[Odonata-l] More on getting people outside

[Bruce Grimes]

There was a piece on the NPR talk channel today about the people who 
develop an understanding of environmental issues.  According to the 
research discussed, the common thread was that all of them had 
"unstructured" experience of the outdoors before they were 12. 
Specifically excluded were those whose only experiences were led by 
teachers or scoutmasters (at least by the person giving the account). 
The speaker emphasized it could be something as simple as spending time 
in the wood lot at the end of the block

Sounds like June's experience was the right one to succeed at developing 
  an interest in nature.

Bruce Grimes

June Tveekrem wrote:
> When I first posted on this thread, I wasn't really thinking of 
> organized school activities, though those are certainly valuable if they 
> can be carried off.
> 
> I think it's more effective in the long run to encourage adults and 
> children to simply spend time outside and notice nature. The kids' 
> natural curiosity will take over.
> 
> We didn't have nature field trips when I was in school, either, because 
> the school system thought it too expensive. And this was in the 1960's 
> and early 70's, before all this legal crap got in the way. But my mother 
> was (and is) very attuned to the natural world, so I was able to get 
> answers to many of my questions, and was rarely discouraged from 
> investigating.  I never realized how fortunate I was until I began to 
> meet people who grew up in neighborhoods similar to mine but don't know 
> even the most basic things about nature.
> 
> That's why I cited the BBC article - whether the program proves 
> successful or not, it shows recognition of the value of simply 
> encouraging people to take a walk outdoors in a park.
> 
> June
>