Robert Bateman interview...

I was reading a Robert Bateman interview today that was published in the Oxonian Review on January 31st. In the interview he responds to a question about kids enjoying nature. 


"For example, a PhD candidate recently asked me if we should be teaching environmental problems to young people. But I say absolutely not. This will get in the way of teaching about the sheer beauty of nature. We need to get away from a situation in which children know more about the Amazonian rainforest than they do about a nearby park or street—children need to learn about the natural elements of their neighbourhood in the same way in which they would grow to know the names of their friends."


I have been wondering for a long time are we teaching children the right thing about nature and the environment. Its always about problems and how we must solve those problems. It doesn't tell us necessarily how or why, just that there are problems to be fixed. Why then are we teaching children about the Rain forest when they know nothing about their own backyard, about their own community?Richard Louv speaks of Nature Deficit Disorder and how children look for electrical outlets rather than being outside, unsupervised, playing in nature. How can we raise environmentally sensitive children if they don't play outside and learn to love nature? As E.O Wilson writes about Biophilia and that we should “fall in love with other living things” Once you have that love, all else will follow. Research suggests that in order to help create environmentally responsible adults, you have to have the children spend time outdoors to develop a love of nature. 


I have spent a lot of time outdoors. I was lucky enough to be able to go out and catch frogs in local creeks and play in the woods, unsupervised, with my friends when I was a child. I have been to some pretty awe-inspiring places and seen some beautiful parts of the world. Every time I drive around Lake Superior, there is a new view to be seen, a different lake to check out. A new Innukshuk to admire. It truly is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. 





The article was written by Joel Krupa and can be found at http://www.oxonianreview.org/wp/an-interview-with-robert-bateman/