I recently had a chance to interview Liz Beaven about nature and kids. For more information, check out Nurturing Children in Nature: Ideal Learning in the Natural World
Why is it so beneficial to get children outside?
Most of us feel refreshed and happier if we can spend time outside. An extensive and growing body of research demonstrates why this is so, showing the many benefits of getting children (and adults!) outside and into nature. We know that time in nature supports healthy physical development and emotional regulation and helps build essential feelings of connection and belonging. We literally breathe more deeply when we are outside, and this has a positive effect on our entire body. Our field of vision expands – which is more important than ever given the amount of time most of us spend on screens. We experience a range of sensory experiences; think of puddles, dry leaves, soft grass, gentle breezes. These help with sensory integration, self-regulation, and bodily awareness – all essential for learning. Nature is filled with surprises; it captures our interest and encourages our observation. Natural spaces encourage children to be on the move, which is important in today’s sedentary culture; walking, running, climbing, rolling, digging. They also invite children to be quiet observers. The cycle of nature and “everyday” events such as the movement of clouds across the sky, the feel of the wind on our skin, and the signs of a change in the season all support feelings of curiosity and wonder, gratitude, and connectedness. These experiences combine to build a feeling of health and wellbeing.
How can nature experiences be a great way to learn as well as have fun?
Nature settings offer an amazing range of experiences and choices for children. These experiences provide direct learning and support for the foundational capacities required for academic work. Nature experiences develops essential powers of observation; if we support this in our children by pointing out insects, leaves, plants, they will quickly become enthusiastic investigators and explorers. This interest, curiosity, and ability to observe is the foundation of scientific study. In nature, we easily see the transformation of substances – think of adding water to soil to create mud. We can count objects that we find and collect. Through activity and play, we discover laws of balance and motion. We discuss what we see, adding to our vocabulary and funds of knowledge. Learning across a range of subjects, including language, chemistry, physics, math, and botany, happens effortlessly.
Nature encourages open-ended play, using found objects to improvise, imagine, and create. This supports flexible thinking and creativity, essential qualities for learning and for navigating our rapidly changing world. Nature activities constantly support decision-making, strengthening executive functioning. If this type of open-ended play takes place with others, it also supports cooperation, learning to develop and agree on rules, and understanding boundaries. Many nature activities invite collaboration and teamwork.
Nature is also a wonderful source of projects including art (leaf rubbings or sketching for example), crafts (building, weaving), journaling (recording experiences, noting changes over time), and inquiry. An experience or observation in nature often leads to a desire to know more, to understand more deeply. This in turn invites research in books and through conversation.
What is the equity gap in access to nature and how can people work to minimize it? Unfortunately, equity gaps are a reality in many aspects of children and families’ lives. Access to nature is no exception to this. Historical factors such as urban planning, redlining, placement of roads and industrial areas, all impact a neighborhood’s air quality, access to open space, sidewalks, and availability of green space, trees, parks, and playgrounds. The data shows us that this access mirrors other socio-economic factors, like race, and ethnicity, with low-income families and people of color generally having less access to nature. We can all work to be advocates for safer neighborhoods and more equitable access to nature for ALL children. This may start through supporting local schools in adding more elements of nature to school grounds, supporting community gardens, exploring “farm to fork” garden programs in schools, or advocating for policy changes. We also want to be aware of cultural traditions and knowledge of nature, often demonstrated in crops and cooking.
As our understanding of its benefits grows, there is growing interest in providing access to nature for all children. We can learn from increasingly popular movements such as forest kindergartens, yet we must acknowledge that they have traditionally served a privileged population of children. As we attempt to increase access and to get more children outside, we must address explicit and implicit needs, including practical considerations of appropriate clothing and equipment (rain boots, sun hats, snow suits, etc.) and training and support for educators.
If families live in an area without nearby nature reserves or trails, how can they still find ways to get the benefits of being in nature?
There are several possibilities. First, we can encourage families to look at what is available nearby and to explore the possibilities of local playgrounds and community gardens. Nature is everywhere – what can we find in our neighborhood? We can discover the trees, birds, animals, and plants in our neighborhood – they are there! A bird feeder is a wonderful invitation to nature. Seeds, planted in pots or on windowsills, will invite joy and wonder.
There is no question that outdoor experience is best, but we can also find ways of bringing nature indoors. The research tells us that children will benefit from houseplants and scenes from nature. Even simply adding the color green will be health-building! A seasonal “nature table” with objects from nature helps build powers of observation and interest. If possible, natural objects such as logs, sticks, sand, and earth, will help provide access to nature experiences.
There are many great resources to help spark ideas for nature activity in environments where getting outside is difficult or impossible. Here are two excellent sources to get started: the Children and Nature Network, https://www.childrenandnature.org/resource-hub/resources/
the National Wildlife Federation’s Early Childhood’s Health Outdoors program (ECHO), https://www.nwf.org/ECHO
Whether you are able to head to open space, parkland, or trails, or need to creatively bring nature indoors or into a small outdoor space, you will provide tremendous benefits for your children!
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