Nature Matters!

When I was pregnant with my son, I went through a reflection process that I would imagine is common for most soon-to-be moms. I felt compelled to examine my childhood and the way my parents raised me.  What did I want to "repeat" with my own child?  What important values did my parents pass onto me and how?  How do I raise my child to be appreciative of what he has, empathetic toward others, independent, caring, to have a feeling of connectedness with people and his natural surroundings, and to have the inner strength and courage to challenge injustices? From the moment he was born I was struck by an intense need to show him how beautiful his world was and to introduce him to the small treasures of nature.  I wanted to show him the peace that could be found within the quiet footsteps of a long walk through the woods, the ways the crashing of waves could steady the mind long enough to bring clarity, and the feeling you get of being part of something bigger when standing on top of a mountain looking down on the world below.  I wanted him to develop a sense of "new materialism", not based on objects or possessions, but based on experience, appreciation, and wonder.

Last night, I had the honor of attending a presentation at Friends School of Portland by presenter David Sobel.  Sobel has championed "place-based education" as a way to help students find a sense of self within the context of their local surroundings.  He proposes immersing children within hands-on, experiential learning as we facilitate their natural tendency to bond with nature.  Sobel puts words, research, and action behind many parents' intuitions on the benefits of getting kids out into nature.

Sobel shared statistics that were staggering:
*In 1919, children had a range of six miles to freely explore and play in the woods.  Today that range has shrunk to less than 300 yards.
*There is an 80% decrease in infectious diseases in kids in outdoor-based preschools when compared with indoor preschools.
*Time in nature drastically decreases ADD/ADHD symptoms and depression.
*Time dedicated to play, including recess, increases children's test scores.
*Physicians are actually starting to prescribe time in the outdoors to kids to decrease anxiety, diabetes, etc.

Sobel shared a recent study that looked at the environmental behaviors of 2000 randomly selected adults between the ages of 20 and 80.  The study found that adults who were exposed to unstructured, child-directed outdoor play as children held values and exhibited behaviors consistent with environmental stewardship. These were the adults who recycled, became conservationists, voted for environmental issues,  and saw themselves connected to the Earth as a whole.  The study found that other activities such as gardening, tending to animals, and environmental education curriculum did not have as great of an impact on environmental stewardship. 

Most parents I speak with seem perplexed by how to get their kids outside and away from the 6 - 8 hours a day of technology that has become today's norm.  Many say that they are afraid to let their kids play "alone" in nature, as Sobel suggests is needed, because of a fear for their child getting hurt.  All of us parents get this and have had these thoughts.  We love our children and want to keep them from any hurt in this world that we can.  Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, shares that, " In a typical week, only 6 percent of children ages nine to thirteen play outside on their own."  Sobel argues that if parents do a risk-benefit analysis it will become clear that the benefits of granting exploration and empowerment upon children will drastically outweigh any risks that "might" occur.  From my experience as an educator, a 35 year old "child" at heart, and a parent, I would argue that children will choose to be outdoors if they are allowed to play freely and if the wonder of learning from the natural world is modeled by the grown-ups that they look up to. For me, it took taking a close look at my own habits and making sure my daily actions were truly aligned with my values, my beliefs, my heart and that which I wanted my son to take away from his childhood. We are all parents trying to muddle through this wonderfully intricate maze of beautiful ups and downs, endless questions , and rich, teachable moments that we call parenting.    Amazingly, we are doing this solely with instructions written by our past, our dreams, and our heart.  Maybe having a little help from nature can make our jobs a little bit easier...

For more information on the movement to connect children to the outdoors, check out David Sobel at http://www.antiochne.edu/directory/employee_detail.cfm?id=7160002555 or the Children and Nature Network at http://www.childrenandnature.org/.
I'd love to hear your stories on how you connect your children to the outdoors!  Happy Travels!