| 1. TIME OUTSIDE HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON A | | | | difficulty concentrating, focusing or remembering in a |
| CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT. | | | | classroom can perform these skills effortlessly during |
| There is a growing body of evidence that indicates | | | | open-ended play outside? Focus comes more naturally |
| that direct experiences with nature are essential for a | | | | outside. The skills developed outside can easily extend |
| child's physical and emotional health. Studies have also | | | | back to the home or classroom, Many studies suggest |
| shown that exposure to nature can increase a child's | | | | that exposure to nature also may reduce symptoms |
| resistance to stress and depression | | | | of ADHD and can improve learning abilities. |
| Although many a sport is played in the great outdoors, | | | | 4 . TIME OUTSIDE CAN HELP OUR CHILDREN |
| for the purpose of this article when I say time outside I | | | | APPRECIATE AND UNDERSTAND THE PLANET |
| am not referring to organized sports. I am referring to | | | | DESPITE CONFUSING AND TROUBLING |
| solitary, random or unstructured time in the open air. | | | | MESSAGES FROM THE MEDIA. |
| The health benefits are numerous. Outdoor play does | | | | TV, while informational, can give a distorted view of |
| not increase the chance of getting sick. Kids do not | | | | the "dangers" of mother- nature. As a result children |
| catch cold from chilly weather they catch cold from | | | | may enjoy less interaction with friends and neighbors. |
| germs. According to the EPA, indoor air pollution is our | | | | Less interaction with neighbors only breeds isolation. |
| nation's number one environmental health concern; | | | | Our intuitions and "gut-feelings" as well as our |
| from two to ten times worse than outdoor air pollution. | | | | cooperative skills are often rooted in our interactions |
| Excessive indoor play has also been linked to | | | | with friends and neighbors. |
| childhood obesity. Outdoor play promotes physical | | | | Stranger danger and fear of wild life attacks have |
| endurance and strength. | | | | driven many parents to prefer indoor play dates or |
| The physical and social activity children enjoy in nature | | | | visits to fast food playgrounds. Although real risk of |
| differs from organized sports. Time in nature is more | | | | course does exist, the fear of stranger danger and |
| open ended - no time restrictions apply. The children | | | | wild life attacks have been greatly played upon by the |
| make up the rules. Consequently they learn critical | | | | media. Children are especially vulnerable to media |
| group skills as they must learn to work together and to | | | | reports. They see one report of an attack or |
| discover the value of teamwork. These are important | | | | abduction and assume it's happening everywhere. |
| life long community building skills. | | | | Children do not thinking globally (and because of how it |
| A New York based study followed 133 people from | | | | can be presented in the media, neither do many adults). |
| infancy to adulthood. The study found that | | | | Author Richard Louv in his book, "Last Child in the |
| competency in adulthood stemmed from three major | | | | Woods" describes an instance of a high school |
| factors in the early years: | | | | teacher who expressed concern after taking his |
| 1 .Rich sensory experience both in and outside | | | | students on a camping trip. Apparently a number of |
| 2. Freedom to explore with few restrictions | | | | the students had trouble enjoying the experience |
| 3. Parents who are available and acted as consultants | | | | because they were terrified that what happened in |
| when their child asked questions. | | | | "The Blair Witch Project" would happen to them. |
| Most people in today's world do not look to nature as | | | | When walking outdoors or hiking with my kids, rather |
| a remedy for emotional hardships. We rarely if ever | | | | then telling them to "be careful," I prefer to say "pay |
| see an advertisement for nature therapy although we | | | | attention." Pay attention encourages them to be aware |
| see many an ad for anti-depressants or behavior | | | | with all their senses and avoids inducing irrational fear |
| medication. Plenty of parenting books dole out advice | | | | of "what's out there." |
| on how to handle challenging behaviors. Rare however, | | | | Children also may resist unstructured excursions |
| is the advice manual that recommends time being | | | | outdoors because they feel it is "boring." Again this can |
| spent in the natural world as one of its suggestions. | | | | be related to the media's programming which tends to |
| While medication and behavior therapy certainly have | | | | focus on natural disasters. While sometimes very |
| their benefits, the need for such remedies can be | | | | educational, it can also be extreme. Accordingly, unless |
| intensified by a child's disconnection from nature. While | | | | children see a bear ripping apart a calf they feel they |
| not a cure for serious depression, time spent in nature | | | | are not getting enough - it's dull. Be careful to balance |
| can ease everyday pressures that may lead to | | | | media exposure with positive real-life experience. |
| depression. | | | | While it is important to teach our children environmental |
| If parents could perceive a child's time in nature not | | | | awareness, if they do not experience direct positive |
| only as leisure time but also as an investment in our | | | | interaction with the outdoors there is a risk of |
| children's health, we would be doing them a great | | | | associating anything to do with nature with fear and |
| favor. | | | | destruction instead of joy and wonder. Too much |
| 2. TIME OUTSIDE CAN HELP PREVENT SENSORY | | | | emphasis on "saving the planet", global warming and |
| OVER-LOAD AND OVER-RELIANCE ON THE | | | | environmental abuse can cause young people to view |
| MATERIAL WORLD. | | | | the planet as nothing more than a science experiment |
| The internet is here to stay and can be a great tool. | | | | or a place to avoid because of all the bad things |
| Overuse of it however, has been linked to higher levels | | | | happening on it. It is essential to find the right balance |
| of depression and loneliness. | | | | between environmental awareness and positive hands |
| There is an overwhelming amount of sensory input | | | | on experience. |
| being thrust at our kids. Many children consequently | | | | THINGS YOU CAN DO |
| develop a "know it all" wired sort of mindset. If it can't | | | | Before you start packing up the family and outdoor |
| be Googled, it does not matter. Consequently, children | | | | gear and planning a trip to The Grand Canyon or giving |
| miss out on the infinite possibilities that exist outside of | | | | up hope because you have no intention of going to |
| the wired world. Indeed, the serenity of the outer world | | | | The Grand Canyon, keep in mind that the mysteries of |
| can afford a sense of quiet awe - something not even | | | | a ravine at the end of your road, or a special tree in |
| the most sophisticated computer can offer. | | | | your own backyard, are equally if not more gratifying |
| It is easy in our society for children to become | | | | to a young child than the well-known wonders of the |
| attached to "stuff". It is important to take time to tell our | | | | earth. |
| children what makes us feel happy outside of the | | | | Parents do not need to "teach" their kids in order to |
| material world. Tell them why experiences such as | | | | inspire an appreciation of nature. Observing a simple |
| gardening, taking a long walk and watching a sunrise | | | | march of ants can arouse amazement. Skipping rocks |
| make us feel better. Avoid sending the message that | | | | in a stream or picking up rocks to count worms after a |
| all things that make us happy need to come from a | | | | rain is in itself an education. |
| store. | | | | Hiking is a wonderful vehicle for experiencing the |
| 3. TIME OUTSIDE BOOSTS CREATIVITY, | | | | natural world. However, one parent's hike can become |
| CONFIDENCE AND FOCUS; POTENTIALLY | | | | a child's forced march. Be careful to present the outing |
| RELIEVING SYMPTOMS OF ATTENTION AND | | | | rather than push it. Make it a mutual adventure. "Come |
| LEARNING DISORDERS | | | | outside with me" or, "Let's go on a hike" may not |
| Studies indicate that children engage in more creative | | | | sound so interesting but "Let's find rocks to build a fort" |
| forms of play in green areas over manufactured play | | | | or "Let's see who can climb the biggest rock" offers |
| areas. Natural environments encourage fantasy and | | | | lots more possibility. |
| make believe. Boys and girls also tend to play more | | | | Gardening is another great way to introduce kids to |
| equally and democratically in the outdoors. There is a | | | | what the earth can do. Often children are more likely |
| sense of wonder which leads children to ask more | | | | to eat things they have grown themselves that they |
| questions. | | | | otherwise would not eat. |
| Also, ideas and imaginations are not limited by what is | | | | Many parents express concern when the see their |
| man-made but may expand to everything outside that | | | | children "doing nothing." Solitary time, can actually be |
| is naturally available. Grassy fields, trees, sticks and | | | | quite rewarding as kids can get to know themselves, |
| rocks can become virtually anything imaginable. The | | | | their strengths and their desires on a deeper level. |
| creative possibilities are endless. | | | | Avoid telling kids they should not daydream or stare |
| Author Vera John-Steiner in her well-known book, | | | | out a window once in a while. How else can they truly |
| "Notebooks of the Mind", researched how creative | | | | appreciate nature's magnificence without the |
| people think by looking at the backgrounds of some of | | | | occasional idleness? |
| the world's most creative musicians, painters, scientists, | | | | For single parents there are many nature organizations |
| writers and builders both living and deceased. | | | | and online groups that encourage single parent family |
| John-Steiner found that the inventiveness and | | | | participation. |
| imagination of almost all the people she studied was | | | | Make a list with your child of what you really like to do. |
| rooted in their early experiences of open ended play. | | | | The answers may surprise you. Many kids will say that |
| A natural environment is far more complex than any | | | | it is time outside over organized sports that they truly |
| playing field. It offers rules and risks and utilizes all the | | | | love. Re-evaluate your schedule to accommodate |
| senses, Outdoor challenge programs have shown a | | | | what you really like to do. |
| direct link to confidence levels long after the | | | | Get input from schools, nature organizations, and |
| experience has ended. | | | | friends. Above all, get outside! |
| Have you ever noticed how a child who may have | | | | |