If children do not have direct contact with nature on a regular basis, it is possible that some of the innate curiosity they have towards the environment disappears, and I will go further ... they may even detach themselves from the empathy associated with our condition of beings humans, and leads us to worry about the protection of animal and plant species.
And I have to point out that contact with Nature is not worth it through reference manuals, virtual farm games, or doll collections representing animals from the Savannah
But the lack of Nature will not only influence their attitudes (and therefore their behaviors), but that It can lead to stress, obesity, learning difficulties, depression, problems with sociability, etc.. In fact, author Richard Louv, already coined in his book 'Last Child in the Woods', the term 'Nature deficit', which occurs when we take our children out of the natural world, and force them or allow them to spend more time locked up than outdoors.
With the best intentions in the world (or maybe not) we adults have strived to build a 'perfect' world for the little ones (parks with the rubber-covered floor that stinks, schoolyards where you can't see a tree , houses with all the technology so they don't get bored ...)
And we have forgotten the essentials: a person cannot develop all his abilities (and even more: many of those you will need in adulthood) if you do not experience, make contact with the natural world, observe, browse, get out of sight of the elderly, etc.
It seems that we suffer from amnesia when we are invaded by the irrational fear of having an accident climbing a hillside that for us would have been ridiculous. And instead we are not afraid to dirty their innocence, cover up their emotions, keep them from their true essence, allow them to witness scenes 'impossible to assimilate' on the screen.
I'm going to get my son to give him the air
Luckily we have not completely forgotten how beneficial it was for us the outdoor game, the contact with 'the natural', the spontaneous relations with our peers, the satisfaction of not having to return home more than for the snack, 'the rest of the afternoon I'm going to spend playing'.
Even worse, our children will definitely ignore this need with their offspring: many will not find it difficult, because they will have lived a denatured childhood. So I don't know how future generations will manage to maintain their own well-being and that of the environment
Among the absurd situations that can occur when replacing experiences with virtual games, Nature by brick walls, is the study conducted in England in 2002. Louv tells in his book that according to the results, eight-year-olds could more easily identify Pokemon characters than, for example, a beetle, an otter or an aspen.
Hence the contempt for other animal species, there is not much distance, because ignorance leads to interest, this to disrespect (fear, not knowing ...).
The children say they get bored
It is a general complaint that I have been hearing from parents lately. They spend so much time locked up and playing screens that nothing seems to surprise them. But if we 'force' them (in the good sense of the word) to observe and browse, they will find a thousand reasons to stay abroad.
Let's not be tempted to take the tablet out of the bag at the first 'I'm bored' - in fact I don't understand why we should take it -, if they get bored they think of something to do, or that they really get bored, because it's not as bad as they think (and we think). If they get bored that they stop getting bored and climb a tree, or invent a chase hidden in the mountain, or that they follow the trail of the ants to the food, or that they discover that 'that' that walks is not a cockroach but a beetle (because the former do not like light, like Dracula).
According to Louv, environmental-based education greatly improves school performance, stimulates creativity and provides greater skill in conflict resolution, critical thinking and decision making.
Children have 'Right to have Nature' even if they do not manifest it
And to attend to this right is not only to accompany the needs of children, it is also to show respect for the environment, and a willingness to change. It is known that the great Naturalists, have been among other things, for having enjoyed a childhood in contact with Nature.
It is not that all our children are destined to be Naturalists, but this contact is very beneficial for their development: it facilitates physical exercise, the ability to concentrate, socialization outside regulated structures, imagination.
And the opposite can lead to health problems like the ones we are observing in recent years. And if we have mentioned above problems such as obesity (and others), it is necessary to rescue the idea of neuroscientist Jaak Pankseepp, according to which even a symptomatology such as ADHD, could be due to excessive sedentary lifestyle and the lack of spontaneous outdoor play.
It is an issue that we should all rethink, without looking for responsibilities in the little ones ('There is no way my son wants to leave the game console', and I say 'why so much permissiveness?' Why the inability to limit excess activities that are so insane?).
On whom does it depend that children have more contact with Nature? Is it true that they have no possibilities or autonomy to travel alone? Then take them to the river or to that natural source that you know, sign up for the night excursion that they organize for the local festivities, shake off your laziness and prepare some snacks to go to visit that turtle recovery center that you know… what do I know? Hundreds of possibilities. Look for them, and practice them regularly.
Images | U.S. Department of Agriculture, Miguel Pimentel Vía | The World, Roger Torné Foundation in Peques and More | An approach to nature with the Urban Bird Workshop and the Friends of the Birds Club, 'More time on the street with friends and less in front of the computer' to prevent Internet addiction, Precautions to take during our excursions with children By the mountain
