Kids are naturally drawn to the outdoors. This fascination provides parents and educators with teaching opportunities to help children care for nature. According to the latest research, spending more time outside promotes more sustainable and environmentally-friendly behavior in children. So the more connected to nature a child is, the more likely they are to take environmentally conscious actions— and the happier they feel.  You can ignite a child’s desire to give back to nature (in super fun ways) with these basic outdoor activities:  Hiking We love taking our nieces and nephews hiking at a nearby park or preserve. Hiking is an easy, inexpensive, and totally carbon footprint-free way of introducing kids to the great outdoors. We find that going on a hike is not just beneficial to their health, but it improves their perception of nature – especially when we introduce lessons about nature along the way. Our niece loves to name ants and find flowers. And our nephew gets excited about seeing larger animals like deer and raccoons. We bring along a bag and pick up trash along the way. When hiking, you can go the extra mile by bringing treelings and planting them in special spots, teaching kids the importance of reforestation. It really pays to help kids see what happens […]