Welcome to Part II of my interview with paleontologist and Dinosaur Train host, Dr. Scott Sampson. In Part I, Dr. Scott shared how he became involved with the show and how he’s helping to get kids off the couch and outside making their own discoveries.
With his catchy tagline, “Remember, get outside, get into nature, and make your own discoveries,” I knew Dr. Scott was passionate about connecting kids and nature.
And after reading a couple of posts on his blog, The Whirlpool of Life (namely Dinosaur Train Gets Into Nature! and Holiday Nature Connection), I knew I wanted to talk more. Here’s what he had to say.
Why do you think it’s so important for kids to spend time outside exploring?
It’s a need that might even parallel the mother/infant bond. In that case, if a child doesn’t have its mother during vital stages of development, there are consequences later.
There is evidence mounting that the same is true of spending time in nature. If we don’t form bonds when we’re young, we won’t be healthy adults. I would argue that we have a genetic predisposition to bond with nature – especially to our local places.
Which means that getting kids abundant unstructured time outside is critical to their mental health. I think few things are more important in this century.
Getting kids outside is also essential to our sustainability. How will kids care about our natural resources if they don’t experience them?
I think the issue of sustainability is less a crisis of technology and more of consciousness. We must see ourselves as embedded in nature. That starts with kids having local abundant experiences in nature.
What’s your advice to parents wanting to connecting their kids with nature?
I’m working on a book on this topic right now! Two things: Abundant multisensory experiences outdoors and a mentor. This mentor doesn’t need to actually know anything or be an expert, but he or she must be willing to explore with the child.
These are the key ingredients; if you do both enough, children will naturally form bonds with nature. You can build on experiences with age, but the simplest foundation is instilling a sense of wonder.
When it comes to getting outside, we don’t need to make it more complicated than it is. Bring binoculars and a magnifying glass with you and head to the park. Write in a nature journal about what you see and feel. Little, simple things done a few times a week after school is great.
What’s your favorite way to explore nature with your daughter?
I’m a big hiker, but that’s less her thing. She has taught me that I need to focus more on the trail and less on the destination.
As parents, we need to keep it fun, active and playful. Like putting on a blindfold and having them walk or crawl along a trail. It requires a little bit of imagination sometimes, but this kind of play-based learning will help kids thrive.
And last but not least, two very important questions from The Big Explorer …
What’s your favorite type of dinosaur?
When I was little, it was a stegosaurus – you know, the one with the spiky plates on its back. Today it’s an animal I had the honor of naming: Kosmoceratops, which had 15 horns on its head!
How many dinosaurs have you dug up?
Kids always want to know that! I couldn’t even guess – I’ve been doing this for 25 years. I’ve found hundreds of dinosaurs and named 15 or 16, with more to come.
Every animal we name is new to science. Science is a growing body of knowledge – there’s tons we don’t understand and lots to discover. Which means there is still plenty for kids to do!
I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Dr. Scott for a wonderful interview that I hope you all found as inspiring as I have.
Scott D. Sampson is a professional dinosaur paleontologist and science communicator. He was the science advisor and on-air host of the Discovery Channel series “Dinosaur Planet,” and is presently serving the same pair of roles for the hit PBS KIDS series “Dinosaur Train,” produced by the Jim Henson Company. He recently completed a general audience book—”Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life,” and he is presently working on another book about connecting kids with nature. He writes a blog, “The Whirlpool of Life,” and regularly speaks to audiences of all ages on topics ranging from evolution to education.
Note: I was not asked by PBS, The Jim Henson Company or Dr. Scott Sampson to write this post and I am not receiving any compensation for doing so. You can read my full disclosure policy for more information.
