Positivity and Passion Towards Nature

Today I was glad to come across an interview on YouTube with Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder", in which he highlights the need for positive interactions between children and nature. One of his key messages is that rather than filling young minds with a doom and gloom portrayal of the future in regards to climate change and environmental destruction, we should aim to generate positive feelings in our children towards the natural world. His point is that if children have developed a love of nature, then they are going to be more likely to want to protect it. It's a pretty simple theory really but an essential one for educators to get to grips with.

Here he is in an interview for Global Voices for Justice:

I have long wondered whether topics like pollution, climate change, species extinction etc. really have a place in primary school education but they seem to have become as entrenched within the curriculum as fractions or story-writing. Firstly, these issues are simply enormous for young children to really get a grasp of; youngsters have no real understanding of the numbers involved, the size of the Earth, the rate of destruction and the role of politics and economics behind many of the issues. But really, the thought that's bugged me for a while is, how sad it is that for many children, some of their early engagements with the environment will be, through multimedia and books, how humans are destroying the planet. Being so new on the Earth themselves, they cannot be held accountable for this, but are frequently involved in explorations of how our planet is in a crisis and headed for a certain catastrophe. Early negative messages about the environment might just lead young people into thinking that this is an inevitable ending and that nature is a 'problem' rather than a thing of beauty and wonder.

Yes, the future is in their hands, but for today's youth to take on the responsibility of sorting out the mess, our education systems need to first inculcate within children a deep connection with nature, a compassionate attitude and also the problem-solving aptitudes required to fix issues their predecessors have created. Only if these are developed in children can we expect that they might engage with the environmental issues they will undoubtedly face.

The deep connection with nature can be made if young children are given opportunities outdoors in the natural world to observe with all the senses, wonder and inquire, play and explore. They must gain an understanding of how their minds and bodies are connected to the environment and must develop passions for nature around them. Once the passion is developed, compassion will follow and after that, the desire to take action and resolve an issue.

As a primary school administrator I have made outdoor learning a focus for our Junior School this year but we have only just touched the surface in bringing change to our approach and collective mindset. Reflecting on the thoughts of Richard Louv, I’m thinking that we must make engagement with nature a central part of our children’s school lives and take a re-look at our curriculum documents to see whether we are planning for ignition of passion towards nature.