The Grass Stain Guru

“Many children today find it easier to stay indoors and watch television. I worry that children do not know what they are missing. Children cannot love what they do not know. They cannot miss what they have not experienced.”

- Mary Pipher, The Shelter of Each Other

photo credit: bestbib&tucker

As most readers know, I spend a lot of time talking about the many benefits of outdoor play and connecting children (and adults!) with nature.

But one of the benefits that I do not focus on frequently — although I believe to my very core — is its impact on our own behavior toward this beautiful planet we live on.

For children, this time in nature and connecting to its beauty and wonder is essential in helping them grow into caring, educated adults who understand that their individual and voting behaviors impact the planet and all the species that call it home, including their own.

Please take a few minutes to watch this powerful video on the call for a shift in our messaging about conservation efforts.

If you are a parent, grandparent, educator or caregiver, please make time in nature and celebrating its wonders a daily part of the lives of the children in your world. Not to teach them facts or because of a greater agenda, but simply to expose them to the opportunities that are waiting for them — to see, smell, touch, discover and marvel at.

The education will come in due time, but for now, the experience and the joy that awaits them is more than enough.

See ya outside! The Grass Stain Guru