Released October 1, 2009
LINCOLN, Neb. -- The research is in and it's clear: Contact with nature improves concentration, productivity and cognitive development; relieves symptoms of attention deficit disorder; feeds imagination and encourages a "sense of wonder"; buffers stress; encourages activity; combats obesity; promotes social interaction; appeals to a wide range of personality types, ages and learning styles; and improves brain structure, chemistry and function.
Still, for most parents the strongest argument is their own memory of time spent outdoors as a child.
"Some of us can remember our parents telling us to go outside and play until it's dark!" said McKenzie Barry, environmental education specialist at the Lower Platte South Natural Resource District (NRD). "Today some children spend more than 40 hours a week with electronic devices – cell phone, computer, TV or video game."
In the past few years, the NRD has stepped up its environmental education programs and partnerships to help re-connect children and their families with nature. Barry said the Lower Platte NRD has "started after-school nature clubs and family nature nights, promoted field trips to NRD wetlands and other natural places, and partnered on the Lincoln Safari. "It is essential to teach this next generation about their environment and the importance of conserving natural resources," Barry said, encouraging families to spend one hour a day outside doing fun, unstructured nature play.
Backyard needs rough edges
One way to help make that transition is by giving some thought to your backyard or to areas that might offer good play spaces. The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum recommends leaving some "rough edges" where kids can be creative and leave things in place to continue another day. Even a 2-by-3-foot area is suitable for younger kids, possibly near a swing or sandpile. Trees, shrubs and tall grasses can help create forts or "hiding places." Providing a variety of plants with interesting textures, shapes, seedheads, flowers and colors encourages outdoor exploration, and it'll draw birds, butterflies and insects for even more interest.
Barry said, "Our lives are busy but it's important to remember that nature has a restorative effect. Taking time to play outside – for children and for adults – provides a much-needed break, and helps us appreciate the natural resources around us."
Transitioning kids from indoor activities to outdoor ones can be a challenge; below are some ideas and resources to help get the family back outside.
Things to provide
- Soil, sand, gravel and water for digging and making sand castles, pathways and mud pies
- Loose parts – sticks, wood, seeds, shells and rocks
- Guide books
- Variety of plants with interesting textures, colors and smells and ones that attract butterflies, bees, birds and insects
- Magnifying glass, microscope and kids' binoculars (magnification of 6x or less for close range)
- Birdfeeders and bird baths
Things to do
- Nature scavenger hunt – Kids love to collect things in different colors, textures, shapes and smells. Have younger children find something purple. For older children, make it more complex "Go find me something yellow that is rough and rectangular." Or play "I spy" and have them look for a green and yellow spider.
- Increase habitat by providing bird baths and feeders and keeping track of the birds you see
- Build a fort or lean-to with old sheets, branches and wood
- Do leaf and bark rubbings or use them for other art projects. Pay attention to the different colors and shapes of the leaves in your neighborhood as they start changing color, and try to ID them
- Look for spiders, butterflies, bird nests, ant trails and animal tracks
- Start collections of rocks, seeds, insects
- Take a walk, climb a tree, go fishing, fly a kite, watch the sunrise or sunset
- Take a picnic in your own backyard, or set up a tent for camping
- Whittle, with a butter knife for young kids
- Jump in the leaves
- Play hopscotch or other sidewalk games, or make your own stepping paths with bricks, stones or sticks
- Grow plants from seed or transplant something you've found
- Turn on the hose and play in the water, make a mud pie or sand castle
- Put peanut butter on a cone or honey on the bark of a tree and see who comes to visit
- Turn over rocks or bricks to see what's hiding
- Keep a journal or sketch book
- Older kids can be encouraged to follow their interests – GPS technology for scavenger hunts; bird watching with binoculars and an ID guide; catching bugs; building lean-tos, stone walls or pathways; keeping an outdoor journal or sketchbook.
Books
For all ages: Guidebooks to insects, plants, rocks, weather, birds
Recommendations from Lincoln City Libraries:
"Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-deficit Disorder," Richard Louv
"Backyards for Kids," Ziba Kashef
"Follow the Trail: A Young Person's Guide to the Great Outdoors," Jessica Loy
"Go Outside! : Over 130 Activities for Outdoor Adventures," Nancy Blakey
"Kids' Places to Play," Jeanne Huber
"The Adventurous Book of Outdoor Games: Classic Fun for Daring Boys and Girls," Scott Strother
"The Dangerous Book for Boys," Conn Iggulden
"The Daring Book for Girls," Andrea Buchanan
"The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children," David Elkind
"Unplugged Play: No Batteries. No Plugs. Pure Fun," Bobbi Conner
"Winter Day Play! Activities, Crafts, and Games for Indoors and Out," Nancy Castaldo
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http://ianrnews.unl.edu/static/0910010.shtml
Writer: Karma Larsen, (402) 472-2971
