Senior Citizens!, the Urban sprawl gets bigger every day!, so where are the children going to see nature at?

When I was a child our parents would take us out on nature walks where we'd see all kinds of wildlife. My dad would take photographs of whatever interested him, mother and we kids would pick wild flowers and then look them up in nature books. We'd paddle in streams, collect different types of leaves and other such stuff for the school nature table. Our teachers would also take us on nature walks once a week in good weather. We'd be told what kinds of things to look out for during the different seasons and then we'd have lessons about what we'd found and discuss the items.

Long before the loss of our natural areas of woodland etc. school nature walks we seriously down-graded and soon became "bring in 3 different leaves on Monday" rather than "we are going out to collect different leaves".

Some children had parents like mine who were interested in getting their children out of town at weekends and showing them the beauties of nature, some parents were not interested in such things at all and their children missed out a lot.

Now, all children miss out because, besides apathy on the part of some parent, there are few places to go. Many of the places I remember from childhood have been sold off to businesses and now have housing estates, brick works and many other changes.

I was born on a small estate comprising of 50 semi-detached houses with an unmade road, no room for cars to be parked beside the houses - but no-one had cars then. Surrounding that estate were fields, in every direction. We helped the farmer bring in the hay from one field, watched him taking the cows to another, saw his pig sty close to his farmhouse, were chases by his geese, walked though the narrow path in his corn field and helped another pick potatoes (and were paid 5 bob a day for doing so).

Every one of the fields that I remember close to home is now a housing estate with tarmac roads and each house with at least 2 cars on the drive.

People need houses, people need cars but they also need some freedom from urban sprawl and good fresh air away from traffic.

What has happened in most places is sad and will never be reversed. Today's children cannot imagine the difference in their childhood and ours, no matter how much we reminisce and tell them about it.

They're still MUCH and readily available - where I live, Thomas.

My apartment overlooks a designated Country Park - a VERY large area of woodlands, open fields, and lakes - play-grounds - picnic areas, etc.

There are specified 'walking routes' - and those willing/able CAN encompass the dipping-pond - studying stickle-bats, dragon-flies etc - catch sight of the plantation/orchard - helping to sow, plant, reap vegetables & fruits - or roam in in meadows to see wild flowers flourishing in the grass.

I'm off, later today - with my camera - to see how the bluebells are doing this year - in the woods.

Sadly - this local facility is much under-used or appreciated.

Gladly - it's a protected area - and more than a few of us will get our bayonets out - if new planning regulations allow even an acre of it to be taken away by housing 'development'.

There are still areas where you can do and see all of these things Thomas. CHATNOIR mentions Cannock Chase, I still live there. Last week I was fishing near Rugely and while doing so watched frogs tending to the spawn, herons in the River Blyth and Kestrels hunting over the fields. This week I've watched the Hares boxing and a pair of Buzzards nesting. All this is on my doorstep, I can walk onto the chase in 20 minutes yet I live in a town of 30,000. We're not covered in concrete yet.

Thomas,I doubt if a lot of them know about the larger animals,let alone the small ones!

I can't remember the last time I saw frogspawn,let alone frogs and toads.

I used to go rabbiting on farmland,and always had a look in the rills & streams for stuff.

There used to be some mink too.Many,many years ago there was a mink farm & some of them escaped into the wild,but never became a large colony.

I used to watch herons fishing,hares trying to hide in their forms or 'boxing',but like you said,it's all a housing estate now.

This is why I work for undisturbed wilderness areas, and controlling urban expansion, as well as population control. The Keystone pipeline is obviously for the purpose of getting Canadian oil to Gulf ports so it can be shipped to Europe and Asia. If such a thing were actually needed, it should follow existing highway rights of way. Remember when you see,or hear of a wild animal damaging property, WE are the ones encroaching in it's territory, not the other way around.

It's still there, drive out to the country.

I've had our kids in the back of our truck star gazing; we caught horned toads, butter flies, fire flies, and such--anyone can still do the same.

I have all sorts of creatures at my place--perhaps more than the average person might like.

Wood bees

hornets

toads

frogs

butterflies

geckos

chameleons

But it is true, urban sprawl is getting larger every day!!

Luckily I live in a small town by the seaside, I regularly take my grandchildren out and try to show them the beauty of nature, be it something so small as a Ladybird or Spider, we regularly see Buzzards Ravens and lots of small garden birds, also at the seaside we see Cormorant, Shag, various Gulls, and Fulmars, Kittiwakes and the small seabirds like Oyster catchers, Herons etc

Last weekend we went to a Zoo/Farm nearby, they were enthralled by the animals there.

So, I suppose it's up to us Old 'Un's to show a good example and find Nature and show it off to the future generations.

You are so right. When I was a kid my dads cousin had a farm within a few miles of here.We used to go visit.He had barnyard animals to pet, sheep,. goats, the chickens were mean ,but we got to gather eggs. We got to run in the fields and play in the creeks. Catch frogs. Pick fresh veggies off the vines, dig up root veggies. These days are no more. All full of homes now.With big box stores.I remember each town as a kid was separated now they run together not knowing where one starts and the other stops.

I am lucky to live in West Yorkshire and the city of Leeds. It is a very short drive to beautiful countryside and only 4 miles to the butterfly house at Roundhay Park or inner-city Meanwood Urban farm and lovely farm animals, flora and fauna

Memory of the smell of nettles at caterpillar time. Where will the creatures of nature be found today in the middle of round abouts. I read mums in built up areas are building play parks on these and asking the local council build bridges to gain access. So I was told????