Nature Connection
“Children live through their senses. Sensory experiences link the child’s exterior world with their interior, hidden, affective worlds. Since the natural environment is the principal source of sensory stimulation, freedom to explore and play with the outdoor environment through the senses in their own space and time is essential for healthy development…. This type of self-activated, autonomous interaction is what we call free play. Individual children test themselves by interacting with their environment, activating their potential and reconstructing human culture. The content of the environment is a critical factor in this process. A rich, open environment will continuously present alternative choices for creative engagement. A rigid, bland environment will limit healthy growth and development of the individual or the group.” (Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv, page 66)
Nature is a wonderful classroom. It supplies the child with multi-sensory experiences, free space, and unspecified materials.
It is so important to immerse children in nature so our children remain close to the “larger fabric on which our lives depend” (Louv, 98). Nature is an important component in healthy development. Time spent in nature benefits:
"If I had influence with the good fairy... I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life."
- Rachel Carson, The Sense Of Wonder
“Children live through their senses. Sensory experiences link the child’s exterior world with their interior, hidden, affective worlds. Since the natural environment is the principal source of sensory stimulation, freedom to explore and play with the outdoor environment through the senses in their own space and time is essential for healthy development…. This type of self-activated, autonomous interaction is what we call free play. Individual children test themselves by interacting with their environment, activating their potential and reconstructing human culture. The content of the environment is a critical factor in this process. A rich, open environment will continuously present alternative choices for creative engagement. A rigid, bland environment will limit healthy growth and development of the individual or the group.” (Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv, page 66)
Nature is a wonderful classroom. It supplies the child with multi-sensory experiences, free space, and unspecified materials.
It is so important to immerse children in nature so our children remain close to the “larger fabric on which our lives depend” (Louv, 98). Nature is an important component in healthy development. Time spent in nature benefits:
- Motor development
- Attention span
- Ability to focus
- Recall and memory
- Problem solving
- Creativity and imagination
- Knowledge of building & science
- Mathematical knowledge
- Observation
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Social skills
- Health of the earth
"If I had influence with the good fairy... I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life."
- Rachel Carson, The Sense Of Wonder