Nurturing a Love of Nature (including all the little things)

By Victoria Groves

Enjoying the outdoors is more than just playing catch in the back yard or riding a bicycle down the street. The fresh air is great, but actually exploring bugs and birds and animals in their habitats can help children develop a real love and respect for nature that will follow them into adulthood.

Lisa Monaci-Englert of Roslindale is a mother of three and a nature lover. She has been able to pass that interest on to her children in very simple, yet meaningful ways. "We go hiking and walk in creeks and look for bugs," said Monaci-Englert, who also runs a summer arts nature camp. "Children innately like to be outdoors...they aren't upset about being sweaty or getting mosquito bites."

Unfortunately, relationships like this between children and nature are on the decline. According to the Children and Nature Network, recent studies show that most children live too far away from school to bike or walk there, they spend more time indoors than their mothers did as children, and they know more about Pokemon than common wildlife.

Monaci-Englert tries to take things that her children love, like Harry Potter or the Spiderwick Chronicles and incorporate them into outdoor play. "We started a fairy garden in our yard with some wooden boxes, birdhouses, and stones," she said. "It's a great way to use fantasy to spark their imaginations."

If you're within a car ride of Boston, you have myriad options for a family day of nature, from the Arnold Arboretum to Jamaica Pond to Walden Pond. At the Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Mattapan, children as young as three and their parents can begin exploring the world around them with the help of a staff naturalist. The center has over two miles of trails across 67 acres of land, and is open seven days a week.

Activities are seasonally-based and include tracking, insect studies, observing over 45 butterfly varieties and spotting roaming wild turkeys. With over 200 community gardens on site, families can simply grab a map and explore the area. "The changes we see the most are getting children away from seeing a spider and thinking they should kill it," said Education Manager Jean Dorcus. "Soon, they want to pick it up and take it outside."

Dorcus guarantees that parents don't have to be nature experts to foster a love of the wilderness in their children. "Parents should have the mindset that they're going to walk, talk and explore," said Dorcus. "If a child asks you what something is and you don't know, you can take a picture and then head to the library."

Beyond Boston, there are even more spots to take the kids. Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln is located on 232 acres of land and is a jackpot of nature activities. One popular activity, according to Kris Scopinich, education manager at Drumlin Farm, is questing. Children can pick up a discovery quest pack that includes tools like a compass, along with clues. "It's a neat opportunity, kind of like a scavenger hunt," she said. "The children use the compass and clues written in poetry or prose to end up at a specific location."

During the BIG BUGS event at New England Flower Society's Garden in the Woods in Framingham, visitors can walk the BIG BUGS trail where giant sculptures happily co-exist with cool forests, refreshing ponds ad a colorful meadow demonstrating the essential relationship of bugs, plants and people.

 

For parents who are truly outdoor novices, Dorcus suggests starting with a walk around a local park and just listening. "Notice what you hear, what you see and what you smell," she said. "If you enjoy being outside together and your child understands what's living outdoors, the respect for nature happens automatically." She suggests observing things like tree or flower buds and then coming back to the same spot in a week or so to see what has changed. This is especially interesting for children as the seasons change.

With 20 or so minutes of recess each day, gym class only once a week, and an hour or so of homework each night, free time with nature is at a premium. But even if you go out in your own backyard for 30 minutes before dinner, you can learn a thing or two with your child. "Your own back yard has a million treasures, too," said Scopinich. "For a young child, an ant is an amazing thing."

A recent study out of the University of Illinois called "Communing with Nature Less and Less" points to America's shift away from leisure time being spent outdoors and more time being spent online or watching television. But other studies link videogames and television to an increased agitation in children, especially close to bedtime. "To get fresh air into a kid makes such a difference," she said. "They get their heart rates up and they sleep better," said Monaci-Englert.

Scopinich agrees that spending time outdoors can result in the reduction of anxiety and aggression in children. "Parents and teachers are surprised at the ability of children to focus and be patient outdoors, especially when it isn't happening in the classroom," she said. "Play is learning." 

In addition to the Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary (www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Boston/)
and Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary (www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Drumlin_Farm/), try these additional spots across the state:

Blue Hills Reservation in Milton (www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/blue.htm)
Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham (www.fells.org/)
Wachusett Mountain State Reservation in Princeton (www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/wach.htm)
Wompatuck State Park in Hingham (www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/womp.htm)

REI runs a Passport to Adventure Program at all of these spots (including Drumlin Farm) that includes an adventure journal passport that can be stamped at REI, and a certificate of completion when three rides or hikes are completed. For more information, visit www.rei.com/stores/kids_passport.jsp.

Photo credit: William Cullina photo.

WILD Times At 'BIG BUGS'
By Debra Strick and Dr. Tristram Seidler
New England Wild Flower Society

Wonder what a bug may think of you? See bugs how they see you when BIG BUGS Web-of-Life Extravaganza invades Framingham this summer.
 
Thirteen giant bugs, including this 1500-pound praying mantis, will invade New England Wild Flower Society's Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham beginning July 12 through October 31, 2008.

Making up more than half of the world's biodiversity, insect species and their plant interactions are crucial to the survival of our planet. So put your creepy crawlies worries aside and enter into the spectacular beauty and fun of the world of bugs: from butterflies and ladybugs to bees and grasshoppers. 

The BIGGEST exhibit of the region features enormous natural bug sculptures displayed in concert with the Garden's 1,500 wildflower species and cultivars, including 200 rare and endangered kinds. Walk the BIG BUGS trail where giant sculptures happily coexist with cool forests, refreshing ponds, and a colorful meadow demonstrating the essential relationships of bugs, plants, and people.
 
For a listing of all the fun events, see our calendar.

Test your bug knowledge for a chance to win a family-four pack to BIG BUGS.