Opportunities for children to enjoy and develop a love for their natural surroundings seem few in our electronic society as the vast number of television shows, computer games, game stations and handheld devices draw children away from experiencing the great outdoors.  Often forgotten, encouraging young children to experience the natural world around them is not just a fun activity – it is vital, for the future of our culture and indeed, the future of our planet.

Children have never been further removed from the natural world around them, a disturbing phenomenon that is getting more and more press as an increasing number of articles and books are being written on the topic.  One unfortunate consequence of this lack of connection is a resulting apathy to natural ecosystems, a lack of understanding of the complexity and interconnectedness of the systems of life in nature, and the importance of protecting the natural world.

As David Sobel states in his book Beyond Ecophobia, "If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it. Perhaps this is what Thoreau had in mind when he said, "the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings."

Summer, with its lazy warm days and less hectic schedule, is the perfect time to teach children about their natural surroundings, to let them explore, at an unhurried pace, the region’s habitats and organisms.  Summer is the perfect time to wade ponds and tidal pools, climb trees, hike the woods, and peer down into the water off the docks.  Summer is the perfect time for children to develop an appreciation for their natural world as they muck through the mud or lie on their stomachs, closely observing an ant hill or spider spinning a web.

At the Lloyd Center for the Environment in Dartmouth, there are 55 acres of salt marsh, maritime forest and wetlands at the mouth of the Slocum River, just the place for children (and adults!) to hike, examine and peer, all at no admission charge.  This summer, give the children in your life (and you too) a chance to experience their natural world by bringing them to the Lloyd Center.  Walking trails down to the waterfront and throughout the preserve are open from dawn to dusk, seven days a week.  For information on the Lloyd Center’s children’s nature summer programs, visit www.lloydcenter.org or call 508-990-0505.

Also at the Lloyd Center Headquarters is their Nature Center with its 15-foot pilot whale skeleton, as well as dolphin and leatherback turtle skeletons on display. The Center’s aquaria feature local fresh and saltwater fish and invertebrates, a touch-tank where you can pick up spider crabs, whelks, hermit crabs, periwinkles, mussels and green crabs.  The top floor observatory, with its magnificent views of the Elizabeth Islands and Buzzards Bay, was named one of 15 ‘Special Places’ by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.  The Nature Center is open, at no charge, to the public Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Lloyd Center for the Environment is located at 430 Potomska Road, Dartmouth, Massachusetts.  For more information, visit www.lloydcenter.org or call 508-990-0505.