“We live in a dangerous age. Man masters nature before he has learned to master himself”.
Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965)
Explanation of principle 4:
People of the present day are losing more and more contact with nature and thus with themselves. What city kid knows where a potato comes from? What city person knows from which plant is made linen fabric? When was the last time they planted something and then watched it grow?
Early and direct contact with nature can set an important course for a child’s life. A deeply felt connection that can be experienced in and with nature is the basis for a positive basic trust in life itself and often awakens in children the desire to protect the earth and the animals that live on it. And that’s a good thing!
Children demonstrably need nature for their development. There are studies that show that children who have almost no or no contact with nature suffer from a so-called nature deficit disorder. The consequences of this disorder include hyperactivity, escape into virtual computer worlds, violence, addiction and, last but not least, indifference to nature and the environment.
Sustainable thinking and acting in relation to the environment will only come about if people have a connection to this very environment and are interested in preserving it. For people with a close connection to nature, this is in most cases completely natural, as they often associate nature with positive emotions and memories. There is also a deep need to pass on these feelings and memories to one’s own children at some point. But how could this be possible if this environment would no longer exist in this form at some point?
Our environment must be protected at all costs. It is home to us all and we are all connected to it in infinite ways. If we destroy these connections, humanity destroys itself.
Teaching content on Principle 4 could be:
- Go to the countryside and meet and observe many animals
- Camping ride
- Plant something and watch it grow
- Hang bird house and watch
- Projects in nature
- What can we learn from nature?
- What do we not like in nature and why are we still not allowed to change it?
- What harms nature?
- Why are bees important?
- What happens when we remove animals from our ecosystem?
- What is an ecosystem?
- Exploiting nature, what does that mean?
- Stars and sky, moon and sun, tide and tide, how is everything connected?
- Sounds in nature: Is there music?
- Eat and be eaten. Why is nature so evil sometimes?
- Protect water, why?
- Why are trees important?
The sobe5 principles are:
- Do not harm yourself or others
- Always be helpful and good
- Stay away from violence and crime
- Respect and d protect our environment
- Make yourself better today than you were yesterday
