Humans Need Nature Connection
This is a sad commentary on how so many people are missing out on nature.
In my 10 years at Wilderness Awareness School I learned and worked with people every day who understood the importance of nature connection. It's so disheartening to know that not everyone feels the same.
Comments
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I really enjoy being out in the woods or photographing cemetaries in the fall. With winter upon us though I have been indoors more often than not. We got almost 16 inches of snow overnight 😳
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That a lot of snow!
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Forest Bathing, Shinrin-Yoku, Nature Therapy. There are programs like these popping up everywhere. Often as group bonding activities at professional retreats. People have lost the sense of awareness that comes with being in nature and that creates fear of the unknown, so many people have become afraid to walk in nature without the benefit of a guide.
Instead of the old saying "you can't seen the forest for the trees", its a case of seeing the forest but not the trees. Its pretty cool to watch someone who has never connected with nature before.
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@Mary Linda Bittle, West Plains, Missouri it’s hard to comprehend such a dilemma. I know it’s in my DNA to be surrounded by our natural world. In my almost 60 yrs on this planet, I have always lived in a rural setting. I get pleasure from looking, being & immersing myself in the country around me. So I guess there are people who are opposite, immersed in the concrete jungle & don’t know any different & that’s ok but I know what makes me happy.😀
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I love to walk outside and be surrounded by plants and birds. The urban jungle doesn't have the same feeling.
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@Mary Linda Bittle, West Plains, Missouri while listening to mpr radio the other day, I heard an article about a Hopkins school teacher teaching students outdoors in Minnesota. Its very cold there, and with snow. S9me days there is wind. She has been working with the school district and parents to improve how children learn. The children bundle up in their snow-gear, and head outside to begin their class. This is being done with Kindergarteners and by 2023 she aspires that First graders will be heading outdoors to learn in the cold. There has been a dramatic decrease in behavior. In fact, there have been no negative behaviors from the children. Their focus from the teachers is on nature. What animal tracks can they see? From what animals are those tracks made? What kinds of trees are nearby? What plants grow outside? The children are learning about nature as they are in nature. They also get to play. This program has been very successful.
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This is a Canadian company but maybe there are other companies like this in other countries.
The Outdoor Learning Store. Its based on teaching kids about the outdoor world and how to navigate in it with the plants and all the other creatures. Great for home schoolers or for city people who want to teach their kids about the natural environment. Good to get parents back out in nature, too.
Several schools in our area have started outdoor programs. Some just do their regular classes outside, but at least one school is basing its curriculum on forestry. The science and nature of the forest (biology & botany), math in the forest (how to figure the diameter or height of a tree, square meters in a plot, etc.), economics in the forest (how many board feet of lumber in a tree and its value), PE in the forest (trail running, mountain climbing, swimming lessons at the lake, snowshoeing, skiing, pond hockey, etc.), social studies/history outside (visiting historic sites and heritage villages, walking old trails, finding artifacts at dig sites, learning how ancestors lived).
So much to do outside!
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It's wonderful that some schools are implementing outdoor learning! At Wilderness Awareness School we had classes for ages 4- adult, always outside, no matter the weather. And summer camps for the city kids (Seattle area).
It was wonderful, and so many kids (and adults) who struggled with "regular school" did really well in our programs.
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I so agree that being out in nature is so important! I know that no matter how stressed I am or it has been a bad day once I go outside all the bad goes away. Even pulling weeds can put me in a good mood!
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@Lisa K Getting outside is awesome for stress but to be able to get some dirt under your fingernails is even better. It is what I recommend to some clients for stress related issues.
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In addition to the fancy names for programs that connect you with nature, there is now a condition associated with our lack of the natural world. Not yet considered a medical condition or mental illness, Nature Deficit Disorder is being used to describe a state in which other medical/mental conditions may arise due to a lack of connection with nature.
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It makes sense that a total disconnect from nature would cause emotional, physical, and mental illness. I love the idea of forest bathing.
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Yes, Richard Louv is the Nature Deficit guy. His books are really good. I got to hear him speak in Seattle once!
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This conversation reminded me of what happened recently with a spider. She's beautiful, and I'm happy to see more predator bugs showing up in my little patio garden. The problem was that she chose my clothesline and collard greens to anchor her web. So I had a talk with her and told her she was going to have to move her web slightly if we were both going to live together. This morning, I went out, and her web was anchored on my pomegranate and loquat. I still have to be careful, but at least I can harvest my collards and hang my clothes without destroying her web.
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@Tave that’s a scary-looking female spider. Took us awhile to locate all of its legs. What kind of arachnid is she?
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@SuperC All spiders look scary to me, yes I am a gardener with arachnophobia 😋
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@SuperC The closest I could come to is an orb weaver (Araneidae). I can't say I'm comfortable around spiders, but as long as they're not in my house, I live and let live. I've already seen her eating gnats.
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@Lisa K fyi: Orb spiders have intricate webs, they are fascinating to watch both spinning them (how she waits for an air current then spews out a single silk strand to glide from the starting point, giving enough silk she glides to the next point, so so forth) and spinning what they’re going to eat. Their males spiders are very small in size when in comparison.
Also, these creatures are intelligent, and it is amazing how they understand what is asked of them when spoken to. One time I came across one of many, yet one in particular, I informed her I needed to move her a little farther away. I held one end of the attached web and gently moved it to adhere elsewhere. She remained higher up on a corner of the clothesline next to the house and outdoor shower. (Funny you mentioned your clothesline.)
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I get a spider in my backyard that I thought was an Orb Weaver but I was told is not, so not sure what she is. I had one in my backyard that was so big the GC working at my house asked me what I was feeding her!
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I spent my first 60 years in a big city environment. When we finally bought a cabin, it was like a small web of tension disappeared from my body. My new home also helps me to keep the "crowd inhibitions" at bay. A person doesn't realize how they withdraw into themselves when they cannot interact with nature.
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From my Pocket feed today.
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Have you read the book _Last Child in the Woods_ by Richard Louv? I read it years ago and found it depressing.
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