We’ve been having kids’ days once a week each summer. Living next to a river affords all kinds of opportunities for exploring nature.
The 5-year-old found crayfish and mussels and rocks and dragonflies. It made my heart smile when he said, “There’s lots of mysteries in this river.”
Here are some great quotes from Richard Louv’s book, The Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.
“Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart. If we are going to save environmentalism and the environment, we must also save an endangered indicator species: the child in nature.”
“We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth, and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole.”
“Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health.”
“Nature is often overlooked as a healing balm for the emotional hardships in a child’s life.”
“Can we teach children to look at a flower and see all the things it represents: beauty, the health of an ecosystem, and the potential for healing?”
So…wherever you are and whenever you can, let the kids explore outside!