Remember: Love of Nature Precedes Caring for the Environment

This post written by Mariah Grant originally appeared on our EcoSmart Parent blog, but we thought out EE News Tips readers would also find it of interest. EcoSmart Parent (always available on www.eenorthcarolina.org) provides information and N.C. environmental education events and resources of interest to parents, caregivers and educators of younger children.


Remember: Love of Nature Precedes Caring for the Environment

Source: Nature Explorers http://ncbg.unc.edu/

Given pressing environmental concerns, we have to remind ourselves not to relay these world burdens to impressionable young children. It is during early childhood that experiences form the values and attitudes about the world that children carry with them through life. Before a certain age, children are unable to think in abstract terms but rather learn through sensory engagement with the world. Allowing open-ended, interactive and sensory play in natural settings is recommended for young children. This is more likely to nurture a positive relationship with nature and foster empathy for the environment than trying to relay knowledge of environmental systems. Presenting problems about the environment that are beyond their cognitive ability can cause children to develop fear and anxiety of the natural world, exactly the opposite of the intended effect.

The appropriate age for imparting knowledge about environmental systems and concerns depends entirely on the individual, but most research says not until at least fourth grade or even middle school. Here is a good article that summarizes much of the research: http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/nurturing.shtml

Source: "Forts, land trusts, and conservation behavior"
http://bit.ly/12nKUSV

In the past, environmental education programs have received criticism for providing education too early on abstract concepts such as endangered species, acid rain and rainforest destruction. Among the network of educators and environmental education centers in North Carolina, the research has been so widely distributed that most have adopted the age appropriate perspective into their practices.

Quality environmental education events for children that focus on exploration and discovery of the natural world help foster a love of nature in children. Good examples of these types of programs can be found on the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs' calendar.