
Fracking. Climate change. Mountaintop removal, overfishing, shark finning, oil spills, poaching, poisoned water, toxic air, deforestation, extinction. We’re constantly bombarded with bad environmental news, and it’s easy to become despondent, to feel helpless, hopeless. What do we do? What should we do?
Besides living an environmentally conscious lifestyle, one of the most important acts we can do as parents is to instill in our children a sense of wonder, curiosity, and guardianship of the natural world. There are many ways to accomplish this, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, simple activities that combine fun and learning are but one way to get kids outside.
You don’t have to visit Yosemite, explore the Amazon basin, or trek the Himalayas; the backyard or a local park are good places to start. All you need are a few fun activities that both challenge and invite kids to think more deeply about the natural world around them.




Former Vice President Al Gore said, “I cannot stand the thought of leaving my children with a degraded earth and a diminished future.”
Mr. Gore, neither can I, but it seems that most of the larger issues are out of my hands. I can, however, get my kids engaged and involved in the natural world. Will it be enough? Almost certainly not, but it’s the least I can do, and it’s a start.
Matthew Treadwell is a writer and editor based in Sitges, Spain. Having lived in half a dozen countries over the past 20 years, he gives a sidelong view of travel and parenting in his popular blog Field Notes from Fatherhood . When not writing, Matthew can usually be found with his wife and two boys, ages 8 and 4, tramping around the forest, turning over logs and stones, scuba diving, climbing a mountain, bird watching, and generally poking, prodding, and peering at the world around him.
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