Environmental Education Activities for Children to Cure a Nature Deficit

Many children today are experiencing a “nature deficit”, a term coined by Richard Louv in the 2005 book Last Child in the Woods meaning that children are spending less time outdoors which may lead to behaviour problems. Regardless of the education your child is receiving in the school system, there are some things you do to provide fun interactive environmental education for your children and ensure that your children do not end up nature deficit.

Online Interactive Activities – This may seem counterintuitive to getting outside but there are some fantastic online environmental education activities that help your children learn more about nature in a way that they will enjoy. Two of my favourites:

• World Wildlife Fund - Learn about individual polar bears, track them and play interactive games to learn about polar bears
• Animal Planet - has a variety of interactive games, quizzes and other activities for kids on pets and wild animals

Note that while online interactive activities do provide environmental education, they will not cure a nature deficit so limit your child’s time on the computer and encourage them to get outside.

Birding – The best environmental education for everyone (adults too) in my opinion is being immersed in nature and birding can be done no matter where you live. I recommend that you take a family birding course (available in most cities) to become familiar with birds in your area and then go on family nature walks trying to identify as many species of birds as possible. Try going at different times of days and to different locations and different times of year. What differences do you notice? Is there a better time of day to go birding? I took a birding course several years ago and was surprised at how many different species of birds lived in my community. On a birding outing in a park still within the city limits, we identified 17 different species of birds in a 3 hour period and even got to see a hawk catch and eat a fish! It truly is amazing how many different species of birds live right among us and birding can be done without leaving town while curing your child of a nature deficit. Note, that birding is one of the most popular hobbies worldwide, so you also may find yourself engrossed in a new hobby that can be done at any age.

Environmental Education Programs at Zoos – Going to the zoo can be an enjoyable experience but to get the most environmental education I would highly recommend taking one of the courses offered by most zoos (note I am biased as I used to teach/design environmental education programs at a zoo, but I truly believe in their value). At the zoo I worked at there were Behind the Scenes with lions, tigers and bears in which participants got to touch bio-facts such as animal fur, skulls and claws and then got to go behind the scenes with a zoo keeper. Children and adults alike will be in awe of just how big grizzly bear claws are or how sharp tiger teeth are. My favourite though was bathing the elephants, in which participants actually got to scrub an elephant and then feed it peanuts. I participated in these programs hundreds of times and always loved them and learned something new. Plus you can choose a program that focuses on an animal that your child is interested in. Participating in an environmental education program at a zoo will make your experience much more interactive and educational, plus you will learn something about the individual animals, making your next zoo visits more enjoyable. For more Tips on Going to the Zoo.

Become an Animal Investigator – This is my favourite environmental education activity and is sure to cure any child from a nature deficit. Look for evidence of animals. One of the most obvious is scat (poop). Children will love looking at scat and trying to identity which animal it came from and how long ago the animal was there. You can also teach children to look for animal tracks, which is especially fun in the winter months. Not all the animals are hibernating. Children can also learn to look for more subtle signs such as bark rubbed off a tree, perhaps from an animal scratching? Fur or hair left behind; along with the height of the rubbing are all clues to the identity of the animal. How many different animals did you see evidence of? Was the animal travelling alone or with other animals? Books about animal scat and tracking in your area can be found in most local bookstores. This activity will work best outside of a city in a provincial/state or national park, but these are frequently within close proximity of cities. I am an avid hiker and do this on every hike. I’ve learned so much about animals by doing this and am still learning. I love it when I get stumped.

Consistency – Lastly, environmental education to cure a nature deficit needs to be done consistently. We (adults too) are becoming more sedentary, tied to the TV. or video games and need to make a commitment to spend more time outdoors in nature. Doing so will not only make you and your child feel more connected to nature and appreciate it more but you may find that you feel happier and more relaxed too – just another benefit of the great outdoors!

Please feel free to share your favourite environmental education activities below.