Beyond the Journal
•
Young Children
on the Web • January 2008
Children’s disconnection fromthe natural world
Much has been written about children’s disconnectionrom the natural world, not only in the United States butall over the globe. In
The Geography o Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places
, Nabhan and Trimble suggest that“to counter the historic trend toward the loss o wildnesswhere children play, it is clear that we need to fnd ways tolet children roam beyond the pavement, to gain access tovegetation and earth that allow them to tunnel, climb, oreven all” (1994, 9).Natural green spaces or children to enjoy are giving wayto development at an alarming rate, and media coverageo issues such as child abductions make amilies more andmore earul o allowingchildren to explore reelyoutdoors. Add to that theindoor seductions o TV,video, computer games,and DVDs and it is no won-der that young children aregrowing up more amiliarwith wireless BlackBerrysthan wild blackberries.Researchers say thelack o outdoor contactcontributes to problemssuch as childhood obe-sity, children’s dislike andeven ear o the outdoors(oten made worse by the media), andincreased reliance on behavior-regulating medications(Sobel 1996; Kahn & Kellert 2002; Louv 2005). This is espe-cially unortunate since research shows that children ben-eft prooundly rom regular interactions with nature.
Children need nature
Contact with nature “may be as important to children asgood nutrition and adequate sleep” (Gill 2005). Preschooland primary children gain skills in a number o academicareas rom regular experiences in an early childhoodprogram’s garden (Miller 2007). Studies at the University oIllinois’s Human-Environment Research Laboratory showhow connections with green outdoor spaces can helprelieve the symptoms o attention defcit hyperactivitydisorder (ADHD) in children (Taylor, Kuo, & Sullivan 2001).Other compelling arguments or nature experiences abound(Sobel 1996; Kahn & Kellert 2002).Families and educators read about the importance ochildren’s contact with nature yet oten do not know howto respond. The frst step may be to simply acknowledgethe act that the world has changed. For many children,chances to explore reely in nature do not “just happen”anymore. We adults need to think careully about strategiesor ensuring that nature-child connections can be madeevery day.
Creating nature-based outdoor spaces
As young children spend more and more time in earlychildhood programs, elementary schools, and beore- andater-school classes, it is essential to fnd ways to bringnature to them. We need to think beyondtraditional playgrounds,which are oten constructedwithout grass, owers, ortrees, and envision andcreate nature-based outdoorclassrooms.Unortunately, the term
outdoor classroom
is otenassociated with plots oground where children go tolearn the names o plants andidentiy trees rom their leashapes. While there’s nothingwrong with this, i that’s allthat happens outdoors, nei-ther child nor teacher has theopportunity to experience the proound joys o connectingon an emotional level with nature’s bounty.Educator and author Ruth Wilson believes that the senseo wonder that children develop rom personal natureconnections can quickly diminish i not nurtured andcelebrated. She says,
“This seems to be especially true inWestern cultures, where or the sake o objective under-standings, children are encouraged to ocus their learningon cognitive models rather than on frsthand investiga-tions o the natural environment” (Wilson 1997). A growingnumber o educators are realizing that i the right outdoorspace is available to oster a sense o wonder, children canprogress in all areas o learning.
The Nature Explore Classroom project
In one growing initiative, the Arbor Day Foundationand the Dimensions Educational
Research Foundationhave joined with other environmental groups, educators,
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