Nature

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Let’s think about ‘Walking to School’ this month

  International Walk to School Month is an annual global initiative that encourages students, parents, and communities to walk or bike to school during the month of October. With 4 out of 5 Australian kids not getting the recommended 1 hour of physical activity a day, walking to and from school is a great way to guarantee exercise five days a week. Regular walking helps build healthier, stronger bones, muscles and joints, as well as better performing heart and lungs....

Forest & Bird will celebrate 100 years in 2023!

A year of Forest & Bird celebration will kick off in March 2023. Here’s a sneak preview of the theme and some of the events already under way. The theme for the upcoming Centennial Celebrations is “What is your legacy? Most New Zealanders love nature – it’s part of who they are. During 2023, we hope to encourage thousands of small actions to help protect and restore our environment. There are lots of ways people can leave a legacy for...

Biomes – where life on Earth lives

What’s a Biome? Here we see two different biomes—deserts on the left and grasslands on the right. But both are land environments. Images by Bob Protus and Bkell. To make sense of complexity, humans often need to categorize, or group, things. We have food groups, sexes, eye colors, ages, and movie genres, to name a few. We categorize all types of things, whether they are ideas or objects, and whether they are small or large. One of the largest things...

Capturing wildlife with a camera

Photographing  wildlife is a major deal – both in terms of the technical side of the art – a picture tells 1000 words – and a great way of raising awareness of conservation issues. Major competitions  Bird photographer of the year – “ Bird Photographer of the Year is the leading bird photography competition. We celebrate the world’s best bird photography, whilst supporting conservation efforts through imagery and financial support. “ Deadlines – September, December, following autumn. Bird photo website  Comedy...

The joys of Camping

Today in the United States, it’s National Camping Day Getting into the great outdoors and communing with nature while going to camp are all fun experiences that kids can learn from and appreciate.… What is an excellent list of some of the great things about camping ( from NWF )  * 10. Silliness The strange side / real, relaxed you – in us all can be let loose during a campout. Whether you release your inner “nature nerd” or everyone learns...

YES! Kids with autism do benefit from Nature

As it’s World Autism Awareness  Day – I ask the question Is Nature & the outdoors important for kids with autism?  Some thoughts “ Children with autism also benefit from connecting with nature. Through nature, children gain important skills while learning how to care for living things and their environment. Nurture your child’s growth and development by allowing her to explore nature.” //// Nature as a healer for autistic children The reason of many symptoms of autistic children is sensory...

Eco anxiety is real. Some ideas what to do for children

As its Mental Health Week in the United Kingdom- and ‘eco-anxiety’ is a topic that has arisen Medical News Today states : “Eco-anxiety refers to a fear of environmental damage or ecological disaster. This sense of anxiety is largely based on the current and predicted future state of the environment and human-induced climate change. According to a 2018 national survey, almost 70% of people in the United States are worried about climate change, and around 51% feel “helpless.” Anxiety around environmental...

Trees poem

Trees   Fingers down to meet green earth or grey brown Earth holding all together tapping Nature’s foundations   Arms outstretched, brimming with pride to home wild things, wild plants, wild creatures floating butterflies irresistible breaks in the foliage   Strong limbs grasp the thick embers of a burning sunset layer upon layer of fire in unreal heavens marching to the top of the world the unseen ancients   Planet Earth continues through space trees the silent messengers of time...

Stressed by lockdown? Turn to Nature

How do we remain healthy and well during particularly challenging times – such as pandemics? A number of studies show that being in or even near natural environments, can help a great deal regarding both our physical health and vital associated mental well-being. Science Daily…   A study published in Ecological Applications suggests that nature around one’s home may help mitigate some of the negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire survey completed by 3,000 adults...