Family Friday: Book Review for ‘Sharing Nature with Children’

“Only by sharing our deeper thoughts and feelings do we communicate to, and inspire in others, a love and respect for the earth. When we share our own ideas and feelings, it encourages a child to explore, respectfully, his own feelings and perceptions.”
- Joseph Cornell, Sharing Nature with Children

Whether your family resides in a large city, is making a home in the suburbs, or lives in the country, Sharing Nature With Children by Joseph Cornell is full of activities to develop and foster a love of nature in your child. And yourself.

The book contains 42 games designed to facilitate an active exploration of the natural world. The games range from very playful and physical to thoughtful and contemplative. Originally published in 1979, the book is enthusiastically recommended by groups such as the National Audubon Society and the American Camping Association.

If traveling to wilderness is not currently an option, know that you don’t need a forest or national park to take advantage of the ideas in this powerful book. Many, including Micro-Hike and Meet a Tree, can be successfully undertaken in a park or backyard. For illustration, here is a brief description of Micro-Hike:

Give a child a piece of string three to five feet long and a magnifying glass. Ask the child to lay the string over the most interesting ground she can find and then take a “hike” along it. Tell the child to imagine she is shrinking to the size of an ant as she looks through the magnifying glass. As she explores, you may want to ask some questions to spark her imagination. Some examples include, “Who are your nearest neighbors? Are they friendly? What would it be like to be that beetle? How does he spend his day?”

Other activities, such as Pyramid of Life and What Animal Am I? would be great party games.

Part of our effort to green our family has been making deliberate decisions to encourage the natural love our children have for insects and animals and to create an appreciation for other, more unfamiliar aspects. We seek out opportunities to talk with our children about how thankful we are for what nature provides. From saying good night to a beautiful moon to noting how lovely the sky looks on the way to school, we consciously draw their attention back to the world around us.

Often we have to do no more than follow their lead. Roly-polies, butterflies, ants, and spiders are a source of endless fascination for the girls. Both Richard and I have had to remind ourselves to slow down and look at the treasures the girls have found in the ten steps between our front door and the car as we head out to school. For that is what we want them to do – really look at the world around us and see how precious it is.

After reading Mary Hunt’s post for the Green Moms Carnival on Green All Purpose Reminders, I realized by fostering their love of the earth, we are helping the girls create their own reminder to cherish the earth. Once consideration for how one’s actions affect the world becomes commonplace, nature has a chance.

Since we try to connect to nature throughout our daily lives, I found the book’s multiple indices quite helpful. Searching by Attitudes and Qualities, Concepts, Environment, or Mood allows me to find exactly what I need quickly and easily, while also triggering further exploration. We’ve used this book for everything from preparing for our first family camping trip and to getting ideas during a long break from school.

The author has written a number of other books, including Sharing Nature With Children II and Listening to Nature: How to Deepen Your Awareness of Nature, which is aimed at teens and adults, if you would like to read more.

Mr. Cornell established the Sharing Nature Foundation, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, to help disseminate the information from Sharing Nature With Children and his other books. The foundation offers Sharing Nature programs worldwide. If you are interested in hosting a program, the foundation has an online form to request information.

Have fun sharing nature with your children!

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Want to neutralize the affect of your book purchase? Visit Eco-Libris. To locate an independently owned bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. You may also want to check SwapTree, an online trading site for books, cds, dvds, and video games.

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