Giving kids the opportunity to explore urban nature makes for a brighter future for us all.
From an early age I have always felt a connection with nature. I grew up in a typical three bedroom bungalow with a modest backyard in the suburbs of Sydney. Looking back, my sister and I had a fantastic childhood, supporting loving parents, security, freedom to roam, freedom to explore, great friends and our bikes! Our bikes were our vehicle to explore, roam and be free in our neighbourhood. We’d be out from dawn to dusk only popping in when our bellies started to grumble and when the night sky turned on the lights. We knew every tree, every pot hole, every crack in the footpath, the best bushes to do a wee behind, the best bush paths to explore and the best places to hide. It was an exhilarating, independent childhood. I also spent a lot of time with my dad in our garden (and where you can still find him today). Dad, I believe was the person that gave me the love I have for the natural world. He is definitely a nurturer and instilled in me that very value, caring for the environment and people themselves. From an early age our family had pets to love and care for and a flourishing garden to explore and learn from. We had fruit and veggies growing everywhere even under the famous hills hoist. Dad taught me so much in our backyard about the environment, about birds and plants, how to plant, how to grow, how to love and how to nurture. He taught me how species rely on each other to survive and how we all play a vital part in this beautiful planet. I don’t even think dad set out to teach me those things but just by being with him in our backyard, watching him, helping him, experiencing the joy of being outside with nature he showed me how wonderful and precious the natural world is and why it is so very important and worth saving.
I recently read an article titled "How Ecologically Literate Are Your Kids?" On the Parentables website and it stopped me in my tracks. The author Kimberley Mok asked the questions, “Do you know if your kids can indicate where north is? Do they know from which direction the prevailing winds come from? Can they name some plant species that grow locally? Do they know where their food comes from? Can they describe how the hydrological cycle works? The answers to these simple questions are hints as to how ecologically literate they might be.” With our fast past, technologically advanced lifestyles we can easily drift apart from the natural world. How ecologically literate is my daughter and how ecologically literate am I in my new neighbourhood? This article really awoke my desire to once again nurture our local environment and hopefully give my little daughter the same experiences my dad gave me to help her see the wondrous world we live in and why it is definitely worth saving.
The Healthy Family & Planet blog will showcase our journey within our local urban nature and hopefully deliver simple, cheap and fun things you can also do with your kids to experience, gain an understanding and love for your local natural environment. Our kid’s futures really depend on it so why not have fun nurturing our little environmental stewards.
Did you spend most of your childhood playing outside? What did you love to do? Let me know in the comments below...thanks!
“Susan is a mum with a young family who has always had a passion for the natural world and living a healthy, chemical free life. She has spent the last 6 years in a quest to find the best certified organic products and produce for her family and the planet. She has several business interests now including a successful organic home business, www.organicfocus.net.”
From an early age I have always felt a connection with nature. I grew up in a typical three bedroom bungalow with a modest backyard in the suburbs of Sydney. Looking back, my sister and I had a fantastic childhood, supporting loving parents, security, freedom to roam, freedom to explore, great friends and our bikes! Our bikes were our vehicle to explore, roam and be free in our neighbourhood. We’d be out from dawn to dusk only popping in when our bellies started to grumble and when the night sky turned on the lights. We knew every tree, every pot hole, every crack in the footpath, the best bushes to do a wee behind, the best bush paths to explore and the best places to hide. It was an exhilarating, independent childhood. I also spent a lot of time with my dad in our garden (and where you can still find him today). Dad, I believe was the person that gave me the love I have for the natural world. He is definitely a nurturer and instilled in me that very value, caring for the environment and people themselves. From an early age our family had pets to love and care for and a flourishing garden to explore and learn from. We had fruit and veggies growing everywhere even under the famous hills hoist. Dad taught me so much in our backyard about the environment, about birds and plants, how to plant, how to grow, how to love and how to nurture. He taught me how species rely on each other to survive and how we all play a vital part in this beautiful planet. I don’t even think dad set out to teach me those things but just by being with him in our backyard, watching him, helping him, experiencing the joy of being outside with nature he showed me how wonderful and precious the natural world is and why it is so very important and worth saving.
I recently read an article titled "How Ecologically Literate Are Your Kids?" On the Parentables website and it stopped me in my tracks. The author Kimberley Mok asked the questions, “Do you know if your kids can indicate where north is? Do they know from which direction the prevailing winds come from? Can they name some plant species that grow locally? Do they know where their food comes from? Can they describe how the hydrological cycle works? The answers to these simple questions are hints as to how ecologically literate they might be.” With our fast past, technologically advanced lifestyles we can easily drift apart from the natural world. How ecologically literate is my daughter and how ecologically literate am I in my new neighbourhood? This article really awoke my desire to once again nurture our local environment and hopefully give my little daughter the same experiences my dad gave me to help her see the wondrous world we live in and why it is definitely worth saving.
The Healthy Family & Planet blog will showcase our journey within our local urban nature and hopefully deliver simple, cheap and fun things you can also do with your kids to experience, gain an understanding and love for your local natural environment. Our kid’s futures really depend on it so why not have fun nurturing our little environmental stewards.
Did you spend most of your childhood playing outside? What did you love to do? Let me know in the comments below...thanks!
“Susan is a mum with a young family who has always had a passion for the natural world and living a healthy, chemical free life. She has spent the last 6 years in a quest to find the best certified organic products and produce for her family and the planet. She has several business interests now including a successful organic home business, www.organicfocus.net.”
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