It is no secret that students have become disengaged with nature. The new millennium has swept in with a tidal wave of new technology and although the digital age has it’s merits and technology is almost unavoidable in this era, the artificial environment we have created for ease and convenience has led to more time spent indoors and in front of screens. This lifestyle has put our health and wellbeing at risk in ways not seen by previous generations. Issues with posture due to lengthy computer use, obesity, diabetes, vitamin D deficiency and various other issues can all be linked to our tech-obsessed lives. This is sure to increase as students get older if we don’t make an effort to create balance in their lives. It is hard, with parent’s lives getting busier and busier, cities becoming more crowded and teacher’s feeling time-poor. With more students being raised in busy cities, we are seeing an inclination for more time indoors and this disconnects them from nature and the outdoors. As our technological lives have become faster, more convenient and more disconnected, we have lost sight of things once inherent to us. Even the food we eat is often processed beyond recognition, sealed in a plastic bag and slapped with a barcode. Most city-bound youth have only connected with animals we have domesticated and nature we have trained to grow as we please, such as lawn or certain flowers. And this is why we feel it important to create more opportunities for students to experience learning outdoors. Outdoor Education is vital to bringing back the equilibrium between technology and nature in our lives. In some cases it’s the only chance students may have to experience life outside of the city they live in. Educating young people about nature and the outdoors
It is no secret that students have become disengaged with nature. The new millennium has swept in with a tidal wave of new technology and although the digital age has it’s merits and technology is almost unavoidable in this era, the artificial environment we have created for ease and convenience has led to more time