Should our children have the opportunity to play in nature?
September 16, 2009
Posted By: Discovery Place KIDS
What current research is telling us about the time that children spend playing outdoors:
- Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation. 82% of mothers with children between the ages of 3 and 12 cited crime and safety concerns. (Clements, 2004)
- Today’s children have a more restricted range in which they can play freely, have fewer playmates who are less diverse, and are more home-centered than any previous generation. (Karsten, 2005)
- Children’s free play and discretionary time declined more than seven hours a week from 1981 to 1997 and an additional two hours from 1997 to 2003. (Hofferth and Sandberg, 2001)
- Obesity in children has increased from about 4% in the 1960s to close to 20% in 2004. (CDC), 2006)
- 62% of children do not... Keep reading.
What effect does outdoor nature play have on children?
September 15, 2009
Posted By: Discovery Place KIDS
What current researchers are saying:
- Contact with the natural world can significantly reduce symptoms of attention deficit disorder in children as young as five years old. (Kuo and Taylor, 2004)
- Access to green spaces for play, and even a view of green settings, enhances peace, self-control and self-discipline within inner city youth, and particularly in girls. (Taylor, Kuo and Sullivan, 2001).
- Nature is important to children’s development in every major way–intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically. (Kellert, 2005)
- Play in nature is especially important for developing capacities for creativity, problem-solving, and intellectual development. (Kellert, 2005)
- Proximity to, views of, and daily exposure to natural settings increases... Keep reading.
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