Connecting kids to nature is good for both

“If they don’t feel a connection to nature, they aren’t going to feel it’s important,” said Clyde Butcher, a nature photographer who has helped bring national awareness to the Everglades through black-and-white photographs since the 1980s. “The question is, how do we get them to make that connection. The answer is that the responsibility lies with you and me. I think it’s important to educate kids and grownups about the world’s environmental wonders.”

Advocacy groups are trying to do just that. The National Wildlife Federation, for example, has a Green Hour program designed to encourage parents, grandparents, schools, and others to adopt a goal of an hour per day for children to play and learn outdoors.

 Butcher said that he tries to bring nature to people through his photography in the hopes they will be inspired to experience it for themselves.

“My goal is for them to say, ‘Wow, I want to go there. I want to see the real thing,’” he says.

Butcher and other nature proponents say benefits include:

Time outdoors can equal happiness. “Nature is one of those things that can really bring your spirits up,” Butcher said. Studies show that spending time outdoors is good for your mental health, and those who manage to do so are generally happier than those who stay cooped up inside.

 Time outdoors makes children healthier. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to children being overweight, which in turn increases their risk for a number of diseases, such as asthma and diabetes. When children spend time outdoors, they are almost certain to get more exercise, reducing those risks. Health professionals also say that, while over exposure to the sun can be harmful, some time absorbing the sun’s rays is helpful in such ways as boosting your body’s vitamin D.

Time outdoors makes children better stewards of the earth. It’s important to protect the environment, and to preserve natural wonders for future generations, but it’s difficult to truly appreciate nature without venturing out into it, Butcher said. Children who take the time to explore what nature has to offer are more likely to become its advocates.

“Sometimes, in the abstract, it’s difficult to understand why nature is so important,” Butcher says. “But when children step into it, and see it firsthand, they can fall in love with it. Then they begin to understand.”

About Clyde Butcher

Clyde Butcher is a nature photographer who is best known for his black-and-white images of the Everglades in Florida. More at www.clydebutcher.com.