Be Green With A Young Person

It’s summer, school is out and kids are home with free time. If you have been thinking about living a greener lifestyle, I suggest you do it with a thought for the future. Help a kid be greener. Our young people are the next stewards of the earth and, frankly, have less attachment to nature than we adults do. In fact, social scientists have a name for the condition that has developed in kids who feel no kinship with nature, nature deficit disorder. We wonder why kids prefer television and video games to going outdoors. Maybe they have no one to introduce them to the outdoors, therefore, they have little love or appreciation for nature.

Become greener and take a kid outdoors. This kid does not need to be your own child. Take a neighbor, a nephew, a granddaughter, a friend’s child. This will benefit you, too. There are many things you can do with a young person outdoors. The idea is to help your chosen protege appreciate the beauty and the allure of nature. Kids are naturally curious and readily see the appeal of nature. Here are some suggestions which are meant to spark your own ideas. Your time with a kid does not have to be structured, in fact, it should not be. Kids’ time is over structured nowadays. Please forget your own biases and try not to transfer them to your kid. Do you think a beetle or slug is gross? Do not tell your child. Let them make up their own mind.

If you do not have a yard, you can go to a local park. Try to walk or bike there rather than driving. Be active. Hike a trail. Keep a list of the animals and plants you see. Appreciate the unappreciated - like bugs who are fascinating little animals. You don’t know their names? Make up your own or check out some field guides at the library.

Don’t forget that plants are important parts of nature. In fact, the rest of nature would not exist if not for plants. Draw trees. Take digital photographs of wildflowers. Use a field guide to learn more about them. Plant some seeds.

One of the most fascinating and visible groups of animals is birds. Sit quietly and listen to the songs birds make. Identify them with a Peterson Field Guide that was written especially for young people, The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America by Bill Thompson III. Set up a bird feeding station or start feeding hummingbirds. They are really entertaining.

In the evening listen for frogs and watch for bats. Look up information about how they are helpful and important. Participate in the National Wildlife Federation's Certified Wildlife Habitat™ program as you make your yard a small nature preserve. It may take a little imagination and observing, but going outside and appreciating nature can easily rival the modern high tech options children have at their fingertips.