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Getting Back to the Great Outdoors

Getting Back to the Great Outdoors. By Ashley Wagner. Benefits of Nature for Children. Reduced stress Physical health Creativity Concentration/attention. Basic Ideas. Free unstructured environment Independent/unsupervised play Exploration Nature outings with adults

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Getting Back to the Great Outdoors

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  1. Getting Back to the Great Outdoors By Ashley Wagner

  2. Benefits of Nature for Children • Reduced stress • Physical health • Creativity • Concentration/attention

  3. Basic Ideas • Free unstructured environment • Independent/unsupervised play • Exploration • Nature outings with adults • Sense of awe and enthusiasm • “Deeper understanding of our responsibility to take care of the Earth”

  4. Being indoors • Factors: • Land development • Urban growth • Demands on children’s time ( homework etc.) • Video games and internet • Parental fear • What is being done? • Research • Incorporating outdoors into counseling interventions • Educating parents

  5. Discussion • What kind of outdoor activities did they recommend for children? • What do you remember as being some of the good things about being outside when you were younger?

  6. How essential are outdoor activities for the developing mind? Supporting research and Theory

  7. Biophilia • Theory by biologist Edward Wilson from Harvard • Human beings have an “innate infinity to the natural world” • What do you think about this theory?

  8. Nancy Wells, PhD • Increase of green space near the child’s home increased their cognitive functioning more than the children that had less green space • Presence of nature increases the child’s resilience against stress and adversity • Childhood involvement with nature sets up children to be environmentalists as adults

  9. Sandra Hofferth, PhD • Sociologist perspective • Between 1997 and 2003 the amount of time 9-12 year olds spent on outdoor activities decreased 50% • Indoor activities replacing them, connection to rising obesity in children

  10. Evidence from a National study “Potential Natural Treatment for ADHD”

  11. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder • most common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood • characterized by high levels of chronic inattention & impulsivity/hyperactivity • Prefrontal cortex(directing attention) smaller and less active with children with ADHD

  12. Method • National internet based survey for parents of children 5-18 years old diagnosed with ADHD • 20-30 minutes to complete, 452 surveys were included in analyses • Rated aftereffects of common after-school and weekend activities on their child’s ADHD symptoms

  13. Results • Ratings on the survey indicated that green outdoor activities significantly reduced ADHD symptoms • More than built outdoor activities or indoor activities • Regardless of social context (alone or in a group) • Not solely attributed to burning off hyperactivity impulses or the novelty of the environment

  14. Further Research • Need for objective measures to quantify the impact of natural settings • Dose- response measures to find out to what degree green activities make a difference ( how long the effect lasts, under what conditions) • Possibility to reduce ADHD medications based on results

  15. Incorporating outdoors into counseling interventions • Play and running, “blowing off steam” • Exploring new things, openness for change • Advocating for recess and greener play areas at school • Educating parents

  16. HUG A TREE! Go out and explore nature with kids!

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