Get Your Kids Inspired By The Natural World
Give your kids the chance to become involved in their future.
I know this blog is mainly about your home – there is no reason to think that the outside world isn’t connected to that. You chose your home for it’s location and everything that came with it – but you don’t want to just live in your house for ever.
You want to go out to the local parks and woods, even travel further to other regional areas and zoos – maybe even to the other side of the world to see wildlife and natural landscapes that are unique. And that’s where the biodiversity comes in.
Without this variety, there would be no beauty in the world. Imagine if all animals were either cows or dogs, or only brown or white in color. Imagine if zoos and nature reserves only had squirrels and rabbits in them! It would be awful – and it would not inspire kids to explore the world around them.
The world needs the kids out there discovering things for themselves – as this is how things happen and changes are made. If young people don’t become involved in their surroundings and the amazing variety of wildlife and plants that it supports – then they cannot have a say in their own future or that of their own children down the line.
This Is Biodiversity.
The way that animals and plants interact to survive keeps the status quo. The classic example of ‘the plants feed the herbivores and the herbivores become food for the carnivores’ follows the basic principles but it is not a chain so to speak – it’s a web.
So add to the above that insects are needed to pollinate the plants – but they in turn need other plants for their young to live off and those plants might need to be in a certain location to thrive. They may also (in the case of bees) need to nest in tunnels dug by mice or voles which survive by eating certain other plants and insects.
The list of connections goes on and on through animals and plants of all shapes and sizes – and they all have their part to play in the natural world that we see every day. Everything has changed it’s appearance or shape of needs to fit into a gap in the web so it can survive.
The Competition:
So, why not help your kids to get active and try to capture these connections and these differences with a great photo.
You don’t even have to travel anywhere to get involved as your garden could be home to mini-beasts of amazing colors, butterflies feeding on your plants, birds looking for an easy meal and even small mammals creeping around your garden furniture.
Of course, the further afield you travel the more variety you can find. Bold patterns and bright colors are found in the tropics and larger mammals need a lot of space to thrive – but a simple brown bird can steal the show if it has a specialisation – something about it that makes it different from other birds – like really long legs or a really long beak.
Take a look at the short video on their website to get the finer details - and to find some photo-taking tips – and to see some inspiring shots that have already been added. Your entry could mean that your image is spread across the globe as the best of them all. Not only winning the first prize – but also inspiring the next generation of wildlife protectors.
Something our world is in great need of.