It's time to take the kids outside

I gave a talk to a bunch of older birdwatchers/naturalists recently, and they were lamenting the fact that there are no younger people at their meetings.

As a slightly younger birdwatcher/naturalist, I can still appreciate the fact that it's more than a little difficult to make a monthly meeting at 10 a.m. on a Monday, but their point is well taken. And I have been among the youngest people at bird club meetings many times over the years.

Although there are still middle-aged nature lovers, we are also, undeniably, facing a generational break from nature in this county.

Richard Louv wrote about this problem in his important book "Last Child in the Woods." He says baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, "may constitute the last generation of Americans to share an intimate, familial attachment to the land and water."

The problem, of course, is that the children of baby boomers, the millennials, began watching more and more television and spending less time playing outdoors. And the millennials' kids (and grandkids) now spend up to 44 hours per week in front of a screen and less than 10 minutes a day playing outdoors.

It's no wonder that today's kids have essentially become "de-natured."

Before you stop reading this because it's depressing, I want you to know that I'm excited because there is an easy and free solution to this problem that everyone reading this article can be a part of.

The solution is - drum roll please- take kids outside.

The wonders of the natural world can compete with television and video games, but kids need more day-to-day contact with the outdoors.

Louv emphasizes the value of backyards, gardens, ditches and woodlots as places to introduce kids to the wonders of nature. He says, "Your job isn't to hit them with another Fine Educational Opportunity (or trips-of-a-lifetime), but to turn them on to what a neat world we live in."

Of course, the most effective way to connect kids to nature is to lead by example, but you don't need a PhD in ecology to share knowledge with children. And it can be even more fun if the adult and child learn about nature together.

Louv founded the group Children and Nature Network (childrenandnature.org), which is devoted to helping parents, grandparents, schools and nature organizations turn the tide, so you don't have to be in the dark if you are a "de-natured" adult trying to "re-nature" a child.

And Ranger Rick magazine, published by the National Wildlife Federation, has been a great source of nature education for kids for more than 50 years. (I recently bought a subscription for my neighbor's kids.)

Regardless of your current level of nature acumen, these next several weeks are among the most glorious of the natural year in southern Illinois, so please seize the opportunity to get outside and help a kid find their first special place in nature and perhaps create some of their first big nature memories.

Mike Baltz has a PhD in biology from the University of Missouri and writes about changing the world from his home in Carbondale.