July 3rd

By Mutt Mulligan

Study: children are out of touch with nature

Can your child identify a butterfly or bee? Does he or she know that bees make honey? According to a British study, 9 out of 10 children in that country were unable to recognize a butterfly – a pollinator that is abundant in the UK.

The survey asked 200 children between the ages of 4-8 to identify some of the insects and bugs that live in Britain. Not only could the majority of kids not identify a butterfly, about half didn’t know what a bumble bee looked like. One in three didn’t know that bees make honey.

This is just more evidence that children are spending too much time indoors instead of outside in nature. Since nature starts at your own backyard, there’s an easy fix! Just head to the backyard or neighborhood park with your kids.

Need some ideas to help peel your child away from her screen and into the outside world? Go on a nature scavenger hunt and see how many items of a certain shape you can find. Take a walk through a local park with your child (and dog!) to see how many different insects and wildlife you can spot along the way. Take your child to the local garden store and select some flowers or vegetable plants you can plant together in the backyard. You can even organize an outdoor play date in the outdoor living room – no screens allowed.

What are your best ideas for getting kids engaged with nature in your backyard? Share your thoughts – and photos – on TurfMutt’s Facebook or Twitter pages.