Adults who don’t think some children spend far too much time on their cell phones are probably too engaged with their own cell phones to notice. I’m not sure those adults can be salvaged; the children still have a fighting chance. One remedy is to encourage children to take a few bug therapy sessions each week—and bring an adult along now and then.

I am not launching what would surely be a losing battle against electronic technology. I am noting that many children have become so addicted to their games and social media connections that they have lost touch with the natural world. Springtime is the ideal season for kids to be outdoors. The ecological opportunities are limitless. Following are suggestions for redirecting children’s attention from a glowing screen to the endlessly fascinating outdoors with its myriad opportunities for exploring nature.

A necessary first step is to get children outside. Most young people would be intrigued by a colorful red mushroom peeping through brown leaves. A bright green tiger beetle zipping across a path. A black-and-yellow bumblebee pollinating a flower while extracting nectar. Children often become even more interested when such experiences are taken to the next level by learning more about the organism through field guides or on the internet. The living world is a place of mystery and adventure. Too many young people are distancing themselves from the action.

Knowing where to look for something outside is often a matter of experience. Other times it’s just serendipity. Finding a colorful, completely harmless click beetle larva under a piece of dead tree bark is like opening a gift—a chance that is lost if the child is sitting indoors staring at images on a computer screen. Discovering a bessie bug clambering around its fat white grubs inside of a decaying log is a possibility when you’re outside. Every child should try to find a bessie bug. And any child who has not found a roly-poly has a treat in store.

A simple technique for discovering certain animals in a yard is to lay down a coverboard, the general term for any material placed flat on the ground. An old roof shingle, carpet sample or piece of lumber placed in a shady spot could eventually become home for a variety of small but intriguing invertebrates like the scary-looking but completely harmless earwig. Native ant colonies often take up residence. Fire ants, of course, are not welcome. Earthworms and millipedes will sometimes visit. The unpredictability of what might show up is part of the fun. I encourage children to make a list of the visitors for several weeks.

One obstacle to getting children outdoors and learning about their native wildlife is that some parents do not feel they have an adequate background themselves. One solution is for parents to learn along with the children. Locate the nearest nature center and see what they have to offer. Another concern is that outside activities can be harmful. True, being outdoors brings the potential for being stung or bitten, getting poison ivy or having an accident. But hazards are everywhere, inside and out. The risks are small compared to the infinite opportunities to learn about nature firsthand.

Bug therapy does not preclude using phones and computers. Cell phones can capture pictures of Mother Nature’s ongoing drama. The internet can serve a useful function beyond mindless entertainment by becoming a source for wildlife recognition. A child with computer skills can quickly find apps useful in identifying plants and animals. Determining which websites are reliable academic or government sources is part of the learning process. The internet can be used to find the best field guides for a particular taxonomic group. Knowing that a child’s prowess in electronic technology is being used to search for information about what lives in their own backyard should make any parent proud. Occasional bug therapy sessions just might do the job.                       

Send environmental questions to ecoviews@gmail.com.