Spring is a good time to take a hike with a child, and introduce them to the beauty and wonder of nature. Children that get outside and exposed to wild nature are healthier physically and mentally. Richard Louv explored
this in his book "Last Child In the Woods." published in 2005. In it he says:
"For children, nature comes in many forms. A newborn calf; a pet that lives and dies; a worn path through the woods; a fort nested in stinging nettles; a damp, mysterious edge of a vacant lot - whatever shape nature takes, it offers each child an older, larger world separate from parents. Unlike television, nature does not steal time; it amplifies it. Nature offers healing for a child living in a destructive family or neighborhood. It serves as a blank slate upon which a child draws and reinterprets the culture's fantasies.
Nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the full use of the senses. Given a chance, a child will bring the confusion of the world to the woods, wash it in the creek, turn it over to see what lives on the unseen side of that confusion. Nature can frighten a child, too, and this fright serves a purpose. In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy: a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace."
A child that grows up indoors, spending their free time sitting in front of a TV, or interacting with a video game or a computer, will become a much different adult than a child who has the freedom to roam and explore meadows and woodlands, discovering for themselves how immense and fascinating our earth is.
The world expands in a child's imagination as they spend time in a forest, or climb a hill or mountain. It is a much different experience than what is seen in the psuedo-reality of a TV set or computer monitor.
Children need to play and get dirty, and be subjected to a wide enough array of bacteria so that they develop healthy immune systems as they grow.
One of the kindest things an adult can do for a child is walk or hike with him or her in the outdoors. Children are often fascinated with what they find when exploring wild places.
I saw this last week when I led a group of 3rd graders from an elementary school in inner Denver on a nature walk up in the foothills. They all crouched around a caterpillar, and I waited while they took their time investigating it.
Their teacher explained that this is all new to them: "They don't get out much."
You can see in their faces what a good time they had out there.
Rachel Carson explained the importance of an adult sharing nature with children: "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."
Rediscover is the key world. When you go out with children you may find your own love of nature rekindled - we all have some of the child inside of us, and walks in nature can bring it out.
