Children and Nature Articles
Here you will find articles, fact sheets, and other publications that we have written about children and nature or that have been written by others about our work, including topics such as the benefits of outdoor activity in children, the Kids in the Woods program, and fun family activities to do outside.
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Nature's Benefits: Promoting Outdoor Activity in Children
- There are so many benefits that we receive from nature, yet we are becoming more and more disconnected from our natural surroundings. Children spend 50 percent less time outdoors than they did 20 years ago, due to factors such as increased television, video game, and computer use; demanding schoolwork and extracurricular schedules; and diminished opportunities for children to play outside unsupervised. Children 8 to 18 years of age spend an average of 7.5 hours per day on all forms of e-media (television, Internet, video games, cell phones)1, leaving little time for outdoor exploration and exercise. Richard Louv, author of the book Last Child in the Woods, coined the phrase “nature-deficit disorder” to describe this ever-growing disconnect between children and the natural world. read more...
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The Benefits of Outdoor Activity for Children
- Summer is in the air and it’s about time to kick back and enjoy those long summer days. Think back to your fondest summer memories of childhood. What comes to mind? I would bet that most of you would talk about that time you made a tree house with your dad, or long summer days playing in the woods and running through the nearby creek unsupervised for hours on end. Many children today, however, do not have these experiences. Children today play outside less often and for briefer periods. They have more restricted home ranges and are more likely to be able to tell you the names of Pokémon characters than the names of trees in their own backyard. We are just starting to understand the many effects of this change on our youth’s wellbeing. Playtime, especially unstructured, imaginative, exploratory play, is increasingly recognized as an essential component of wholesome child development. It is also recognized that children are also more physically active when they are outside. read more...
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Getting Children To Experience The Great Outdoors
- Childhood obesity now affects one third of American children. Obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years and for the first time in our history, American children may face a shorter expected lifespan than their parents. Not surprisingly, the rate in obesity has also coincided with a rise in childhood illnesses, such as Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and depression. Organized sports are often touted as the answer to keeping kids healthy and active. But consider this: the obesity epidemic coincides with the greatest increase in organized children's sports in history. What are kids missing that organized sports including soccer and Little League can't provide? read more...
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Greening Our Schools
- There isn't just one practice or program that makes a school green. From using more energy efficient building materials to incorporating lessons about sustainability into their curriculum, becoming a green school can be done in many ways. What can schools do to become truly green and inspire sustainable living in their students? read more...
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Let Them Climb Trees: The Benefits of Nature for Kids
- Think back to your fondest memories of childhood. What comes to mind? I would bet that most of you would talk about that time you made a tree house with your dad, or long summer days playing in the woods, climbing trees, and running through the nearby creek unsupervised for hours on end. Many children today, however, do not have these experiences. Children today play outside less often and for briefer periods. We are just starting to understand the many effects of this change on our youth’s wellbeing. Playtime, especially unstructured, imaginative, exploratory play, is increasingly recognized as an essential component of wholesome child development. It is also recognized that children are also more physically active when they are outside. Additionally, research has confirmed the restorative effects of even limited contact with nature for both children and adults in attention restoration and managing symptoms of attention deficit disorders (Berman and others 2008). Research is also demonstrating the multiple benefits of exposure to nature in a school environment, such as increased student achievement, motivation, behavior, and understanding of concepts taught. http://thegrove.americangrove.org/profiles/posts/let-them-climb-trees-the-benefits-of-nature-for-kids?edited=1#.W5ftxc9PrTs read more...
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Urban Nature for Human Health and Well-Being
- Urban Nature for Human Health and Well-Being, a new report by the USDA Forest Service’s National Urban Forestry Technology and Science Delivery Team, shares the most current research related to nature and public health, providing a resource to help natural resource professionals, health professionals, urban planners, architects, educators, and community groups effectively communicate the health benefits of nature to their constituents. The report provides an overview of the current research in five key areas: pollution and physical health, active living, mental health, stress reduction, and social health, cohesion, and resilience, and discusses issues of social equity and access to nature in urban environments. The report can be accessed on the Vibrant Cities Lab, an innovative multi-faceted web platform that can help professionals, policymakers, planners and the public access the best available science, understand the value of investing in our urban and community forests, and take concrete steps to and build better, more effective and efficient urban and community forestry programs. http://www.vibrantcitieslab.com/resources/urban-nature-for-human-health-and-well-being/ read more...
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Science at Westwood Middle Schoool: The Hogtown Creek Watershed
- Westwood Middle School, the University of Florida, the US Forest Service, and several other local organizations were awarded funding from the Forest Service's More Kids in the Woods Program. The program addresses the growing disconnect between children and outdoor experiences. This article appeared in the North Florida School Days magazine in October 2013. read more...
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Kids in the Woods Expands Science, Nature Experiences for Middle School Kids
- The Kids in the Woods program at Westwood Middle School in Gainesville, Florida started in 2013 with one simple question, ‘How do we get kids outdoors and physically active?’ For a group of local, state, and federal partners the answer was through science. The US Forest Service, the University of Florida’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation, the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs, the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department, and Camp Crystal Lake partnered with the Alachua County School District to create the Westwood Kids in the Woods program. The program started initially through a More Kids in the Woods two-year grant from the US Forest Service, and is now sustained through joint Forest Service and University of Florida funding and in-kind partner contributions. This article appeared in our Leaves of Change newsletter, Issue 23 in August 2017. read more...
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"Kids in the Woods" (Los niños en el bosque) Amplía las Experiencias en Ciencia y Naturaleza de los Niños de Escuela Intermedia
- El programa de los niños en el bosque (Kids in the Woods - KIW, por sus siglas en inglés) de la escuela intermedia Westwood en Gainesville, Florida comenzó en 2013 con una simple pregunta: "¿Cómo llevamos a los niños al aire libre y los mantenemos físicamente activos?" Para un grupo de asociados estatales, federales, y locales, la respuesta fue, a través de la ciencia. El Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos; la Escuela de Recursos Forestales y Conservación de la Universidad de Florida; Parques, Recreación y Asuntos Culturales de la Ciudad de Gainesville; el Departamento de Protección Ambiental del Condado de Alachua y Camp Crystal Lake se asociaron con el Distrito Escolar del Condado de Alachua para crear el programa “Kids en the Woods” de Westwood. El programa empezó inicialmente a través de la subvención "More Kids in the Woods" (Más Niños en el Bosque) del Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos que duraría dos años, pero ahora se mantiene a través de fondos conjuntos del Servicio Forestal y la Universidad de la Florida y contribuciones en especie de los asociados. This is the Spanish version of Leaves of Change Issue 23, August 2017. read more...
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Loblolly Woods a Teaching Ground for Young Scientists
- Westwood Middle School sixth-graders are spending this school year collecting data on wildlife and the environment in Loblolly Woods alongside scientists and teachers. "There are a lot of benefits," said Annie Hermansen-Baez, a scientist with the US Forest Service. Students get out of the classroom and experience the woods that are right in their own backyard. This article was published in the Gainesville Sun on October 29, 2013. read more...
