Real benefits of connecting children to Africa’s wild nature

I have never met a child who is not interested in nature. Kids love it. Think of any five-year-old innocently exploring, turning over a stone and seeing a lizard, as a simple example, for the first time. There is so much delight and excitement. Children are fascinated by the natural world and have an innate connection. The question we have to ask as parents is how to nurture this in-born fascination?

We can start by exposing younger children to the natural world in the garden, at a nearby park or nature reserve. As we journey further from home, the world opens up with extraordinary places where children can experience new things and learn to become more self-reliant in nature. Having been exposed to the African bush from a fairly young age and as an ever-learning parent myself, I wanted my daughter Hayley to also experience what I love about Africa – the countless sights, sounds and smells that I can recall so fondly. And so, we decided to visit Botswana’s Okavango Delta as a family in December.

Flying into the Delta from Maun I could see the excitement in Hayley’s eyes as she was glued to the aircraft window, gazing down at the vast water wilderness spread below her. 

One of Earth's most extraordinary ecosystems, the Okavango Delta is a biblical Garden of Eden, harbouring critical habitat for a myriad wildlife species. Here, kids can see ecosystems in action — elephants shaping waterways, birds fishing for dinner, lions working as a pride. It’s like a giant outdoor science lab where learning is about what they can touch, see, smell, hear, and feel.

The next six days spent in the Delta changed Hayley forever. What stood out, apart from the phenomenal wilderness experiences, was the genuine caring by all the Wilderness staff. From personal notes to special kids’ menus and educational stories, Botswana and her people captured Hayley’s heart. Through the staff, she learnt about the Delta and its inhabitants while having fun, too. 

Upon our return home I listened closely as she regaled her gran with trip highlights. She had incredible encounters with elephant, explored the labyrinthine waterways of the Delta by mokoro and boat, scrutinised various animal spoor, marvelled at the immense night sky, studied a red lechwe skull up close, and got her wishes to see a terrapin, African fish eagle and lion. She watched the sun set and the moon rise, saw a baby mongoose, and looked on in awe, as a pack of wild dogs awoke, with much chattering and interaction, after a hot summer’s day.

The highlight for me as parent? To see her cement her own persona a bit more – getting lost in herself, being herself, without that incessant pressure of pass or fail.

Back to my question of how parents can nurture this in-born fascination, considering that over 50% of the human population today is urbanised – meaning that in some way they are basically cut off from the natural world. If people don’t understand nature, why will they care to protect or appreciate it?

These days, our children’s lives seem over-diarised and overcomplicated. Their schedules are so consumed by school, homework, sports and other extramural activities that there is very little time left for anything else. We must make time though, for something equally important. As parents, we must do all we can so that our children never lose that initial love and interest in the natural world. Let’s try give them balance and ensure that they retain their fascination and respect for nature. Teach them about conservation so that they want to be part of the solution.

For me, nature is where I go in times of happiness and grief, as well as to find respite from this high-paced and ‘civilised’ world. Hayley discovered the wonders of this incredible ecosystem, and it made her feel at one with herself and her surroundings. So, asking the question again, I think the answer is an emphatic yes – children do need wilderness.