KIDS IN NATURE

Kids Belong in NATURE

Society has gradually shifted from a time of spending tons of time outdoors, taking advantage of all that mother nature has to offer into staying inside on devices. Many have forgotten how good it feels to have the damp dirt squuuish between your toes! Kids belong in nature - we all do.

Soaking up the sun (with proper skin protection) can be so beneficial to your soul and body, no matter how old you are. For children, being outdoors and gathering sticks, gardening, building or climbing all help them grow their fine motor-skills. When they pick flowers, or gather leaves for comparison they are using their critical thinking. All of these things help prepare them for growing up, and when you are right there next to them along the way, you are helping fill their soul with love and respect.

Imaginations are something we tend to forget about as adults, we stop letting our thoughts drift to silliness of couch cushions being a castle or fairies living in the gardens. We have to remember that children are flowing with creativity and imaginations just waiting to come out. The outdoors offers limitless possibilities a four-wall room cannot! Tending a garden or caring for animals helps children gain more self-esteem, a great way to think about this is when you see a plant’s life cycle from seed to vegetable happen in your backyard. It is beyond rewarding, you feel this warmth of happiness overcome you. You are proud of your work, time and energy that created this vegetable. You are left happy, and proud of yourself for your patience, respect for the earth, and responsibility.

The bottom line is, we could all benefit from nature and what it offers. We don’t have to have all one or the other, we just need to remember to go back to our roots and what makes us human. Care for the earth, and it will care for us back.

Kids Belong in NATURE