Family Survey Regarding Outdoor Experiences, Perception and Attitudes

Tracy Doughtie
West Chester University
ECE 550: The Early Childhood Professional As Researcher
Directions: While responding to each question in this survey, please think about
your experience over the past 12 months. Please circle an answer for ALL the
questions and answer as honestly and completely as you can. Choose an answer
that best represents your current perception and/or attitude. DO NOT consult with
your childs other parent or anyone else when completing this survey. It is important
that you answer the questions based on your experiences, perceptions and
attitudes only. I want to know what YOU think! Please complete and return this
by Friday, October 7, 2016. Thank you!
General:
Age of Parent Completing Survey
_______
Gender of Parent Completing
Survey
M/F
Childs Age
_______
Childs Gender
M/F
Location of your
Childhood_______________________________________________________________
Who resided with you during your childhood (describe relation, age difference for
other children)?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Benefits of Nature Immersion:
1.1. There are numerous health benefits to children who engage in outdoor,
nature experiences.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
1.2. Spending time in nature makes children more physically fit and strengthens
their immune system.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
1.3. Spending time in the natural world develops empathy.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree

Strongly Disagree

1.4. Children, who engage in unstructured outdoor experiences, learn socialization

through negotiation, compromise, cooperation, and teamwork.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
1.5. Nature immersion can reduce stress, anxiety, behavioral and attention
disorders.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree

1.6.
The outdoor environment provides children with fewer restrictions regarding
motion and volume.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
1.7. Unstructured time in nature provides a child with a sense of timelessness,
which is important in childhood.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Play-, Academic- and Nature-based Learning:
2.1. There is inherent value in play.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree

Strongly Disagree

2.2. Play is essential for children to learn and develop.

Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree

Strongly Disagree

2.3. Children can learn when they explore the outdoor, natural world.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
2.4. Academics should not be the main focus of preschool programs.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
2.5. Play-based learning is more important than content-based learning during the
first five years.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
2.6. Nature is a classroom and children are quite capable of learning on their own
through their observations and hands-on discovery.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
2.7. Nature experiences should play a role in education.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Kindergarten Readiness:
3.1. Mastery of letters and numbers prior to kindergarten entry is not most
important to me.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
3.2. In regards to kindergarten readiness, emphasis on social and emotional
development is more important than academics.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
3.3. Interest- and inquiry-based learning leads to better problem solving, higher
critical thinking and encourages excitement about learning, which ultimately
prepares a child more for kindergarten.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Weather:

4.1. While at childcare/preschool, I want my child to have more than an hour of

outdoor time each day regardless of the weather?
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
4.2. I go outside in inclement weather (below 25 degrees, above 90 degrees, and
during precipitation).
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
4.3. I allow my child to play outside in inclement weather (below 25 degrees, above
90 degrees, and during precipitation).
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
4.4. When children play outside in inclement weather, their health and safety are
not endangered.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
4.5. I dress appropriately and remain comfortable while outdoors regardless of
weather.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
4.6. I believe that appropriate clothing is important to a childs outdoor experience.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
4.7. Children cannot get sick from being outdoors in cold or damp weather.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
Safety:
5.1. I do not worry about my childs safety while he/she explores the outdoors.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5.2. Climbing trees is a safe, childhood activity.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

5.3. Whenever possible, children should go barefoot while outdoors.

Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5.4. I believe children should explore with sticks and rocks provided there are buildin safety rules.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5.5. Children are not safer indoors than outdoors.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

5.6. Protecting children from risk does not necessarily make them safer.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5.7. I trust children to know their own limits and believe they should be given the
opportunity to assess their own risk.

Strongly Agree

Agree

Undecided

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

5.8. The more children are insulated from risk, the less they learn about how to
protect themselves from it.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5.9. I agree with the expressions if at first you dont succeed, try try again and
practice makes perfect.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5.10. I do not believe that all potentially dangerous plants should be removed from
my childs outdoor environment.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5.11. I believe it is important for children to learn to distinguish between those
insects that could harm them and those that are safe.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree

Family Experiences and Influences:

6.1. I believe that spending time outside with my children is a great family bonding
experience.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
6.2. When I was a child, my family made a point of spending many hours outdoors
during the weekends.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
6.3. Some of my favorite childhood memories are when I spent time outside with my
family.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
6.4. I spend more than five hours per week outside with my child.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
6.5. I would like to have more time outdoors with my child.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree

Strongly Disagree

6.6. I believe that a childs attitudes toward the outdoors are shaped by the parental
influences around them.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
6.7. I believe it is important for adults to model to children the importance of
outdoor time.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree
6.8. I am enthusiastic about spending time with my child outside.
Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree
Strongly Disagree

6.9. Spending time outdoors with my child is a priority.

Strongly Agree
Agree
Undecided Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Questions:
7.1. How do you define nature?___________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.2. When was the last time you and your child went outside into nature near your
house? How long were you there? What did you do?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.3. When was the last time you and your child went hiking, camping, fishing or
exploring in nature? What did you do?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.4. What do you fear most about nature?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.5.

What do you love most about the outdoors?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.6. Would you like to have more time outside with your child? And if so, what
could you do to have more time outdoors with your child?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.7. When you are in the woods, at a stream, at the beach, or out in a field, how
do you feel?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.8. When you and your child are in the woods, at a stream, at the beach, or out
in a field how do you feel?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.9. Can you recall and describe your favorite childhood place in nature? Where
was it, how did you find it, how did you feel when you were there?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.10. Describe your parents level of supervision while you played outside?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.11. Do your own children, or children of people you know, have more, fewer or
the same amount of experiences in nature than you and your friends did at their
age? Please explain.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

7.12. Please describe outdoor experiences that you and your child have? Where do
you and your child have these experiences?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
7.13. Additional Comments:
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________
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