Childhood Play and Environmental Interests: Panacea or Snake Oil?

Both wildland recreationists and conservationists report that wildland childhood play is an important socialization experience. However, researchers know little about the details of play experiences during the formative childhood years. In this article, the authors describe the content and physical and social components of childhood play as recalled by 51 young adults involved in serious leisure and environmental professions related to natural history and a contrast group of 10 adults not participating in natural history activities. On the basis of their interviews, the authors identified stationary and exploratory play, social facilitation of play, play away from the home restricted only by distance, fantasy play, creative play, gaming play, searching and trapping play, and play interspersed with outdoor chores. The authors distinguish between playing with nature and playing with friends within nature and discuss the implications for further research and environmental education programming. (Contains 5 figures.)