Spending time in nature has many positive benefits for all ages.
A young child’s connection with nature can be simple as sitting under a tree,
listening to the chirping of crickets or planting a seed.
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Provide a variety of learning opportunities for auditory,
visual, and kinesthetic learners.
- Provide a variety of ways for children to share what they have
learned (e.g., drawing pictures, dictating information to an adult).
- Allow children to touch the physical objects.
- Provide a variety of books, pictures, and recordings, such as
birdcalls and nature sounds.
- Label natural objects.
- Call on all the senses when observing nature.
- Embrace the knowledge you have.
- Model research skills – when you discover something unfamiliar,
say, “I don’t know. Can we answer that question by ourselves or do we need a
book?” Find answers together.
- Participate with the children – be a scientist and record your
own observations. Be an artist and sketch along with them.
- Rediscover your own sense of wonder – share your favorite parts
of nature and your favorite nature books with the children. Your enthusiasm
will spread.
- Model care and respect for the natural environment – touch
plants and animals gently. Return animals to the places you found them.
Carefully replace logs and stones.
- Bring nature inside – collect and display natural objects and
use them to enhance art, writing, math and play.
- Begin with simple outdoor experiences and expand from there –
start by exploring right outside the classroom using simple equipment familiar
to your children. As children become more comfortable being outdoors, they will
naturally want to spend time playing outdoors.
- Be an enthusiastic model – your attitude is contagious!
Research shows many
positive benefits to spending time in nature and that it is an important part
of a child’s overall well-being. Children who have opportunities to play and
learn in nature are more likely to:
- Handle challenges and problems more
capably.
- Be more physically active, healthy, aware
of nutrition, and less likely to be obese.
- Are more cooperative with other children.
- Have better mental and emotional health.
- Have a greater appreciation of the arts,
music, history, and literature.
- Have higher self-esteem.
- Be happier and smarter.
- Are more creative.
- Feel more capable and confident.
- Are good problem solvers.
- Choose science or a science related subject
as a career.
- Become better informed and environmentally
aware adults.
