One of my favorite childhood memories is being surrounded by cows, chickens, horses and dogs in Michoacan, a small state in Mexico. Having been born in Chicago I rarely saw such animals (with the exception of dogs). I not only felt happy, but safe to be in such close proximities to the them and have the freedom to either pet or play with them. Although at the time I did not know it, the experiences I got in Michoacan such as carrying a small puppy on the inside of my shirt and getting filled with fleas or collecting the eggs laid by hens, contributed to the formation of my personal environmental beliefs.
As children, we experience both direct and indirect experiences with nature and wildlife. It may be in a variety of different ways; in one’s own backyard, on a camping trip, fishing or at a sanctuary or zoo. Direct experiences are those in which the child is experiencing nature more physically and curiously, whereas indirect childhood experiences are a little more restrictive and guided. No matter the experience, it lends way to the formation of our environmental beliefs as Julia Corbett wrote about in “Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages.”
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