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Quick recap: I assigned myself a summer reading book, How To Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature, to help me have a better relationship with nature and encourage that relationship in my children. I’m jotting down some notes and thoughts as I read through it this month and sharing them here. Maybe it will inspire you in a new way too!
The book is divided into four sections. (Find my notes on Part One here and Part Two here.) Part Three contains Chapters 6, 7 and 8 and is called “Life Stages.”
Chapter 6: The Playful Scientist
Young children are like wolf pups. They long to venture outside, but not too far from Mom and Dad. They’re all about exploring and pushing edges close to home, yet run back regularly for a dose of security. As a nature mentor, the key is to give young kids plenty of time in natural places – backyards, beaches, forests, deserts, creeks, parks – where they can play with all those loose parts until exhaustion sets in. Show interest when they bring you some random object for inspection, but otherwise feel free to let kids hang out and explore with all their senses. The end result for the child will be an amazing experience in which she deepens her bond with you and with nature. (p.169)
Notes and takeaways from this chapter:
- This chapter focuses on children ages 2 to 6, where the goal is just to play. Play with rocks and sticks, play in dirt…it’s all healthy and good.
- This was fascinating to me: “Ilkka Hanski and colleagues at the University of Helsinki conducted an intriguing investigation of allergies, comparing adolescents living in neighborhoods surrounded by natural areas with those in neighborhoods landscaped in concrete and neatly trimmed lawns. They found that people immersed in more natural settings, places home to greater varieties of native plants, were themselves covered with a wider range of microbes and were far less likely to exhibit allergies than folks in the more sanitized settings.” (p.164)
- To read: Rachel Carson’s 1956 essay, “Help Your Child to Wonder”
- To try: seek out opportunities to take children on nighttime adventures
Chapter 7: The Age of Competence
…an important element of nature-mentoring children of this age is to loosen the reins enough that they have the freedom and access to find their own place and visit it often. (p.180)
- This chapter moves up to middle childhood, focusing on ages 6 to 12.
- Sampson shares stories of two adults who brought their kids along as they fished, camped and hunted. This paragraph really stood out to me: “The key here is that both men took their kids with them while they pursued their own outdoor passions. The children, feeling that longing for competence, picked up on these passions and unknowingly used them to deepen their own nature connection. The lesson is that while it’s important to observe children closely and support their individual interests, as a nature mentor you need to be authentic in your own interests as well.” (p.182) I may not fish or hunt, but I can see how even gardening with the kids can be beneficial to all of us.
- How can we reduce risk and manage our fears while still getting our kids outdoors and giving them some meaningful autonomy? Two strategies:
- Go with them
- Put outdoor time on the calendar and make it a priority
- “hummingbird parent” = giving kids space and autonomy to take risks, staying on the periphery and only zooming in when necessary
- This chapter really inspired me to research what’s available around us. A simple search of our county on Facebook was all it took to find what’s happening with Parks & Rec and a handful of new trails to hike. Why didn’t I do this sooner?!
Chapter 8: The Social Animal
If beauty is symbolized by the heart, and truth by the brain, goodness might be considered the domain of the gut – a moral compass guiding our decision-making. It is during the teen years that we begin to fine-tune our moral compass. (p.211)
- The teenage years are just around the corner for us, so I was very interested in this chapter!
- A handful of tips:
- Make time for nature: limit screen time and encourage teens to get outside, bonus points if you can get peers involved too
- Make nature the place for adventure: pick an activity that they’re passionate about and get out there regularly (examples: biking, hiking, snowboarding, camping, etc.). I really liked the idea of picking a specific activity for each season. Such a great way to make memories, build traditions, and get into nature all at the same time.
- Nature-related service is really powerful among adolescents: I need to see what’s available locally!
- Rites of passage mark the transition from child to adult: I love this idea so much! Need to brainstorm with Mark exactly how we’d like to do this with our boys. And something special for Sophie too.
Gah!! You know how much I love these posts!! I just put this book in my Amazon cart bc – I need . I feel so strongly about the positive of nature and wide open spaces – so good for all the bits of growing up but also living. We are hoping to get a two-person kayak soon (!!) And the idea of anture service (! Love it!)
Would your boys be into archery? They don't have to hunt, but just shooting targets is so fun .Grey also has a slingshot – he never actually kills anything but when we go for hikes, I point out trees that he has to attempt to hit. We just use stones and pebbles along the path. How about making Cairns too? Gemma recently built a five story cairn/fairy house that she calls the fairy apartment hahaha!
You will LOVE this book. I immediately thought of your family during the part about including your kids in outdoor passions!
Also: thank you for all of the great ideas! Mark and the boys just watched MeatEater on Netflix and are now really interested in hunting the deer and wild turkeys on our property. I'm excited for them to learn a new skill together!