January 21 was “Squirrel Appreciation Day.”  Who knew!  Since I was taking care of my nieces and nephew while their parents were on a trip, I decided this celebration of our annoying but athletic little squirrel friends was a good excuse to get my charges outside.  Amid some moaning and complaining that it was cold, going to rain and boring, I did manage to get our group over to walk the paths of Suwanee Creek Greenway, a wetlands habitat near their home in Suwanee, Georgia. We heard frogs calling, saw a heron flying and viewed twisted trees covered in lichen. And, yes, we did see some squirrels at play! Near the end of the walk, the heavens did open up and it started to pour, but getting wet is a part of the adventure! They came home rosy-cheeked and hungry from the cardio workout.

Happy kids on the Trail!

Gorgeous lichen-covered branches in the wetlands

Children today spend very little time outside experiencing nature. They are becoming the “lost generation” when it comes to loving and nurturing our parks and wilderness areas. Sure, kids have lots of head knowledge about our environment but very little actual hands-on experience. Today’s youth spend much more time indoors (an average of 7 hours) than previous generations and as little as four to seven minutes outside in unstructured play!* (*cited from National Wildlife Federation).

There is a huge body of evidence that getting outside in nature is conducive to our health and well being. It nurtures us physically, spiritually and mentally. Kids who interact with nature are calmer, sleep better and have lower blood pressures. They are better able to concentrate, more energetic and less obese.

Kids just chilling out at Line Creek Nature Preserve in Peachtree City

It’s up to us in the “older generation” to be the mentors for these kids. Unfortunately many parents today see the outside as a dangerous place where bad things happen. Kids no longer have any freedom to roam and explore. If you have not already done so, pick up a copy of Richard Louv’s ground-breaking book, Last Child in the Woods, and it will motivate you to want to share your love of gardening and nature with the kids in your life.

I love to see children in my garden. They can feed the fish, pick a flower or look for worms in the compost bin. Let children plant their own vegetable and herb garden and you will alleviate the problem of picky eaters because kids love to eat what they have grown.

My pond is full of life - fish, frogs, dragonflies and flowers

Squirrel Appreciation Day may be over but we still can instill in our children the wonder and beauty of nature by getting them outside in our gardens and in our local parks and green spaces.

A good place to start getting kids interested in nature is the Children's Garden at Atlanta Botanical Garden