Connecting Kids to Nature
“The children and nature movement is fueled by this fundamental idea: the child in nature is an endangered species, and the health of children and the health of the Earth are inseparable.”
– Richard Louv
By protecting land, maintaining wild places for our community to enjoy, and facilitating outdoor education, OLT works to keep back the tide that keeps kids inside.
New Kid’s Program!
Wildlife Protector Badge
We have officially launched a Wildland Protector Badge Program! Learn more about this awesome new opportunity for your child to connect to nature and feel proud to protect it!
Look and listen…
Any study of American history, including conservation history, is intimately tied to indigenous peoples, in this region, the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois.
The term “seventh generation” and the philosophy of looking forward seven generations comes from the Constitution or “Great Law” of the Iroquois, which reads:
“Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground — the unborn of the future Nation.”
That eloquent statement means every choice we make now impacts our children—and theirs.
Vital connections to the land…
There is no greater responsibility than ensuring that our kids have healthy land and clean water from which to live. We also need to educate kids now about our vital connection to land and water. We need to encourage a love for the outdoors that will lead them to conserve healthy land and water for themselves and for their children and grandchildren.
Study after study demonstrates that when kids connect to nature at young ages, they grow up respecting it and wanting to care for it because they understand that the earth cares for them. Ironically, as we face our greatest environmental challenges, kids are spending less time outside and more time immersed in phones and computers.
“Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential investment in our children's health (and also, by the way, in our own).” – Richard Louv
Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder spotlights the alienation of children from the natural world, coining the term nature-deficit disorder and outlining the benefits of a strong nature connection—from boosting mental acuity and creativity to reducing obesity and depression, from promoting health and wellness to simply having fun. Read more >>
"If a child is to keep his unborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscover the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."
– Rachel Carson
The following list includes reports, studies, and publications on the benefits of reconnecting people, particularly children, to a sense of place in the natural world. The extensive benefits of cultivating a “sense of wonder” and increasing connection to the natural world through encounters and access to green spaces include physiological, social, and emotional health benefits and the fostering of environmental stewardship.
People are only as healthy as the land, water, and air that sustains us.
It is vital to understand this connection and to nurture it.
Resources for deeper learning
How Children can help protect wildlife >>