Last week I gave my four year old neighbor a small hand-held magnifying glass which was an immediate hit with her. We walked around the garden looking at EVERYTHING.
We found empty locust shells, butterfly chrysali, bees, and all manner of other bugs and every find spurred a flood of questions:
“Why did it lose its shell?”
“How does the butterfly get out of that chrysalis?”
“What do bees eat?”
These kinds of questions engage your children in the wonders of nature, and your Ecosystem Garden is a great place to spark their curiosity.
The best part about teaching children about nature and wildlife in your garden is that it’s right outside your door. When children learn to respect and care about the wildlife that is so close to home, they can learn that we can do good things to help them, but sometimes the things that we do are not helpful to wildlife and can really hurt them.
It’s a very sad fact that most children know more about lions and elephants in Africa, or polar bears in the Arctic than they do about the wildlife in their own backyards.
But we can help to change this by bringing children into our gardens, as Michelle Clay has done by designing her Ecosystem Garden with her son Gabe in mind.
Do you share your wildlife garden with the children in your life? Please tell us all about it by leaving a comment.
Guest blogger bio: My friend Carole Brown is a great writer, educator and photographer. Her site, Ecosystem Gardening is dedicated to teaching you to garden sustainably, conserve natural resources, and create welcoming wildlife habitat in your garden so that you will attract more birds, butterflies, pollinators, and other wildlife. You can follow Carole on Twitter @CB4Wildlife.
Wildlife is everywhere. By the bus stop, on the way to school, on the front step. Children are fascinated by the small stuff, and that’s just outside your door.
Great post. Share the sentiment.
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@wildelycreative´s last [type] ..Come out and play
LOVE this! Children love nature and we need to make sure they connect with it daily. Get outside and enjoy the magic through your children’s eyes!
Wendy Gabriel´s last [type] ..Green Tip – Eco Cleaning Your Cars Interior
Yes, wildlife IS everywhere when we know where to look. It’s amazing how much fun we have had with that magnifying glass.
Carole´s last [type] ..Ask Carole
Love this post. Today was proof of how incredibly amazing a garden can be for children (and adults) learning about native species. Just a few minutes ago Sam encountered his first snake in his own backyard. We have just looked it up on the internet and found out it was a Western Yellow Bellied Racer (I’d never heard of a Racer before-fascinating).
Thanks Bethe and Carole. My children and I are continually fascinated by the wildlife we encounter….it’s magical!
Marghanita Hughes´s last [type] ..American Butterfly Girl Competition
So happy to have Carole stop by with this gorgeous post! And stay tuned — she’ll be back next Wednesday with another. Yay!
Howdy, Bethe and Carole. I love gardening for wildlife and exploring the backyard with my kids (my favorite outdoor destination!). I think one of the best things you can ever cultivate in your yard is a gardener/nature lover. :0) Happy day!
A favorite activity… RT @CB4wildlife RT @balmeras Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children in Your Ecosystem Garden http://bit.ly/bVsYWD
RT @balmeras: Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children in Your Ecosystem #Garden http://bit.ly/bVsYWD #playoutdoors #ece
@cheecker Maybe something you can share w/ur friends http://ow.ly/29hw8 Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children in Your Ecosystem Garden
Absolutely true, Kelly! Cultivating the next generation of gardener/wildife/nature lovers is a very important job. And I’m thrilled that you, Bethe, Marghanita, Wildely Creative and Wendy are doing such a great job helping to make that happen!
Carole´s last [type] ..Thank You-
In case U missed it this wk: Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children… http://bit.ly/92YlEk
RT @balmeras: In case U missed it this wk: Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children… http://bit.ly/92YlEk
RT @balmeras: In case U missed it this wk: Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children… http://bit.ly/92YlEk
In case U missed it this wk: Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children… http://bit.ly/92YlEk (via @balmeras)
RT @balmeras: In case U missed it this wk: Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children… http://bit.ly/92YlEk
RT @ChildrenNature: RT @balmeras Sharing the Wonders of #Nature with #Children in Your Ecosystem #Garden http://bit.ly/bVsYWD by @CB4Wil …
Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children in Your Ecosystem Garden http://t.co/PDg3mtS #playoutdoors #garden
Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children in Your Ecosystem Garden http://t.co/PDg3mtS #playoutdoors #garden
Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children in Your Ecosystem Garden http://t.co/PDg3mtS #playoutdoors #garden
RT @balmeras: Sharing the Wonders of Nature with Children in Your Ecosystem Garden http://t.co/EA8g6yh #playoutdoors #garden
Sharing the Wonders of #Nature with #Children in Your #Ecosystem #Garden http://t.co/REKIBrY