Biophilia - a priceless moment

What is more priceless then a grin on the face and a twinkle in the eye of a child who is sharing with you the excitement of "a stick insect crawling all over me"? Those are the words of one of our children arriving at our preschool today as she is telling me about her walk with her family in the bush. They found a stick insect and she was letting it crawl over her arms, her shoulders and her back, to the amazement of her parents.

Children who are close to nature tend to relate to it as a source of wonder, joy, and awe. By giving them frequent positive experiences they will develop a sense of connectedness with the natural world. Children need to develop their biophilia, their love for life, for living systems, the Earth at a young age. Biophilia is the deep need people have to experience natural habitats and species, a love of nature. Edward O. Wilson describes biophilia as the "innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes". Preschooler's needs for concrete, hands-on experiences to explore and enjoy the world of nature will nurture their emotional and affective values of nature. If children do not have time to explore and fully understand nature, they are at danger for developing what is known as biophobia, an aversion to nature. They have little to no understanding of the natural world, and feel a discomfort in nature. Some authorities believe that if children don't develop a sense of respect and caring for the natural environment during their first few years, they are at risk for never developing such attitudes.

At our preschool we expose our children to nature as a friendly place of adventure and excitement. We have formed a community of respect and stewardship where both the children and teachers fully engage with each other to share the miracles of nature. Spiders, slaters, butterflies, dragonflies, they are all crawlies, but not creepy. We foster a deep reverence for life. When our young children have daily opportunities to care for our garden and pets, to observe the insects and birds and to watch seedlings sprout and flowers bloom, they practice nurturing and positive behaviours towards the natural world. Not only do children benefit profoundly from regular interactions with nature, it also creates lifeshaping childhood memories. As for the little girl and her parents, the joy, and the excitement of the stick insect encounter was priceless.

Most children have a bug period, and I never grew out of mine.
- Edward O. Wilson, Naturalist


Links

• "The Wonders of Nature: Honoring Children's Ways of Knowing" by Ruth Wilson
• David Orr on Biophilia (video)