Who:
Sandra Miles
Honors & Awards Committee
Where:
Indianapolis, IN
"Spiders are yucky!" pronounced my three-year-old grandson. Even at that young age, he was already forming opinions of the natural world. What had caused him to decide this? Perhaps he heard someone at daycare or on TV make such a statement. His assertion strengthened my resolve that the future of the environment is in the hands of his generation, and I must do my part to ensure it is bright. That is why today, as is every day of my grandsons' visits, is steeped in nature.
A small tent and sleeping bags were a Christmas present, and the three-year-old drags that sleeping bag around everywhere he goes. Every visit they ask, "Are we going camping?" They call our family-sized tent the "monster tent." They love staying out after dark to see the stars, watch the moon, and listen to the crickets. Fireflies are magic lanterns to them. Hikes in the woods are taken with a treasure chest (cookie tin) to collect leaves, wildflowers, nuts, colored rocks, shells and such that are laid on the table back at camp for closer observation and discussion.
At home, we explore the woods in the park, follow butterflies and feed the birds. Books tend heavily toward those like Eric Carle's The Very Busy Spider, that teach about nature. The boys love helping in the yard and garden (although we have not convinced them to eat the vegetables). Today most young children are in day care 10-12 hours a day. Evenings, there is just time to eat supper, take a bath, and then off to bed. If they play outside, it is usually on backyard playsets. They are insulated from exposure to nature. Grandparents, this is our mandate: Protect the future of the world by teaching our grandchildren well.
