Nature & Outdoor play
Leave No Child Inside
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The Leave No Child Inside Movement has brought to national attention the critical role that nature plays in healthy childhood development.
Reconnecting children with nature is not an environmental issue – it is a childhood development issue. It touches organizations involved in health, education, community services, regional planning, parks, recreation and natural resources. It addresses some of today’s most pressing problems related to children, including obesity, stress related mental health, low self-esteem, poor academic performance and unhealthy environments. Nature-centered play experiences for children are those that instill wonder and engender curiosity; take place in outdoor settings ranging from backyards to neighborhoods to city parks to wilderness; and occur in the form of guided activities as well as unstructured nature play in children’s everyday lives |
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Hike it Baby
Hike it Baby is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting families to one another and getting them outside with a focus on children from birth to school age.
To find a hike near you join.
To find a hike near you join.
Ten Ideas that will Help Connect Children with Nature
1. Limit screen time! The average American child spends 7 hours a day plugged into electronic media. The AAP recommends no more than two hours a day, and none for children under the age of two.
2. Give kids ideas for outdoor activities to get them started, but be careful not to hover. They will derive the greatest benefit from self-directed, creative play.
3. Make sure that your own backyard is child-friendly.
4. Take a child to the park, nature center or zoo.
5. Send a child to camp.
6. Understand the problem and talk about it with others – family, friends, teachers, neighbors, church and co-workers.
7. Encourage a school, pre-school or church to build a nature playscape, school garden or outdoor classroom, then volunteer and/or help fund that effort.
8. Forward this email to others.
9. Advocate – be a voice for the right of a child to play in a healthy environment.
10. Support parks, nature enters, camps and other organization that are connecting children with nature by volunteering and donating.
2. Give kids ideas for outdoor activities to get them started, but be careful not to hover. They will derive the greatest benefit from self-directed, creative play.
3. Make sure that your own backyard is child-friendly.
4. Take a child to the park, nature center or zoo.
5. Send a child to camp.
6. Understand the problem and talk about it with others – family, friends, teachers, neighbors, church and co-workers.
7. Encourage a school, pre-school or church to build a nature playscape, school garden or outdoor classroom, then volunteer and/or help fund that effort.
8. Forward this email to others.
9. Advocate – be a voice for the right of a child to play in a healthy environment.
10. Support parks, nature enters, camps and other organization that are connecting children with nature by volunteering and donating.
Nature Deficit Disorder
Did you know…children who play outside are happier, healthier and smarter? Give your child a dose of Vitamin N (nature) every day!
Nature is good for physical health:
Children who spend time outside tend to be more active, which reduces the likelihood that they will be overweight. Play in natural environments with uneven terrain improves motor abilities, especially balance and coordination.
Nature is good for mental health:
Interaction with nature increases children’s ability to focus, and therefore enhances their cognitive ability.
According to an American Academy of Pediatrics report, “Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity and physical, cognitive and emotional strength”.
After a walk in a park, some children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder experienced the same level of relief as provided by ADHD medication.
Kids learn from nature:
Real field trips provide better learning experiences than “virtual field trips”. Actual experiences create excitement, inspire curiosity and a sense of awe and wonder, as well as a desire to explore.
Students in nature-based instructional programs score as well or better in reading, math, language and spelling than students in traditional classrooms Creative, outdoor play cultivates teamwork, cooperation and social skills.
NATURE is so important that author Richard Louv coined the term “Nature Deficit Disorder”
NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER: a disorder describing the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses.
For more details and research citations, please visit the link below:
Nature is good for physical health:
Children who spend time outside tend to be more active, which reduces the likelihood that they will be overweight. Play in natural environments with uneven terrain improves motor abilities, especially balance and coordination.
Nature is good for mental health:
Interaction with nature increases children’s ability to focus, and therefore enhances their cognitive ability.
According to an American Academy of Pediatrics report, “Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity and physical, cognitive and emotional strength”.
After a walk in a park, some children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder experienced the same level of relief as provided by ADHD medication.
Kids learn from nature:
Real field trips provide better learning experiences than “virtual field trips”. Actual experiences create excitement, inspire curiosity and a sense of awe and wonder, as well as a desire to explore.
Students in nature-based instructional programs score as well or better in reading, math, language and spelling than students in traditional classrooms Creative, outdoor play cultivates teamwork, cooperation and social skills.
NATURE is so important that author Richard Louv coined the term “Nature Deficit Disorder”
NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER: a disorder describing the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses.
For more details and research citations, please visit the link below:
Get involved and take the pledge!
Whether you are a parent or grandparent, a teacher or politician, or just a concerned citizen, you can give a child the gift of outdoor play.
Nominate a School/Community Site/Business
Become recognized for the good work your agency is doing to connect children to nature!
The link below will allow you to find out more about the award nomination and submit a school or site location for the award. Those that qualify will receive a window decal to display proudly at their agency and possibly other recognitions and publicity
The link below will allow you to find out more about the award nomination and submit a school or site location for the award. Those that qualify will receive a window decal to display proudly at their agency and possibly other recognitions and publicity
Benefits of green schoolyard
Click below to download infographics
