“Mom, what does a cricket eat?” Is Your Child Suffering From Nature Deficit Disorder?

Is your child touching nature regularly? It might just be detrimental to their health if they are not able to experience the greater natural world.

When my daughter asked me “Mom, what does a cricket eat?” I immediately jumped online and found out. Why? Because I want her to understand more about the connection between nature and her body. Turns out crickets are omnivores. That means they eat everything – including each other.

She kept the little buggers in a jar overnight and learned that although they do like vegetable material, a tomato needs to be more fully rotted for them to really eat it. Therefore, she let the crickets free in the morning and learned a science lesson about nature.

Richard Louv, the author of Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder (Algonquin Books, 2008) originally coined the phrase, “Nature Deficit Disorder.” His strong belief is that children who have not been exposed to nature can suffer all sorts of medical malady’s, both physical and mental. My daughter spends a significant amount of time outside and it has truly educated her on more than just play – she’s learning how nature really works.

Next on my daughter's scientific learning journey with crickets, she wants to capture them and try feeding them varying foods like bugs, and see which they prefer.

Please give us suggestions on other experiments we can try to help my daughter learn more about nature and I will share them with my readers!

-Shawna Coronado is an author, locally syndicated newspaper columnist, health, and greening expert focused on teaching and living a green lifestyle. She blogs on conservation, greening and health tips at www.gardeningnude.com. Information on her books and other media can be found at www.thecasualgardener.com.

Is your child touching nature regularly? It might just be detrimental to their health if they are not able to experience the greater natural world.

When my daughter asked me “Mom, what does a cricket eat?” I immediately jumped online and found out. Why? Because I want her to understand more about the connection between nature and her body. Turns out crickets are omnivores. That means they eat everything – including each other.

She kept the little buggers in a jar overnight and learned that although they do like vegetable material, a tomato needs to be more fully rotted for them to really eat it. Therefore, she let the crickets free in the morning and learned a science lesson about nature.

Richard Louv, the author of Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder (Algonquin Books, 2008) originally coined the phrase, “Nature Deficit Disorder.” His strong belief is that children who have not been exposed to nature can suffer all sorts of medical malady’s, both physical and mental. My daughter spends a significant amount of time outside and it has truly educated her on more than just play – she’s learning how nature really works.

Next on my daughter's scientific learning journey with crickets, she wants to capture them and try feeding them varying foods like bugs, and see which they prefer.

Please give us suggestions on other experiments we can try to help my daughter learn more about nature and I will share them with my readers!

-Shawna Coronado is an author, locally syndicated newspaper columnist, health, and greening expert focused on teaching and living a green lifestyle. She blogs on conservation, greening and health tips at www.gardeningnude.com. Information on her books and other media can be found at www.thecasualgardener.com.

Comments

[Green Fundraising]

YES! It is so important to get outdoors. Friends of mine write books that are geared towards getting kids outdoors the Pelican Pete series. I'll never forget all my time playing on the banks of the Mississippi growing up!