http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2006/03/20/play-wild060320.html
Environmental respect begins with outdoor play: U.S. researcher
Last Updated Mon, 20 Mar 2006 12:40:00 EST
CBC News
Children who play in the wilderness are more likely to become
environmentally responsible adults, a new study suggests.
Nancy Wells, an environmental psychologist at Cornell University in
Ithaca, N.Y., analyzed the childhood nature memories of 2,000 city
dwellers.
Kids who play outdoors maintain respect for nature as adults, a U.S.
researcher says.
"Wild play" activities such as camping and fishing had a far greater
impact than gardening, Girl Guide outings or mandatory environmental
education for creating adults with environmentalist beliefs, Wells
concluded.
"The younger the better," Wells said. "If the kids are supervised and
safe, get them out there into nature."
The study will be published in the next issue of the journal Children,
Youth and Environment.
One-year-old Kate spends a lot of time outside, skiing, hiking and
canoeing with her parents in and around Prince George, B.C.
"She loves to be outside," her mother, Nadine Hale, said. "She's way more
stimulated outside. As soon as the door opens, she's running."
This love of nature runs in the family, added her father, Peter Hale.
"We were both brought up that way, and we're passing it on," he said.