CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
By Judith Ashton
My 34year old son said to me recently, “I think we were the last generation of kids to run free in the countryside….”, He had a good point. We live near the River Nore and when my lads and their pals were at National school, they would go out in the morning during the summer holidays and most weekends, armed with sticks and sandwiches and not be seen till they returned later on generally filthy dirty, exhausted and hungry. One day, a lad had a pedometer and they covered 17 kms just messing around in the fields, the woods and along the river. They climbed trees, paddled, fished and made camps. None of them was older than 11 and the youngest about 8. They all survived the nettles, splinters, scratches, arguments, cuts and bruises. It was a healthy, wholesome, muddy adventure. Nobody had a mobile phone back then.
What a sad contrast to these Irish statistics: 34% of children of 8 -15 don’t play outside during the week and only 20% at weekend; 37% have never seen a hedgehog and only 45% have a nature table at school. Some 7-8 yr olds watch 21hours of TV a week. 22% teens have diagnosed mental health issues, Up to 35% teens in Dublin study have self- harmed; in 2022 over 15,000 took anti-depressants and over20% are overweight. (Ref: The Irish Times) The amount of time on social media is as yet un-calculable!
Many people are becoming obese and sadder! Children ARE the future and it’s urgent that we do all we can to ensure that they grow up as healthy, fit and balanced adults.
Starting at national school, kids need to learn all about the environment, how food is grown, be outdoors and most important, to develop a deep love and appreciation of Nature. If they have to watch TV… watch David Attenborough and nature programmes.
Learning about soil and healthy plants is vitally important for us all. I recently did a course at Westcourt in Callan and Ronan, the teacher/gardener was brilliant.
Did you know, there are more organisms in a handful of compost than there are people on the planet? Our lives depend on all these tiny micro-organisms which all need protecting. Pesticides and fertilisers kill these little miracles.
According to UK statistics, outdoor lessons can reduce symptoms of ADHD by 30%! “Forest Schools” introduce kids to the wonders of Nature eg. worms, mud, caterpillars, dirt, seeds and so much more. Nature is good for all of us…. However, we are in danger of leaving behind a generation who have never been exposed to the myriad benefits of the Great Outdoors. If our kids and grand- kids are alienated from the wild how will future generations relate to our great backdrop which so badly needs to be protected?
We are part of Nature and Nature is part of us. We are all born to be wild and Nature is a great healer. So many of today’s ills are to do with a feeling of separation from Nature. Did you know, our lives depend on trees and plants for the air we breathe?
We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, they breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. Trees are an integral part of our life cycle. We will die if the trees die… it’s that simple. For far too long humans have looted and exploited the very organisms our lives depend on for profit. It is unsustainable and unless we change, this is our legacy.
We don’t inherit our world from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.
Farmers and growers who use organic methods need all our support to look after all the little critters in the soil. Soil health is vital for human health. Processed food is full of chemicals and additives. Remember, we literally are what we eat….
Walks in Nature are good for mind and body whatever our ages. Let’s make the most of the autumn while the days are still longish, let the kids get as dirty as possible…. Winter is long enough to be cooped up indoors.
