LEARNING TO LOVE THE EARTH….AND
EACH OTHER – PART 2
“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
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A study found that young people could identify 1,000
corporate logos but fewer than 10 plants and animals
native to their backyards
WE HAVE AN EPIDEMIC IN OUR SOCIETY!
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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
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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
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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
WHY?
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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
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)
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WHY IS NATURE SO IMPORTANT FOR
CHILDREN?
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In their early interactions with nature, they develop ideas
about their world
Encourages discovery and exploratory learning
Appreciation of beauty and wonder
Variety of sensory experiences – coloured leaves on a
maple tree, scent of earth after a rain, the softness of a
kitten’s fur
Express creativity (sticks, stones, buckets, cardboard
boxes, rug scraps, shells can be used in so many ways!)
Make nature connections – learn to respect and care for
it!
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Engagement of body – Children as young as 5 showed a
decrease in ADD symptoms when they were engaged with
nature
OUR ROLE
“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of
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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!
BRINGING THE OUTSIDE IN
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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
INFUSING NATURE INTO OUR CLASSROOMS
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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
EXPERIENCING NATURE WITH THE SENSES
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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.
TACTILE
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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
VISUAL
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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
OLFACTORY
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Arrange fresh flowers
Match food scents
Peel and smell oranges or lemons
Investigate pine boughs
Make smell bottles
COGNITIVE
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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
AUDITORY
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Listen to ocean sounds in a conch shell
Crunch dried leaves
Nature soundtracks
Wind chimes in classroom
INCORPORATE NATURAL ELEMENTS ON
MULTIPLE SURFACES
CEILINGS
WINDOWS
TABLES
WALLS
FLOORS
NATURE CAN BE ADDED TO EVERY ACTIVITY
AREA!
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.
BLOCK AREA
CREATIVE /SENSORY AREA
COGNITIVE AREA
QUIET AREA
DRAMATIC AREA
SCIENCE AREA
WRITING AREA
OUTDOOR PLAYGROUND
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER!