According to Human Evolutionary history, since the Sapiens emerged in Africa, around 3,00,000 years ago till today, most of our time spent was in Natural environments. Be it Savannas of Africa, Rainforests of amazons or diverse terrains of India. Our brains are evolved in the wilderness, amongst thousands of species, listening to the calls of hundreds of fellow beings, interpreting the meaning of those, understanding the flowering/fruiting patterns of various plants, tracking the footprints of other mammals.
It's only very recently, 10,000 years ago, we started our agricultural life. Even in this phase, we were exposed to natural environments. These environments played indeed a crucial role in the evolution of our brains and our body.
And perhaps that could be the reason for a phenomenon called ‘Biophilia’ - human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature or a desire or tendency to commune with nature.
No wonder why many psychologists/physicians today have started prescribing ‘Nature’ for better mental & physical health & happiness. Spending time in Natural environment helps reduce mental disorders like Stress, Anxiety, Depression and ADHD.
Biophilia, perhaps, could also be the reason why our children are curious about the things in Nature & love to be in the Natural environments. Be it playing in mud, swinging on aerial roots of banyan tree or drenching and dancing in rains, children are happy when they are in nature.
Unfortunately, such youthful pursuits appear to be dying as the Human societies advanced to the urban areas. Children’s exposure to Nature has substantially decreased. Urban children today spend most of their time either in homes or in classrooms. American author Richard Louv wrote a book revealing this staggering divide between Children and Nature - ‘Last child in the woods’. He directly links the lack of Nature or nature deficit to this disturbing childhood trend like rise in attention disorders or depression.
This is not the only front we are losing on, we are also losing ‘Naturalistic intelligence - one of the 8 intelligences according to Multiple Intelligence Theory! Naturalistic intelligence is defined as ‘ability to identify elements of nature like species of flora, fauna around you, deriving the meaning out of it & being able to sense with all of your senses.
Urban Children today would easily recognise several corporate logos or automobile brands but won't be able to recognise 10 species of plants or birds around them.
Unfortunately, our formal education system pays very little attention to this aspect of intelligence development.
Fortunately many solutions are emerging to overcome the situation all around the world. ‘Forest Schools’ are one of such emerging concepts which goes closer to the roots. Forest schools are nature based communities where trained practitioners nurture learner-led exploration & discovery, nurturing meaningful experiences for positive lifelong impacts. The concept of forest schools first emerged in Denmark and then spread in other Nordic countries. Today forest schools are taking place in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, UK, Sweden, Denmark & US as an embedded part of the curriculum. In Forest schools Children spend at least a day per week in the wilderness.
Apart from benefits to mental health, Nature has far more to offer to her children.
Nature is an amazing learning environment. Nature is also a pedagogical tool and Elements in nature are also important learning content. With right pedagogy it can foster important life skills, ecological literacy, development of Naturalistic intelligence and much more.
After all, the essential source of all our knowledge is Nature. We observe nature, understand patterns, build theories, derive laws…. all by observing Nature.
But what can Parents or Teachers in India do to help their children from ‘Nature deficit’.
Here are some tips:
1. Take them out in Natural Environments regularly:
Preferably not to the crowded gardens, but to nearby forests, hills, mountains, natural patches of the river banks, where they can observe many species. Regardless of the size of the natural space, even small degrees of contact with trees, plants, animals, insects, and water courses can deliver benefits to you and your children.
2. Let them be out in all types of weather at least once a week -
It is the best thing to do to build their immunity naturally.
3. Develop and nurture the habit of Nature observation:
Elements in nature such as Birds, Insects, and plants around you could be the interesting pedagogical tools. We can find at least 40-50 species of birds around us, over 100 species of plants and insects, even in urban areas.
4. Learn how to identify these species :
To be able to identify species is a sign of good Naturalistic Intelligence. Use different field guides to identify species around you.
5. Involve senses to Observe & identify species -
Involving all the senses for cognition of elements in Nature can certainly help improve Naturalistic Intelligence and build strong connection with Nature.
6. Involve them in composting and gardening activities at home -
Let them create their own ecosystem. Allow them to dirty their hands, govern the process of soil making & observe different creatures working on soil, birds visiting compost pits and so on.
There could be many more such activities which can restore our lost connection with Nature and restore our coming generations. Let the Nature be our teacher!
Author is the founder of Earth – Shastra, Pune based social enterprise working on Nature Education and trying to reconnect young generations with Nature through different Nature Education courses and activities like ‘Life Around Us’ , ‘Walk Around the Life’, ‘Young Ecologist Program’ & ‘Universe Around Us’.
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