Enjoy Nature

Albert Einstein on Nature

• “A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Nature as a Teacher

• “Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.”

You are part of the nature movement if …

• You want to reignite all of your senses.• You want to reconnect with real life in a virtual age.• You’re a parent, child or therapist who believes that the family that plays in

nature together stays together.• You hunger for authenticity; you believe in nature’s power to create a deeper

sense of personal and regional identity.• You can be of any race or culture, you can live in an inner-city, suburb or small

town, and you see your connection to nature as a birthright.• You’re a nature-smart teacher who takes your students outside because you

understand the power of nature to help them learn.You’re an artist, writer, photographer or musician who knows the power of nature to stimulate creativity, and you use your talents to reconnect people to nature.

• You care about the human relationship with nature, whether you’re liberal, conservative…or other.

Health benefits to childrenfrom contact with the outdoors & nature

• Physical activity and exposure to nature are important to good health• Being outdoors is important to our health and reduces our stress• Green environments are essential to human health • Nature provides a variety of mental health and well-being benefits • Natural environments may provide added health benefits above and

beyond human-made environments • Outdoor skills education supports our health, learning, and lifestyle • Wilderness programs improve participants‟ health, behavior, and

attitudes • Parks and playgrounds encourage physical activity • Time spent outdoors supports many aspects of children’s health • Preschool children experiencing a weekly outdoor lesson have improved

self-efficacy and early literacy skills

Nature Jokes• Q: How can you tell the ocean is friendly?

A: It waves.

Q: What kind of hair do oceans have?A: Wavy!

Q: What did Mars say to Saturn?A: Give me a ring sometime.

Q: What did the big flower say to the small flower?A: What's up Bud.

Q: When is the moon the heaviest?A: When it's full!

• Q: What type of songs do the planets sing?A: Nep-tunes!

Q: What kind of flower grows on your face?A: Tulips!

Q: What washes up on very small beaches?A: Microwaves!

Q: What do you call an attractive volcano?A: Lava-ble!

Q: What did the big flower say to the little flower?A: Hey, bud!

Resources

• http://www.childrenandnature.org/• http://www.nature.org/