If you're like me, you probably remember spending lots of carefree time as a kid playing outside. Running and exploring in the woods.
Playing hide and seek. Camping in provincial parks.
Swimming or fishing in lakes and rivers. Catching tadpoles in ponds and streams.
I know those early experiences forged a deep connection to nature for me. They laid the groundwork for my adult understanding of how natural systems sustain human communities; for example, by providing fresh, clean, drinking water.
In the end, the childhood delight I experienced outdoors contributed to my decision to become an environmental educator. I simply love to help children learn about how nature works and give them the opportunity to experience it firsthand. There is truly nothing more gratifying than the wide-eyed wonder of a child immersed in all that the natural world offers!
Unfortunately, many children today have much less access to nature than previous generations. Kids' time at school, home and in other settings offers fewer opportunities to play freely and explore the world outside. These activities also compete - often unsuccessfully! - with "screen time" on computers and mobile devices. In our busy lives, the balance can tip too much away from the outdoors and free play.
Many of our children are paying a price for these shifts. Rates of childhood anxiety, depression and obesity are on the rise.
Surveys have found that while less than five per cent of today's children can name the five most common birds or plants in their backyard, most 10 years olds can name 300 to 400 brands of consumer products.
In his renowned book Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv describes a condition he calls "nature deficit disorder."
Louv suggests, based on the scientific evidence, that a lack of unstructured play in the natural world contributes to a range of developmental and behavioural problems.
And what are the doctor's orders for nature-deficit disorder? Simple: get outside!
From improving physical fitness to motor skills, from maintaining healthy eyesight to enhancing mental health, there are many different ways in which time spent interacting with nature benefits well-being.
Playing and learning outdoors are also linked to improved performance at school. Children's grades improve, and they also become more resilient and make better social connections.
Time spent in nature has been shown to improve empathy and increase cognitive development, and the kind of unstructured play that takes place in nature builds physical confidence and problem-solving skills.
The resounding conclusion: nature is good for kids.
I can attest to another important fact: kids are good for nature too.
There's something powerful happening when a group of Grade 6 students make the connections about why they could find some native plants at their school and not others. It's also powerful when a grade one student explains that "worms look dead when they don't move, but they are really alive," when asked what she learned during the workshop I led for her class.
These "aha" moments help kids understand their relationships and responsibilities as part of the natural world.
I'm excited to be in Prince George next week to spend time with students at Edgewood and Heritage elementary schools. As an educator, I love to take kids out to explore nature at or nearby their school. I look forward to seeing their joy in discovery and to watching them work together to solve problems - both in their activities and in navigating the landscape.
At Sierra Club BC, we believe that kids should experience nature because it's proven to provide multiple benefits.
We also believe that children who learn to love and appreciate the natural world will grow into adults who work to defend nature and their communities from destructive activity.
They will want to shape a world in which families, communities and the natural world can prosper together.
That's got to be good for today's kids - as well as yesterday's and tomorrow's!
Kirsten Dallimore is the Environmental Educator for Sierra Club BC. Her visit to Prince George is part of Science Odyssey week, a federal government initiative meant to stoke the fires of curiosity, inquiry and big picture thinking through science education.
