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29
07
2011
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The Phone of Nature |
The best way for your child to learn about nature is to take them out there and get them rambling about as soon as possible. If they’re glued to their mobile phones all the time it will be very tempting to take the phone away from them and lock it away. However it is far easier and cleverer to make the phone a part of the ramble. Taking pictures, shooting videos and recording sounds are all useful tricks to get your kid on a walk with you.
If you’re son/daughter is at the age where they’re embarrassed by everything you do, then it’s best to start them on walks and hikes that are far enough away from home so that they don’t get embarrassed if their friends see them with Mum or Dad or both. It’s also worthwhile investing in some ordinance survey maps for your area if you’re not familiar with any local walks or trails. You can download the maps online direct to your phone – another thing to keep the kid’s interested in what’s going on.
Sometimes it’s easier to get the kid’s to accompany you on walks when you’re abroad – at least there they can be sure they’re unlikely to be seen by any of their friends from school. However no doubt they will still be glued to their mobile. At this point it is worth mentioning that you should take the time to make sure you have a good service plan with low roaming charges on the phone before setting off on your travels. You’d be surprised how much data kids can use in one hour let alone a whole day and the last thing you want is to be saddled with a huge mobile phone bill after coming home from a nice trip. Therefore it’s best to look into a good roaming advisor service that won’t cost you the earth and keep you from killing your kid when they’re on the internet for most of the day when you’re away.
As children are being surrounded by technology more and more as they grow up, many parents are concerned that children won’t ever learn enough about the environment around them. Parents are partly to blame for some of this as the media have become ever more concerned about unseen dangers lurking in their neighbourhood. Yet this fear is cutting kids off from the natural world around them. A survey conducted by the National Trust shows that only 53% of children in the UK are able to correctly identify an Oak leaf whilst only 47% are able to identify a barn owl. These are disturbing figures albeit hardly surprising ones and the Children & Nature Network is another organisation trying to do something about the problem.
If you can’t beat them, join them so the saying goes, so if you allow the mobile phone to accompany your child, they’ll be more willing to go outside. It is important to take your children out into the natural world so that they can interact with the environment learning and growing all the while. Not only is it healthy to do this, but it’s a lot of fun for both parent and child!
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