Connecting Children to Nature

"One of the great gifts we can give children through their frequent interactions with nature is a sense that they are connected to something larger than themselves," writes Vicki Bohling-Philippi in an article that forms the basis for the Exchange Out of the Box Kit, Using the Power of Nature to Help Children Heal.

"Nature is a constant in human life throughout history and geography.  The same songbirds children see in the spring will winter somewhere else around the globe. Helping children find those connections, perhaps by looking at pictures of the places “our” birds go in the winter, is a great way to help them realize how interconnected life on our planet really is....

"Developmental psychologist Martha Ferrell Erickson, a leading authority in parent-child attachment, recently spoke of a child’s innate attachment to nature as an additional key to health and well-being throughout childhood. This natural connection is often evident when a fussy baby is taken outside and quickly calms to this literal change of scenery. But just as early bonding establishes the foundation of trust between parent and child, the earlier a child develops a “bond” with the natural world, the more likely that child will feel trust and comfort in nature versus fear and dread."

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