Start Early and Start Small
By Marti Erickson, Ph.D.
Marti with her daughter, Erin, at Lake Harriet –1977
When I was growing up in the 1940s & ‘50s, my parents and other adults in my family had little interest in nature, preferring indoor activities (especially the new technology of television!). But, from an early age, I was drawn to the freedom of going outside, exploring on my own and using my imagination to create adventures. I have a picture of me at about age 5 in my cowgirl hat, wearing a gun and holster – yikes! — and riding the “horse” that was my little red bike.
Throughout childhood, my bicycle was my key to freedom. I relished the feel of the wind and sun on my face as my friends and I rode as far as our bikes would take us. But it wasn’t until my late teens and early 20s that I began to discover more fully the joys of being in nature – hiking, skiing, canoeing, camping – joys that came to define the best of life for both my husband and me when we became parents in 1973 and grandparents in 2004.
What a privilege it’s been to share with two generations of children the thrill of paddling our canoe down nearby Minnehaha Creek, walking quietly through Roberts Bird Sanctuary to see what creatures we might discover, following how quickly the baby ducks and geese in Lake Harriet grow up.
I remember too well an early-spring tent-camping weekend at a Minnesota state park when our son was 3 years old and our daughter 6 months. As the temperature plunged, our son was too cold in his own sleeping bag, so he crawled in between my husband and me in our double bag. Then he proceeded to wet the “bed,” making for a very uncomfortable night for all of us!
But years later, when our grandchildren were toddlers and preschoolers and we took them camping for the first time, that was their favorite of the stories we told around the campfire. Now that our grandchildren are adolescents (11 – 15), all three generations relish time together in nature, both near and far – including backpacking in the mountain ranges out West and in pristine places like Minnesota’s own Boundary Waters.
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As a grandmother, I have been fortunate to live within arm’s reach of all of my grandchildren. And, at every stage of their lives, we have chosen to spend as much time outside as possible.
In today’s tech-obsessed world, being outside is a time to unplug, to be in the moment and savor the sights, sounds and touch of nature in every season. It’s a time to let nature heal the stress that comes from our hurried, noisy lives – and a time to explore and discover and imagine together, as nature invites us to do at any age.
As a developmental psychologist (and one of the founders of the international Children & Nature Connection), I know what research shows about the benefits of nature for children, including better health, creativity, focus, problem-solving and, ultimately, commitment to caring for the environment, especially when children are introduced early to nature by a loving adult. (We are most likely to care for what we know and love. How much better to know nature firsthand than only as an abstract concept you read about online!)
But, for me, research findings on the benefits of nature experience are the frosting on the cake; the joy and wonder of shared nature experience are reasons enough to head outdoors with the grandkids!
Marti’s four oldest grandchildren, on a backpacking trip in Glacier National Park
So, how can grandparents get started with these shared experiences in nature?
I suggest you start early and start small. Hold a fussy baby in your arms and walk outside. Stand under a tree, swaying gently and letting the sound and movement of the rustling leaves soothe your little one. Have quiet reading time outside, snuggled up in a lawn chair reading a favorite book – maybe one with a nature theme.
Go for a walk in the neighborhood or at a nearby lake or park, having your grandchild carry a basket or bag to collect nature objects to take home. (I recall my oldest granddaughter when she was 11 months old and just starting to walk, pushing her own stroller around the neighborhood and picking up leaves, twigs and rocks to put in the basket of her stroller. Later we sat in the grass as she examined each of her treasures, one by one, holding them up to me to admire.)
There often is little need for directing your grandchild; just follow their lead, letting them show you what excites them. Visit the Arboretum, a park or a nearby nature center, or let grandkids turn your back yard into a nature center, labeling the plants and trees, as my grandkids did when they were young.
Let the kids use your phone to snap close-up photos of a favorite tree or plant across all the seasons of the year, following the countless small changes that occur. When the snow falls, bundle up and head out to make snow angels, build snowmen (and women), go sledding, snow shoeing or ice skating. (A couple of years ago my grandchildren bought me warm, comfy new ice skates, the best gift I’ve had in years.)
Finally, kids of all ages find it exciting to take nature walks after dark. When our grandkids were very young, we gave them headlamps to wear outside at night and they loved them. A naturalist advised us to get ones that included a red lens, as well as the usual bright white one, because the red lens apparently is less harmful to the eyes of nocturnal animals. In more recent years, one of the kids told us about the Starwalk app, which we all have enjoyed using to learn what’s going on in the night sky.
We continue to discover together, and now the kids are as likely to teach us something new as we are to teach them!
By Marti Erickson, Ph.D.
Owner & Co-host, Mom Enough® (momenough.com)
Director Emerita of Irving Harris Training Programs in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health, University of Minnesota