My Life In Nature

In this blog, I will be discussing my relationship with the environment throughout my life. I was born in New Mexico and lived there for the first ten years of my life. Since we had very warm summers, I spent a lot of my childhood outdoors. Our house backed directly up to an arroyo. My sister and I would build forts and search for gords in the sand. My family also owned a ranch in northern New Mexico, which we would visit on a regular basis. We owned cattle and horses and there were many kinds of other wildlife living on the ranch like coyotes, bears, snakes, and bobcats. We moved to Northern Alabama when I was ten years old and it was a culture and environment shock. I went from one of the most dry states to a city in which it rained everyday. We lived in a neighborhood that was right in the middle of the city so there were not as many opportunities to see wild life and do activities outside. Spending so much time outdoors in New Mexico was a wonderful experience that I’m glad I took advantage of. I babysit a little girl whose world does not revolve around nature. Other than P.E. at school, she doesn’t go outside other than to take the dog out. As soon as she finishes her homework she either watches television, plays the Wii, or plays computer games. She is only thirteen years younger than I am. It truly amazes me to see how much one generation has changed from the previous one. These days, children’s worlds revolve around electronics and entertainment. With the developing technology, it is something that is inevitable. As a future teacher, I know that it is in my hands to balance children’s use of technology and their relationship to the natural world. It is important that kids have some sort of relationship even if it is a small one. Part of me is scared of the future because as technology gets more advanced, I fear that people’s relationships with nature will parish. I’m glad that I was able to have a relationship with nature especially because I got to experience nature in its different forms. From hot to cold, to rainy to dry, my childhood was full of fresh air, wild animals, and fun adventures.