Why nature is naturally invaluable

I was lucky to have grown up in the era I did. My siblings, cousins and I spent hours outside when we were kids, fighting and playing with friends. We hiked, fished and camped in northern Michigan woods. Some of us went hunting with the adult men in the family.

I asked my dad once why he never brought home a deer; surely he was as good a shot as his dad and brothers. I have never forgotten what he told me. “I don’t go out there to hunt. I go out to enjoy nature. I’ve had deer walk right by me, but they’re too beautiful too kill.”

I have many memories of times spent “up north,” and I know I was fortunate to have had those moments. My husband, too, spent the hours of his youth running through the southern woods of Mississippi and Alabama. We made sure to expose our sons to the natural world, as well, through day camps and Boy Scouts.

The mental and physical benefits of time spent in nature, unplugged from electronic devices, are numerous. Richard Louv wrote about them in his book Last Child in the Woods, where he coined the term “nature-deficit disorder.”

Outside, kids are inherently more active as they explore their surroundings. Studies show that kids with attention deficit disorder are better able to focus after spending time camping or fishing. Staying silent in the woods and listening to the soft buzz of insects and birds’ songs can have a soothing effect on our psyches. Stay quiet long enough, and some of those birds and bugs may come out of hiding.

Not everyone has access to woods, but even small-scale contact with the natural world is beneficial. Community gardens are springing up in cities all over the country, and digging in the dirt can be just as satisfying.

There’s another advantage of introducing children to the beauty of the natural world around them, one with long-lasting effects. They’ll be more likely to advocate for the environment if they’ve made memories of their own to cherish.

And that can only benefit us all.