The short animated film "We Are Here: Notes on Living on Earth," based on author Oliver Jeffers' 2017 bestseller, tells the story of a 7-year-old who has many ideas from an early age and explores the mysteries of the earth with his parents. The film is only 36 minutes long, and the rhythm is relaxed and pleasant, but the meaning is profound.
What does the earth look like in the eyes of children? How do children understand the various kinds of life on Earth? Have we parents ever thought about seriously talking to our children about the place where we live, the story of the earth?
What is the point of letting children understand the earth? First of all, let's start with such a set of data:
More than 100 years ago, an animal went extinct every 4 years on Earth;
80 years ago, there was an extinction of an animal every 1 year on Earth;
50 years ago, there was an extinction of an animal every 1 month on Earth;
20 years ago, an animal went extinct every 1 day on Earth.
Until now, one animal on Earth has gone extinct every 13 minutes.
A considerable number of organisms gradually disappear due to human destruction of the environment, and their disappearance does not follow a sustainable cycle like natural resources, which means that once they disappear, they will no longer appear. But have we ever remembered that hundreds of millions of years ago, when humans were still dust, this blue planet was once a paradise for living beings? Why isn't the current pandemic the earth's warning to humanity?
The ignorant are fearless, and only when the child truly understands his environment can he understand reverence. Take your child to know about the earth and the habitats on which we depend. Cultivate children's awareness of being close to nature and loving nature from an early age. So, how to let children love this land of life? In addition to teaching them the necessary theoretical knowledge, it is more rewarding to lead by example and practice themselves.
Bring your own environmentally friendly shopping bags, less plastic bags;
Do not use disposable chopsticks, toothpicks and other disposable tableware;
Water conservation, "one water for multiple uses";
In daily life to achieve garbage classification;
Refusal to eat wild animals...
Let us take our children to see the beauty and fragility of the earth, know how to love the earth, and cherish the gifts of nature.