One of my many passions is exposing adults and children to nature. All around us we are surrounded by nature which makes it one of the most effortless travel experiences. Yet so many families don’t take advantage of the natural world and all it has to offer our children. Over the last decade there has been a great disconnect between children and the natural world and it is up to us to make a change today. So, I “Vote for Nature Travel.”
We Explore!
During our travels, we always make a point of exploring nature in the area we are visiting. Nature is all around us so it is one of the easiest and most inexpensive things to explore when you are traveling. Every time you travel you have an opportunity to battle, “nature deficit disorder” (yes it really has a name). Some of these places include nature centers, wildlife refuges, national parks, state parks, city parks, beaches, preserves, national forests…. If you are not a fan of sitting and just soaking in nature many of these nature enriched areas offer numerous ways to immerse your family in nature while being active like kayaking, geocaching, hiking, biking, birding, etc.
Vital To Child Development
It is our duty as parents to expose our children to nature at a young age. If kids learn about and explore nature they will have a better appreciation for our planet and will become good stewards as adults. “We should not think of a child’s experience in nature as an extracurricular activity,” says Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. “It should be thought of as vital to children’s health and development.”
More Reasons To Enjoy Nature
If you need more convincing on why nature is good for our children (and ourselves) here you go:
- Being in nature gets children moving and makes them healthier. Children are not moving nearly enough thanks to the rise of the screens. Getting out and interacting with nature provides children a great way to get moving. Even a leisurely stroll can have a vast improvement on one’s health. Being outdoors also helps reduce stress and is good for the mind, body and soul.
- Being in nature builds confidence. Outdoor play is most often unstructured play. There are numerous ways children can interact with the outdoors and by letting them choose how they treat nature gives them the power to control their own actions and build confidence.
- Being in nature teaches responsibility. Children will learn what happens when the living parts of their environment are not taken care of properly.
- Being in nature promotes creative and imaginative thinking. Unstructured play allows children to interact with their surroundings by thinking freely, designing their own activities and approaching the outdoors in inventive ways.
- Being outdoors provides stimulation. Nature provides the best stimulation. When exploring nature children utilize all just about all of their senses – hearing, smelling, touching, seeing.
- Being in nature gets children thinking and learning! Nature creates a sense of wonder for children getting them thinking and learning as they explore and ask questions. There is no better way to learn about the wonders of nature than to be immersed in it.
Our family “votes for nature travel” and we hope that this post has inspired you to do so too. Nature is everywhere and will always provide you with a unique, one of a kind experience!
Kathy quit her full-time job as an administrative assistant in July 2011 to become a stay at home/homeschool mom to her two children. Besides being a busy mother she is also a devoted wife, blogger, field-trip expert, naturalist and social media guru. Recently Kathy has added public speaking engagements about unschooling and field tripping to her repertoire. She lives in Georgia just north of the hustling and bustling city of Atlanta. When she is not exploring the world with her children, she enjoys blogging, scrapbooking, hiking, geocaching, arts/crafts, traveling, and watching movies.
Read more about the Balman family’s homeschool and travel adventures on their blog. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google + and Pinterest.
Join our facebook group of Christian travelers here!
Comments
5 responses to “Vote for Nature Travel”
I vote for nature travel
I was so blessed as a child to have parents who loved the outdoors. My dad had us outside hiking every weekend. I can remember complaining sometimes. But overall I know that is where my love for the outdoors came from. I soak up the sights and sounds of God’s creation, no matter where I am.
We are so blessed by God’s creation and I say a wholehearted AMEN to the importance of involving children outside in nature. 🙂
Totally agreed! We all need to be spending more time outdoors in His beautiful world! Thanks for stopping by!
We’re really lucky where we live to have so much close by – we have a nice sculpted river walk, cycleways, canal trail, parks, etc. It’s been great to have the maintained stuff while my daughter is still in a pushchair, then as she gets older we can get off the beaten track more. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing over at #FridayFrivolity!
Sound like fabulous places to enjoy nature! Have you used a baby carrier/ sling with your daughter?