Creative Nature Play In Buffalo NY

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ReWilding Conversations Episode 15:

I remember when I was a kid in elementary school having classes where we would learn about global warming and the effects of pollution.

I was a child of the 90’s (remember neon clothing?)

…I remember the teacher standing at the front of the classroom, reading from a text book, and sometimes showing slides on one of those old-school projectors.

This was when I was in grade 4… And you know what happened?

Pretty much nothing. Some of the more sensitive kids did get the message… but mostly, nothing really changed as a result of those classes.

Kids still littered on the school yard. They laughed about chemical pollution and how their dad works at the factory causing that pollution. They enthused about the idea of melting pennies with acid rain.

And here’s the simple reason why:

You can’t develop earth care values by lecturing about pollution & global warming… especially not to children!

A much more effective approach is simply to help kids get outside and let them fall in love with nature by spending time with birds, plants, trees, animals, etc… then let them come to their own conclusions about how to act.

Dave Bauer is a former school teacher who really understands this basic fact, and now devotes his time & energy to helping kids connect with nature with the simple methodology of Creative Nature Play.

That’s what we’re talking about in this episode of ReWilding Conversations.

• Hear Dave’s journey from teaching science at the elementary & high school level, to writing a book and sharing nature with hundreds of children in the Buffalo NY region
• Important research on the different ways children benefit from having free time in nature
• Simple advice for parents who want their kids to reconnect with nature
• Vivid examples of how Dave runs his Creative Nature Play programs for kids in Buffalo

Things Mentioned In This Episode:

If you’re located in the Buffalo NY area, I encourage you to attend one of Dave’s Creative Nature Play events. You can book him for author readings & get a complete list of his program descriptions.

Our previous episode was The Lost Art of Bird Language.