Is it true that kids today have never been outside and don't know what common animals and plants look like

Question

because they've done nothing in their entire life except play video games and watch cartoons and have never been outside exploring or learning natural things?

I heard that the average 10 year old doesn't know the difference between a robin and a turkey, or what a lemon looks like, or the difference between an acorn and a lily pad !!

Answer 1

I don't know one single kid that doesn't know the difference between any of those things.  The only kids that might not know are those who live in cities where there aren't those things.

Answer 2

I worry about that myself sometimes.  That's why my husband and I have chosen to live in the country.  Our kids play in the creek, walk in the woods, and all sorts of nature stuff.  We do live close to the city though so they get that aspect of things too!  I love that my kids can wake up and see turkey and deer walking through the yard.  It's something that cannot be replaced in our hearts and minds!  

Suggestion to all parents...keep this matter in mind when you choose where to locate yourself and your family!  I know that most of the time we go where the jobs are, but look around...there is nature there somewhere!  Find it!  :)  Protect it!

God Bless!

Answer 3

well my 9 year old sister does! we love nature

Answer 4

my kids play outside i kick them out if they do not want to go

Answer 5

I grew up in the country and played outside constantly, probably for a good five or six hours a day, yet never learned the names of most plants.  You don't necessarily have to know something's label to be familiar with it.  

Because we barely know a dandelion from a daisy, our kids aren't big plant experts, either.  But they can identify a lot of types of birds and animals, because we as their parents are more knowledgeable about them.  And,like me, they spend hours crawling among and experiencing the various plants that they don't kow the names of (though even my 2-year-old certainly knows the things you listed in your hopefully exaggerated example).  

To your wider point, though, most kids do spend a lot less time outside, which I agree is a shame, and certainly a major loss to their generation.

Answer 6

If you're not exaggerating, that's pretty sad.

Answer 7

no i go outside all the time

Answer 8

There are a lot of educational tv shows these days.  My 3 year old nephew knows a few words in spanish, about half a dozen musical terms, numbers, letters, a whole bunch of animals and their habitats all from watching Dora, Go Diego Go, Blue's Clues, and the Little Einsteins.  When my niece was 5 years old, we were in a restaurant with an outdoor theme.  She began naming all of the animals they had (stuffed) around the place.  

The problem is that many parents let their kids watch shows like Spongebob, and the Simpsons that have no educational value.

Answer 9

That's pretty sad.  But, I don't doubt it.  Hang out in here for a bit and you'll get a good sample of the teen generation of stupidity.

Answer 10

That is actually sad but true in some cases. A friend of mine came up with her kids to visit, from the city. I have horses and my neighbors have cows and her kids didn't know one from another! The sad thing is that they were in their early teens, don't they teach these things in kindergarten? I know kids who stay in all day playing video games or watching TV.

Answer 11

wtf? what kind of r****d doesn't know the diff. between a robin and a turkey. the turkeys are giant and robins are small and red. turkeys cant fly well (if not at all) lilly pads are flat circular leaves found often in pounds were frogs make their home sometimes. the lemon is yellow with a head much shaped like Stewie from family guy. and if kids are so ignorant as they say now they know what a lemon looks like. it is very sad because i was 9 like 4 yrs ago and guess what? i knew all of that stuff. so don't say average maybe a few out of every 50.

Answer 12

How sad - I have an 11 year old and 9 year old twins who couldn't tell you what the popular video games are, or tell you about the latest episode of whatever TV shows most kids watch - they are too busy outside playing.

Answer 13

well i certainly know the difference between a robin and a turkey, but i learned about turkeys on tv and i can see robins out the window. i personally love both to be outside and the watch tv, but i think that even kids who grow up in cities know what grass looks like, you know?

Answer 14

It really depends a lot on the parenting. Thank God for our fenced in back yard or it might be true for my children. I make sure they go outside and play as much as passable. My daughter is also an advid reader, so she learns things that are above and beyond what she see's in the back yard. I plan on moving back where I came from some time next year, The good old country, and teaching my children how to live off the land. I was raised on a dairy farm and my parents still have 62 acres of land. I can't wait to teach both of them how to plant, hunt, and milk a cow. One day I really do think that they will have to be able to live off of nature itself like I did as a child, expessially when I see the way the world is headed. I think it is important for children to know about nature and the sources it provides.  

Answer 15

not Aussie kids (at least the ones I know). My kids camp in the bush and explore al the animals and bugs and read and many more things that make it easy to know those things. Most people have lemon trees or have a friend who has a lemon tree.

Just asked my 9 year old what is the difference between an acorn and a lilly pad and she said

"one is hard and one is soft, an acorn is a nut and a lilly pad is a plant for frogs and they are found in ponds"

Asked about the robin and Turkey but we don't have robins in Australia so that was a bit harder but once  i described it she said one is big and one is little. She knows what a turkey is. She just said asked how they cannot know these things. She asked do they not know about christmas and turkeys (not that we have turkey at christmas) she said they have that wobble thing under their chin lol. Glad to know she is well educated lol.  

Answer 16

It's not they they've never been outside it's that they hardly ever go outside .... I'm sure they know the difference between a turkey and a robin and a bluejay. I doubt they know the difference between an acorn and a pine cone though. They do spend most of their time in doors sitting on their a**es in front of the T.V.

Answer 17

I think although this is exaggerated, it is possibly true in many ways. I believe many kinder gardeners have never been read a book by their parent, sadly.

Answer 18

i dont think kids this days r that bad, im 12 and i no the diff between the 2.  But, we do spend more time inside then our parents did when they were little.  Hope this helps!!! <3