The Importance of Environmental Education in My Life
“Look at that, Mommy!” my six year old exclaims and she presses a little finger into a layer of brown and green plant matter floating along the surface of the lake. We’ve taken this particular Saturday morning to explore a local reservoir. This one is stocked with fish and serves as a resting point for waterfowl on their way south for the winter. The swans are my favorite, and I point them out so frequently that I receive a gentle chastising from my daughter, who is more caught up in poking around in the mud.
During our morning at the little manmade lake, we see geese, the aforementioned swans (they were so beautiful), turkey buzzards, several hawks, a river otter, and we even have a possible adolescent bald eagle sighting (possible because we didn’t bring any binoculars, but the white head and yellow beak were very convincing). We also see several varieties of wildflower, lots of gopher holes, and untold numbers of budding greenery.
If I’m honest, my partner and I were a little nonplussed about the lake when we pulled into the parking lot. Surrounded by a strip of government buildings on one side and a golf course on another, it wasn’t exactly an overwhelming vista. But our enthusiasm grew as we watched our daughter explore the open space, showing us a new bud on a low tree branch, trying unsuccessfully to hug the geese, and imagining the type of critter who might have made a shelter out of dried tree branches. The road noise fell away, and her excitement for all of the natural beauty came into focus.
That morning is such a beautiful example to me of the power of the environment, not just in the lives of our children but in our own busy lives as well. Being immersed in nature, even if it’s not the traditionally majestic sort, has the power to create a sense of awe that we just can’t find in our overly curated modern lives. It creates a sense of connection that’s vital to the planet and to our little ones’ understanding of their place in the world. It fosters gratitude and a sense of responsibility that isn’t overwhelming but rather empowering.
As we headed back to the car, galloping (somewhat embarrassingly) like wild ponies running free, I realized that maybe it was me who had really needed that dose of nature. Seeing the world through six year old eyes was invigorating! And I vowed to remember the power of the natural world to reset and reestablish the connections between me and my daughter and the planet that sustains us all.
