LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 17 You don't have to dive into the research to under- stand the physical and emotional benefits of expe- riencing nature. Just by spending a day outdoors unplugged in a natural setting, people of all ages can experience well-being, increased happiness, along with decreased stress and anxiety. With so many benefits, we need to ask: what is preventing kids from experiencing nature? Is it the lack of access to green spaces and unstructured time to play? Or is it the tech- nology in their hand that has created the expectation of instantaneous answers? Why do I have to wonder about how something works when I have an answer available at my fingertips? Why do I have to go outside and deal with bug bites and rain when I can take one photo of myself in front of a tree and make it look like I had an authentic experi- ence? My daughter and I are both high school teachers who worry about the growing disconnect between stu- dents and not only nature but each other. Cell phones, smartwatches, and all of the other personal devices are distracting our students from real life experiences in and out of the classroom. Today's students panic at the thought of going to class without their personal devices. It's easy to blame the students, but most of the young people today are the offspring of the first generation to grow up with digital connections as a primary form of communication. They have never ex- perienced the scary, yet exhilarating feeling of know- ing you no longer have an instantaneous connection to your parents or childhood friends that first week of college, far from home. The only connection to your parents was a landline in a booth down the hall that you couldn't use unless you had the right amount of quarters.

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