Nature: Child’s Utopia

“Come forth into the light of things, let Nature be your teacher”- William Wordsworth. Nature is probably the greatest teacher of all times.  Nature is calm, pleasant and majestic; but it works on its own conditions. Nature comprises of all living beings; trees, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, aquatic beings and human beings. Humans are called the most beautiful creation of the great Creator; but unfortunately we humans are destroying this magic of Nature by seamlessly affecting its splendor. We usually forget the great role played by trees in our lives. Can we imagine this world without trees? Probably not, because these are the source of oxygen, the basic need of every living being to survive.  Moreover, throughout human history, trees have been powerful symbols. Trees symbolize life, growth, reaching down to the ground and up to the sky at the same time. The Druids of early Britain worshipped trees, the Greeks assigned them spirits, called dryads, and individual trees have been seen as sacred by many people at different times. For Ameridian people of the northern Pacific coast, trees are used to create totem poles that serve as a visual representation of ancestry or historical and mythological happenings.

Nature’s eons of intelligence, perfection and beauty are in us as they are in all of Nature. In the earlier days, we used to grow up in a close relation with nature. Keeping a close relation with nature also makes a positive impact on our health, psychology and character. Developmental psychology research suggests that consciousness formed in the childhood period is highly effective on subsequent periods of human life. So this is the time in a child’s life when the child can develop consciousness about different things. While talking about child development, child interactions with nature become a very important factor. Studies have shown how children’s play in the natural environment stimulates their motor fitness. Nature affords possibilities and challenges for the children to explore their own abilities. It is unfortunate that children can’t design their outdoor play environment. Research on children’s preferences shows that outdoor spaces designed by children would not only be fully naturalized with plants, trees, flowers, water, dirt, sand, mud, animals or insects, but also would be rich with a wide variety of play opportunities of every imaginable type.

The world once offered thousands of delights of free play to children. They had access to all natural things like fields, forests, streams and yards; but now we have restricted this freedom of children by providing them lifeless toys like soft toys, video games, and many other technical devices. Now people are gradually feeling the importance of nature in child development. The western countries have come up with different programs to provide children a natural environment where they can develop rapidly and also make them aware of the importance of nature in every walk of our lives. In India also, schools are adopting measures to implement nature friendly environment. The classrooms are designed in a manner to infuse a consciousness towards nature among children. But this initiative needs more support from parents, teachers, common men and every other person to make the world more greener and happier place to live in.

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Team OSA | Online Schools Admissions