Nature & Wildlife
Climbing trees, jumping in leaf piles, or simply playing outside is an important part of childhood. Not only are the physical aspects of such activities important, being in nature benefits a child’s mental health and social development. In fact, many early-childhood settings are transforming their outdoor play environments to incorporate more natural elements.
Conservation
It was in 1999, I think, when I went to a writers’ convention and participated as a panelist for a discussion on environmental-and-nature writing. One of the questions from a member of the audience directed to all of us on the dais was: “What keeps you up at night?”
Conservation
Teaching our children to care for the Earth and its many natural habitats is probably the best investment in the future that we could ever make.
Videos
Nature and the end-of-the-year holidays. If you ask me, they go together, traveling across Earth hand in hand at this special time. Maybe that’s because of all the evergreens, holly, mistletoe and poinsettias that we see everywhere we go. Or it could be that this is traditionally the time for awe, contentment, joy and peace.
Nature & Wildlife
There’s the old maxim that you must know something to love it. And we’ve certainly heard that regarding nature: that if we don’t expose people—particularly the next generation—to the outdoors and the biodiversity that resides there, they won’t be or become good stewards of the environment.
Nature & Wildlife
When children were recently asked to draw their “happy places,” more than half of them created drawings that included aspects of nature and outdoor spaces, such as gardens, grass, lakes, outdoor playgrounds, parks, rainbows, rivers, sunlight or trees. Trees, in particular, were drawn by a third of the children.
Conservation
We know that having had exposure to nature as a child makes you a healthier adult—both mentally and physically. Several scientific studies have proven that outdoor time boosts kids’ classroom performances, enhances their imaginations and attention spans, decreases their aggression and helps them to grow lean and strong.
Videos
The original Earth Day turns 50 years old tomorrow. I have been thinking about this momentous anniversary for almost a year, now. Twelve months ago, in my Earth Day 2019 post, I had written: “Next year will see a milestone Earth Day: a 50th anniversary.
Nature & Wildlife
Seeking out the natural world—and the wildlife that occupies it—is a good way to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and its resultant shelter-in-place edicts. But now, there’s even more reason to indulge in the activity.
Conservation
Nat Hab is pleased to share that the FortWhyte Alive Class Act project in Winnipeg, Canada, has been selected to receive a philanthropy grant for the coming year. The $2,500 will sponsor 10 classroom field trips for students at underserved schools, allowing 250 children to reconnect with the natural world.
Nature & Wildlife
Today, the average American child is by far an indoor creature, spending only four to seven minutes a day in unstructured play outdoors and more than seven hours a day in front of a screen.
Nature & Wildlife
Ask any avid nature traveler how he or she first began to make a lifelong attachment to the outdoors, the natural world or a particular species of wildlife, and you’ll get as many anecdotes as the individuals you query.
