Ideas to foster children's love for nature

1. Get out of the city. Accustom them to taking at least one or two excursions a month (the more the better) to play outdoors surrounded by nature, no matter the weather. You can go to the countryside, the mountains, the beach, or any place where they can breathe fresh air and be in contact with it. This way, they will experience the different seasons of the year firsthand:
   • In winter they will enjoy the snow. You don't need to go skiing if you don't want to; you can find a hillside for them to simply play. For a reasonable price, you can buy a sled and enjoy wonderful snow days!
   • In autumn they will see the leaves fall from the trees, and you can explain why it happens, etc. You can also take a basket and go pick mushrooms, blackberries, or chestnuts. Your children will love this activity, it will make them feel useful, and you will spend a very pleasant day.
   • In spring they will discover nature in its purest state with all kinds of flowers and trees in their full splendor. You can take the opportunity to teach them about different types of flowers (daisies, tulips, sunflowers, etc.) and small animals (grasshoppers, ladybugs, ants, lizards, butterflies, squirrels if there are any, etc.)
   • In summer you can go to a river so they can cool off a bit and enjoy a picnic day, or if you have a beach nearby, go there so they can enjoy the sea and sand.
2. Visit parks very frequently, in your daily life. Let them run, experiment, and interact with all the elements there. You can observe birds and ducks with them and bring some food for the children to give them.
3. Visiting an animal farm any day of the year can also be a fantastic experience. Surely near your city there is a possibility to visit a farm and spend a day showing them how to milk a cow, how hens lay eggs, how to shear a sheep, or how ponies run.
4. You can also introduce them to hiking. In all provinces, there are numerous trails to do on foot. At your tourist office, you can find information about different routes, their difficulty level, and estimated time so there are no surprises. Always bring water and something to eat and stop whenever necessary to enjoy nature; it's not a race, it's about enjoying it!
5. Taking children on a horseback riding tour is also a good way for them to lose their fear of animals and be in contact with them.
6. Take advantage of vacations to enjoy all elements of nature together, either the beach with sand, sea, rocks, etc., where you can look for crabs, shells, conches, etc., or a more rural setting, camping, or in a rural house, for example, to be more in contact with the mountains, farm animals, pastures, etc.
7. Taking them to the natural science museum or your city's science center can also be an interesting experience that brings them closer to nature and helps them learn a little more about it. When you get home, you can share impressions and even draw what they liked the most.
8. You can also visit a botanical garden, an aquarium, or a zoo...
9. Go out for sports on a trail... you can take bicycles, skates, or simply go running with them... it will be fun and they will have a great time!
10. Provide opportunities for children to approach the animal world (birds, dogs, cats, ants, snails, etc.) so they get to know and understand their way of life and needs, learning to care for, love, and respect them.
11. Observe the stars at dusk. Some children have a special interest in learning about the cosmos, so you can take them to the planetarium or invite them to observe the sky through a telescope.
12. If you have the opportunity, it is also a good idea to plant some vegetables in the garden with them. The interesting thing is to be able to follow the whole process until they can finally be picked and cooked or eaten later at home with them...
13. At home we can also do many things to foster their love for nature:
14. Teach them to take care of plants (let them water them with us; it will also be a task they will love, let them talk to them lovingly and pamper them). They can also plant a seed in a glass jar or a pot with soil so they can see how, by watering and caring for it, it grows day by day.
15. If you have a pet, it's an opportunity for them to learn to respect, care for, and love animals.
16. Read them stories that foster their love for nature and implicitly teach them how important it is to take care of the environment and what we can do to protect it.
17. Involve them in the recycling process and explain why it is done...

I also recommend the book "Educating in Green" by Heike Freire, where you will find more ideas to bring nature closer to children.

I hope you liked it. What other ideas do you have?