I recently had the pleasure of shepherding a group of elementary school children around a Water Festival. The day’s myriad events focused on everything from salmon habitats to sea kayaking lessons. It was great to watch little kids get excited about nature in its most basic forms. I think it’s something that I, and maybe others, forget when we’re working on globe spanning issues like climate change. Remember that we were once little kids too, our minds being blown by the simplest joys nature could offer. To watch a room full of a hundred kids all imitating the sounds of a Killer Whale is pretty awesome.

The day made me realize/remember how important it is to reach kids at this young age when a love of nature is still embedded deep within their inherent nature. Kids dig nature. It’s important that we recognize that love and connect it to the bigger picture so that as they grow older and are bombarded by life’s million other messages, they also grow in understanding of the entire cycle of life; the fact that Killer Whales, the slimy worms and the seashells are all part of a bigger picture that we must also protect.

It is also important that we as educators work to strive towards living the lessons we teach. I watched educators drinking bottled water (in Washington state where we have some of the best tap water in the country) and others throw away mountains of recyclables. As educators of the younger generations, we have to walk the talk or they will see right through us.

If we’re not careful and considerate of the generations behind us, we could be seeing a repeat of what we’re currently fighting so hard against.