“Many children today find it easier to stay indoors and watch television. I worry that children do not know what they are missing. Children cannot love what they do not know. They cannot miss what they have not experienced.”

Mary Pipher, The Shelter of Each Other

A study found that young people could identify 1,000 corporate logos but fewer than 10 plants and animals native to their backyards

Increasing rates of obesity and inactivity of children across Canada (results from 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey indicates that 18.1% of children 2 to 17 are overweight and an additional 8.2% are obese

Since 1981 number of obese children has tripled Rate of Type II diabetes (leading cause of heart

disease) has increased in the under 16 age group (1/3 of children born in 2000 can expect to have diabetes)

U.S stats – nationally, nearly 8 million children are on some type of drug to modify behaviour

Demise of play outdoors is a public health problem!

Unstructured, unsupervised outdoor play has disappeared

Canadian kids spend 90% of their time indoors On average children spend less than 10

hours/week playing outdoors vs 20-30 hours/week in sedentary activities

The radius of play of the average 9 year old has shrunk to one-ninth of what it was in 1970

Culture of childhood that played outside is gone Differences between our childhood and the

childhood of today (memories) Children’s everyday life has shifted to the inside

(spend increasing amounts of leisure time interacting with screens & electronics

Opportunity for direct and spontaneous contact with nature is vanishing

Rise of toy marketing Lure of television & video games Push-down of academics into preschool years Play is undervalued! Parental fears (media, fear of falling behind? Elimination of recess and physical education

(U.S) Dramatic reduction of parks and wild areas

accessible to children

o Nature Deficit Disorder (lacking connection to nature)

Richard Louv – “Last Child in the Woods – Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder”

How can one be expected to care for, and protect the natural environment if one has never been immersed in it to discover its beauty and wonder?

Being outdoors is important to children’s health (reduces stress, obesity, negative emotions, anxiety and improves resilience, attention, health conditions and mental health challenges)

o In their early interactions with nature, they develop ideas about their world

o Encourages discovery and exploratory learningo Appreciation of beauty and wondero Variety of sensory experiences – coloured

leaves on a maple tree, scent of earth after a rain, the softness of a kitten’s fur

o Express creativity (sticks, stones, buckets, cardboard boxes, rug scraps, shells can be used in so many ways!)

o Make nature connections – learn to respect and care for it!

Engagement of body – Children as young as 5 showed a decrease in ADD symptoms when they were engaged with nature

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder...he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”

- Rachel Carson – The quality of our involvement with nature is

established in the early years; this includes our attitudes towards being outdoors, our patterns of physical activity and our interest in understanding/taking care of the world outside!

Wherever you live, the beauty of nature is universal!

Incorporating natural elements inside the four walls of your classroom transports children into a world of beauty

Not only does nature provide an infinite supply of sensory experiences that can be integrated into all learning domains, it conveys a sense of calmness and tranquility for both children and adults

Classrooms should be filled with natural or living elements such as plants, rocks, herbs, seashells, twigs, fresh flowers and fish. Not only are they great learning tools, but they also enhance the physical beauty of your space.

“Nature provides a blank canvas of open ended opportunities to think, create, and

investigate.”From Reggio Children

Nature provides a beautiful perspective of the world. Through interacting and experiencing natural elements, children learn by seeing, touching, smelling, hearing and sometimes tasting.

GROUP TASK: Develop a list of ideas / natural materials that you could provide to

children to enhance the sense identified at your table.

Walk barefoot on a natural texture path Sand wood smooth Identify natural elements through touch Sift sand and stones in sensory bin Have variety of natural fabrics to touch & use Paint with feathers, twigs, and flowers Use twigs for beading activity

Make nature imprints in clay or playdough Paint with dye made from blueberries Weave with grasses or fabric Create rubbings from bark Have variety of plants to see and take care of Make shakers filled with seeds Have real photographs of nature

Arrange fresh flowers Match food scents Peel and smell oranges or lemons Investigate pine boughs Make smell bottles

Sort tree twigs by width or length Sort natural elements on a lazy susan Categorize seashells by colour or shape Write with tree twigs in the sand Count tree rings to determine age of tree

Listen to ocean sounds in a conch shell Crunch dried leaves Nature soundtracks Wind chimes in classroom

CEILINGS

GROUP TASK: Consider the natural materials on your table. Reflect upon how you could incorporate these natural materials into

each activity area in your program.