(C) Toys R Us
This commercial was aired recently by Toys 'R Us as they gear up for their busiest time of year. This may be a surprise, but I am a big believer in diverse methods of play and lots of outside time for kids. This Toys R Us Commercial both down plays the power of nature and forces it to compete with a commercial enterprise in a commercial medium. The commercial isn't fair on many levels and isn't accurately portraying what kids need. There are several ways to critique this commercial, but this is a nature blog and I will stick to that theme.
Is it possible for kids to be excited about nature? Is discovery exciting? The power of nature has an incredible effect on kids and their education. The 'ranger' belittles the people who work at making nature exciting for kids and helping those kids discover and learn. Nature has played a large part in my own education as a kid and an adult and I often can't wait to get back out into nature. Finding something new or seeing something I don't understand is a great that joy than can help kids better understand the world. My school took us into local parks and I remember finding an American Eel that had washed up on a river bank, seeing a monarch hatch, and playing the different parts of a tree in a skit for class. These interactions were valuable to who I am today and who I continue to be.
I don't mean to critique toys and toys stores. I have many fond memories of Toys R Us and has a fan of several cartoons, Toys R Us is often one of the few places to get the toys I am interested in. I don't appreciate how toys and nature are made into enemies in this commercial. We all need to work together to help improve children's education, relationship with nature, and future conservation efforts. I'm not sure how this looks but I know that it will look better if we cooperate. I know that Toys R Us cares about our children and their future and this incident of prank advertising hit the wrong mark.
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