Interconnected Health and Wellbeing
You are like a flower, a tree, and similar to all living beings on our planet. Can you guess why? We rely on the earth for sustenance and are all connected to nature. That's why you see indigenous cultures around the world, including Māori, bury the placenta of their pēpē.
This connects them to their homelands, ancestors, and Mother Earth. This roots tamariki within themselves and can give a stronger sense of belonging, tūrangawaewae, identity and culture, and kaitiakitanga/guardianship.
When we take time to support the connection tamariki have to te taiao, nature, and Papatūānuku, we help them build their ecological identity. As educator and author, Mitchell Thomashow, stated in his book Ecological Identity (1996) he said: “Developing a profound sense of oneself in relationship to natural and social ecosystems is necessary grounding for the difficult work of environmental advocacy”.
The nature connection is more than going outside (although there are great health benefits just from that!); it's about how much you feel part of your environment. Put simply, what does your relationship with the earth look like? When you care for yourself you are more likely to care for planetary health resulting in nourishment for your hauora from earth's natural resources.
Nurture the connection you and tamariki have with your environment. This could even begin small, and indoors, by caring for plants or an animal. Here's the Department of Conservation's "effective approaches to connect children to nature".
Extra for experts
Has this topic sparked your curiosity? Here is a starting point to tautoko your ako.
