But they can probably tell you all about global warming

 

Our children are apparently not learning some basics we take for granted, at least in some school systems.

Children have lost touch with the natural world and are unable to identify common animals and plants, according to a survey.

Half of youngsters aged nine to 11 were unable to identify a daddy-long-legs, oak tree, blue tit or bluebell, in the poll by BBC Wildlife Magazine. The study also found that playing in the countryside was children’s least popular way of spending their spare time, and that they would rather see friends or play on their computer than go for a walk or play outdoors.

This is a British article, so the wildlife species may vary on different continents. But the article actually states some obvious points we may have missed in our global concerns these days. Like the fact that our public schools are filling their curriculum with lessons on melting ice caps and threats to polar bears and carbon footprints and preservation of wildlife refuge. But…

Sir David Attenborough warned that children who lack any understanding of the natural world would not grow into adults who cared about the environment. “The wild world is becoming so remote to children that they miss out,” he said, “and an interest in the natural world doesn’t grow as it should. Nobody is going protect the natural world unless they understand it.”