“In the end we will conserve only what we love;
We will love only what we understand;
We will understand only what we are taught.”
—Baba Dioum

By Sally Treadwell

More than twenty years ago my knee-high-to-a-grasshopper niece and nephew spent the night with me. I didn’t know a whole lot about children then—none of that regular-feeding, where’s-your-jacket, let’s-go-fly-a-kite stuff—but my friend did, and she called for us at some appallingly early hour and dragged us up to the fledgling Chattahoochee Nature Center.

It wasn’t yet open, but we waited on the bank of a little lake, munching thoughtfully on croissants. And then we were silent.

I don’t know what my niece and nephew remember of that morning. Thanks to their feckless aunt they were probably just chilly, damp and under-breakfasted.

But out of that living, breathing stillness swept a Great Blue Heron, silently headed for some secret haunt. And my whole being was flooded with gladness and wonder.

That moment is repeated thousands of times every day. It’s hardly unique or special. Yet it changed my whole relationship with nature, with the animals I saw in zoos and backyards and woods; and it made me think about how I would want my children to develop an understanding of the natural world. And, pretty much, it boils down to just being there. With open eyes, ears, and heart.

My own kids have had, I think, many Blue Heron moments. We’ve held our breath in the pre-dawn calm, watching the cautious elegance of a fox stalking past on some nefarious errand. We’ve paused for common but oh-so-extraordinary fiddler crabs shuffling through mangrove tangles. We’ve lain on our backs in the grass at two in the morning, glorying in comet showers; and we’ve stroked stingrays as they glide smoothly past in “touch” pools, and marveled at the Georgia Aquarium’s ghostly jellyfish, and counted approximately one hundred thousand million tadpoles in ponds, and laughed over the sheer sloth of pandas at Zoo Atlanta.

The Animal Advantage
We’ve done those things because we love doing them—the best reason of all to do anything. But anyone who knows kids will tell you that there are very real benefits to getting them up close and personal with “all creatures great and small.”

After all, could Rachel Carson have grown up to be perhaps the most influential biologist and author of our time if her mother hadn’t taught her “joy in the out-of-doors and the lore of birds, insects, and residents of streams and ponds”? Would wildlife painter and conservationist Sir Peter Scott have been moved to help found the World Wildlife Fund if his explorer father hadn’t asked his mother to “try and make the boy interested in natural history if you can,” before disappearing off into the Antarctic blizzards?

But it’s not just about finding a career, or even caring for the earth.

“Children benefit from being with animals because they learn about nurturing another living creature - and they learn about unconditional love,” says Diane Smith of Noah’s Ark, the unique animal rehabilitation center and children’s care home in Locust Grove. “If they watch young animals, they learn to play with abandon. If they watch wild animals, they learn that they are self-sufficient and that they need to be left wild. Animals are not judgmental; they’re not wasteful; they respect each other’s boundaries. If we just observe, we can learn a lot.”

The Pet Connection
A child can learn responsibility and discipline by regularly feeding, walking, or grooming a pet. Studies have also shown that children develop better social skills such as cooperation, empathy and sharing when they have a close relationship with a pet; they feel better about themselves and more connected.

Academic skills can also improve. The R.E.A.D. (Reading Assistance Education Dogs) program pairs therapy dogs with struggling readers—literacy and communication skills soar when a kid frequently reads aloud to a calm, non-judgmental dog that isn’t going to make fun of him, or grade her ability. And with the right pet, you can put a few of the program’s tricks into practice.

There are health benefits, too. Pets have been shown to lower their owners’ blood pressure and stress levels, and throwing a Frisbee and chasing after a dog can certainly keep a kid’s weight in check.

Children with ADD or ADHD may gain particular benefit from looking after a pet. Fish can be wonderfully calming; keeping to a cat’s care schedule teaches focus; and exercising a dog may be just the thing for working off excess energy.

And best of all? Families report that they just have more plain old fun when they get a pet.

If you can’t have a pet in your home for any reason, don’t despair. You and your child can volunteer at a shelter or rehabilitation center; or maybe “pet-share” with a neighbor. A child walking a dog for an elderly neighbor makes for a great partnership.

Fixing Nature Deficit Disorder
Remember watching ant colonies for hours and then heading triumphantly home with a jar full of tadpoles, and maybe—if you were lucky—catching a few fireflies and listening for owls hooting along the way?

Well, most of today’s kids will never get to do that. And Richard Louv, who made a stir with his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, thinks we’re making a huge mistake by not letting our kids form connections with the landscape of our world.

The belief that being out in the natural world is restorative, health-giving and essential to healthy development is an ancient one, he argues, and indeed, horticultural therapy has joined pet therapy as a valued approach for a range of disorders from depression to ADHD. Creativity and sensory skills flourish when kids see and feel the wind in action, build a fort with friends, and observe honeybees and earthworms going about their business. There’s a huge difference between learning the theory of an ecosystem and actually experiencing one.

The Fascination of the Exotic
While pets and backyards are important, zoos and aquariums and wildlife refuges can add another dimension by making the world small for your children. You may never be able to take them to the Great Barrier Reef, but they can observe some of its inhabitants. Knowledgeable employees and volunteers can help your children understand how otters use an extra pair of transparent eyelids as swimming goggles, or how the homogenization of our livestock has endangered certain breeds of cows. And where else could you possibly hope to meet a warthog piglet?

But remember that early morning is usually the best time to visit, and take the time to sit and watch. Don’t just whirl through exhibits, ticking off some academic checklist. Your child will probably learn more from just hanging out, watching a family of gorillas for a while, than from even the most informative pamphlet. Take advantage of petting zoos and touch pools.

Connecting
Children can only benefit from learning how to name, understand and love everything from lichen and Labradors to pandas and pumas. And as they become happier and healthier and begin to truly understand of our interconnectedness with the world, Baba Dioum’s dream of conservation will take root.

So let’s start teaching and learning.