature that speaks to them. Focus on it. Look closely at its world. Look for details and watch for movement. I once did this in a patch of clover in a field I was crossing and discovered a whole world teaming with life that I would have passed right by. Imagine if you were small enough to fit in that world too? What would it be like?


4. Discover God’s attributes in nature

Look for and take time to appreciate the qualities and attributes of God, or His virtues, reflected in nature. I’m reminded here of this passage from Bahá’u’lláh’s writings:

“Whatever I behold I readily discover that it maketh Thee known unto me ... Every time I lift up mine eyes unto Thy heaven, I call to mind Thy highness and Thy loftiness, and Thine incomparable glory and greatness; and every time I turn my gaze to Thine earth, I am made to recognize the evidences of Thy power and the tokens of Thy bounty. And when I behold the sea, I find that it speaketh to me of Thy majesty, and of the potency of Thy might, and of Thy sovereignty and Thy grandeur. And at whatever time I contemplate the mountains, I am led to discover the ensigns of Thy victory and the standards of Thine omnipotence.”

Which of God’s many attributes do you see in the natural features around you? What attributes can you find in a leaf? A stone? A brook? A bird, or even a colony of ants? Consider taking photos or making a sketch of that thing on a poster displaying its attributes and sharing it with your family or community.
 

5. Plant, tend and harvest a garden together

It’s inspiring to observe the transformation from seed and soil to seedling, and then to mature plant with ripe, delicious vegetables and fruits. Those changes take place under your and your children’s care during a gardening season, offering you a great way to discover nature’s wonders together. Don’t have a big enough plot? Get a plot in a community garden, or try a container garden, which can fit on a balcony and be just as rewarding.


6. Make a meal together

Not just any meal, but one which includes the produce that you grew and harvested together. Get your kids involved in the planning and preparing. Have your meal together outdoors by candlelight or around a campfire.


7. Take a vacation  

Expose your kids to fresh discoveries in a place of natural wonder that’s different for your family. A coral reef, a mountain stream, a beach with a tidal pool, a cave, a desert, or even a swamp can be a source of fun new discoveries. Experiencing it together will heighten your appreciation and provide lasting memories.


8. Do a service project

Areas all around us need to be protected and maintained so that all can enjoy them. Activities like citywide cleanups, habitat or stream restoration, and tree plantings can provide an opportunity not only to serve your community, but to do it in a way that builds appreciation for nature’s value and beauty.


9. Tap available resources

There are many books and websites available to help us connect deeply with nature. For example, look for the book Sharing Nature, by Joseph Cornell, and his website, Sharing Nature Worldwide.  Cornell is a renowned outdoor educator.  His wonderful book and website are packed full of fun and transformative activities, including instructions and related tips that will help you, your kids, and their friends discover and learn to love the wonders of nature around you.

 

These few ideas are but the tip of the iceberg (to use a natural metaphor).  Limitless possibilities will emerge once you get started. When you develop the habit of setting aside time in nature, it will cultivate the desire to do more. The benefits to body, mind, and spirit for all in the family will be your reward. But it will also help to make you and your kids better world citizens and more caring stewards of Earth, our home.

 

Peter Adriance served for 25 years in the U.S. Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs, as Representative for Sustainable Development. Having retired in early 2016, he continues to be active on issues of climate, energy, and environment, serving on the boards of two local organizations and a city advisory council. He is also a member of the Regional Bahá’í Council for the Atlantic States, which oversees Bahá’í activities in an eight-state area, and is active with the Bahá’í community of Falls Church, VA. He and his wife, Riva, have three grown children.  

Updated on 4.19.16