The flowers are beginning to bloom and the world is starting to thaw! We are so refreshed and inspired by all of the beauty in the outside world.
“What do parents owe their young that is more important than a warm and trusting connection to the Earth…?” – Theodore Roszak, The Voice of the Earth
As the warmer breezes blow, here are some fun new ways to explore the outdoors with your child:
- Find a new park (the National Park Service database is a great spot to look).
- Make or buy a birdfeeder for your backyard and begin looking up the kinds of birds you see.
- Plant a garden or, if it’s still too cold, begin with some potted herbs in the house and transfer them once the weather gets warm enough.
- Enjoy the journey:
- Walk to get the mail.
- Sit outside after ordering coffee.
- Plan a family date night.
- Go to the library.
- Take a daycation to a local tourist spot.
- Beautify your backyard with homemade wind chimes, homemade windsock, or painted rocks.
If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it. Perhaps this is what Thoreau had in mind when he said, “the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings.”
-David Sobel, Beyond Ecophobia