Introducing the Children to Nature Early On

Introducing the children to nature from an early age is a good thing and at the same time can make them to be considerate to the environment. This is to find out of the children have an interest of talent related to the environment. This also exists in one of the Multiple Intelligences concepts by Howard Gardner Ph.D, a psychologist from the United States.

The mentioned intelligence concept is Naturalist Intelligence, which is the sensitivity to the nature by the ability to recognize and classify plants, minerals, and animals. Well, here are the characteristics of children with naturalist intelligence:

1. Children enjoy doing the activity in the nature. Such as collecting bugs, flowers, or stones.
2. Children have the interest to investigate more about anything they find in the nature.
3. Children like to take note and save it in their brain about anything they find in the nature.
4. Children like to observe various phenomena that occur in the nature. Such as the cycles of rain, moon, stars, clouds and other planets.
5. Children have a strong interest in learning something from the nature.

In addition to that, children can get a lot of benefits from their interest in nature, which are:

• Bringing their concern to nature’s sustainability.
• Naturalist intelligence can be a good asset if children dream of becoming a geologist or biologist.
• Children will understand the natural phenomena that occur, such as signs of rain or strong winds.
• With a good introduction to nature, children will be more alert when being in the wild.

To bring the children closer to the nature, Moms and Dads could do the following tips:

• Moms and Dads could introduce them to gardening, so they can learn about a variety of plants and animals.
• Give them the chance to learn in the open so they can learn something directly from the nature.
• Give them the chance to have a pet.
• Take them to do activities in the nature, such as camping, rowing, and tracking.
• And don’t forget to give them books about nature and type of animals.

In addition to learning more about the nature, doing activities in the open can also bring closer the relationship between Moms, Dads, and the children. This can also be an alternative of family vacation.