Song-Mother Earth

Song-Mother Earth - Children Love to Sing & Dance Kids Song with Lyrics

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_A3FMf3_Qw

Nature in My Neighborhood

                       Nature in My Neighborhood:
Seattle Park & Recreation
Environmental Learning Center : http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/CarkeekPark/elc.htm
King County Parks & Recreation: http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks.aspx
Seattle Aquarium:  http://www.seattleaquarium.org/
Pacific Science Center:  http://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/:

Leave No Child Inside-Nature Education and Outdoor Play -The Narrative-the Controversy and Conversation

 Leave No Child Inside-Nature Education and Outdoor Play

The Narrative-the Controversy and Conversation

  

Abstract

The narrative addresses the importance of nature and outdoor play in the lives of young children and its values and benefits for the physical, cognitive, social-emotional well-being of young children. Specifically the narrative examines the multiple points of view about children’s nature and outdoor play by providing results focus on (a) the varies reasons of why outdoor play are restricted, (b) the impacts of digital toys and media, (c) children’s innate biological tendency  to interact with nature and the positive impacts of such interacts and connections, (d) recognize naturalist intelligence and fostering naturalist intelligence, (e) the values and benefits of playing in nature and outdoors, (f) create a nature playground and recommendation for educators. The narrative concludes by recommending effective strategies included, implications for practice in the early childhood education field, and need for future research.  

 Leave No Child Inside-Nature Education and Outdoor Play

The Narrative-the Controversy and Conversation

“The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need” (Richard Louv, 2012)

Introduction

            A growing concern with children’s lack of meaningful connection with nature has risen in recent years. Many people believe that children today are nature-deprived. It is an issue that is worthy of serious consideration.

Young children are becoming increasingly separated from the natural world as their access to the outdoors diminishes. The children are overscheduled for lessons after lessons.  Our advanced technological virtual world has been keeping our young children inside their rooms.

Overview of the Problems

Today’s indoor children are less physically fit, more likely suffer from childhood  obesity, diabetes, and asthma,  less able to concentrate, less able to relate to peers and adults, less able to be effective in the classroom, lack of imagination and creativities, more aggressive behavior and a higher likelihood of personal isolation.

In today’s world, children are disconnected from the natural world. They see nature as abstractive and distance from the real world.  Play and recess have restricted in some schools. Many schools have no access to open nature area. Life is structured and scheduled and parents prepare for college from preschool. Children spend more time in virtual world with games and screen time. Children’s play has become more structured lessons and sports, lacking of spontaneity, freedom, and positive connection to the real world.

  

Definition of Terms

Nature-Deficit Disorder: Coined by Richard Louv to describe the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illness (Louv, 2005. p. 36).

Biophilia Hypothesis: Coined by Edward. O. Wilson (1984), the noteworthy Pulitzer Prize winning evolutionary biologist at Harvard University proposed the Biophilia hypothesis in 1979 (Wilson 1995), which argues that there is a fundamental, genetically-based human need to connect with other forms of life (Wilson, 1995, p.360).

Questions

            Why do people discourage their children play outdoor?  What is bugging parents?  What restricts children’s access to creative play and to the outdoors? What we have missed and how? How much time do young children spend in nature? How vital nature and outdoor play is? How can this situation be rectified? How could we incorporate the nature and outdoor elements into our school curriculum?

Research shows that most people make excuses by saying the busy daily schedules, spaces are limited, after 9.11, people are in a state of fear, and parents believed "Strangers dangerous" and the media explore it enlarge the issues. Some people blamed technology, digital media, and video games. The athletic cultural of the U.S. are reasons for parents to keep their children away from nature. 

Nature vs. Nurture, Screen vs. Stream, Adult Driven vs. Child Driven, Wireless BlackBerrys vs. Wild Black Berries

The digital toys and media bring significant challenges to early childhood education. Children today are literally surrounded by digital technology. A recent survey revealed that 70% of 4-6 year-olds in the United States had used a computer, averaging more than one hour per day. Young children also spend considerable time playing with computerized toys (Johnson & Christie, 2009)

Many scholars have described the present generation as the iGeneration. The virtual and electronic world has such impacts on today’s iKids. Educators and parents are faced with an unprecedented new educational challenge. We must wake up to the cold reality that our children are now spending an average of seven hours and 38 minutes per day, 53 hours per week indoors (Kaiser Family Foundation), using electronic media such as television, iphone, ipod,  and playing video games.  Outdoor time, especially time in natural surroundings has literally demised. The “Indoor childhood” phenomena have many negative impacts on our children’s long term physical, emotional, and educational development.

Children have less opportunity spend in natural places than we did two decades ago. We noted that time outside school was increasingly filled with adult-organized activities and indoor screen time. Children no longer had the space or opportunity to organize their own play or discover their own secret spaces. In Last Child in the Woods, author Richard Louv (2005) coined the term Nature-Deficit Disorder to describe the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illness (p. 36).

The Vital Importance of Open-Ended Creative Play and Constructive Play

Open-ended creative play is disappearing from children’s lives because of unsafe neighborhoods that keep children indoors; parents’ fear of “stranger danger,” injuries and allergies; the seductiveness of electronic games and entertainment; an increase in teacher-led instruction in preschool that is pushing child-initiated learning and exploration out of the classroom; and children’s diminishing access to woods, fields, parks, and other natural wild play spaces.

Constructive play is learning outdoors. This kind of play teaches children important skills, develops critical cognitive concepts, and is their favorite kind of play on the outside playground, however, this kind of play is often least available for children for a variety of reasons.

Discussions- How Can This Situation Be Rectified?

One partial solution is to give children more time outdoors to play and learn. It is necessary for a child to be healthy and creative, to care about nature and animals, ultimately, to obtain a good education and a happy childhood. 

Children need natural space and natural materials, and most importantly, unrushed time tin nature to be healthy people. Nature and outdoors offer concrete and authentic learning experiences. Nature education advocate, author Richard Louv says, “We should Leave No Child Inside and not No Child Left Behind" (Louv, 2005).  

Children are naturally curious, born with a sense of wonder and discovery, and passionate about their surroundings.

Edward. O. Wilson (1984), the noteworthy Pulitzer Prize winning evolutionary biologist at Harvard University proposed the Biophilia Hypothesis in 1979 (Wilson, 1995), which argues that there is a fundamental, genetically-based human need to connect with other forms of life (Wilson, 1995. p.360). He defines Biophilia as "The urge to affiliate with other forms of life". Wilson’s Biophilia theory emphasized the desire for humans to interact with nature and the positive impacts of such interacts and connections.

The Values of Nature and Outdoor Play

Researches show that children who play outside are more physically active, more creative in their play, less aggressive and show better concentration (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005; Ginsburg et al., 2007). Young children are naturally active. Outdoor and nature play is the essential work of childhood. In nature and outdoor creative play, children use all their senses, learn to socialize and negotiate with peers, and learn to appreciate life and environment, learning to love the earth and each other, and have their private life in nature with freedom. The values of play are universally accepted within the world of early childhood education.  Play allows children to develop a sense of belonging, improves their interpersonal skills, and develops their learning capabilities. Play can help to prevent obesity, can increase resilience, and can help children to feel more confident and independent. Play has particular value to children at times of stress or changes in their lives.

Howard Gardner -Naturalist Intelligence

Howard Gardner reframed a new kind of intelligence called Naturalist Intelligence in his book Intelligence Reframed, Multiple Intelligences for the 21th Century. Naturalist Intelligence describes the children who have special capability and perception about natural environment. The characteristics of a child who may have a strong naturalist intelligence are  have keen sensory skills, including sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch; Readily use heightened sensory skills to notice and categories things from the natural world; Like to be outside or like outside activities like gardening, nature walks, or field trips geared toward observing nature or natural phenomena; Easily notice patterns from their surroundings like differences similarities and anomalies; Are interested in and care about plants and animals; Notice things in the environment others often notices (Gardner, 2000). Children are intelligent in many ways. We need to encourage a diverse intelligence among young children.  Naturalist Intelligence needs to be identified, recognized, valued, encouraged, and nurtured.

Children benefit profoundly from regular interactions with nature and play outside of their house. Children need nature. Nature provides resource to children, the confidence of the children raised with nature. Nature offers concrete and authentic learning experiences. Nature can provoke a child’s curiosity and desire to investigate and to develop a diverse relationship with earth, natural world, animals, creatures, plants, peers, adults. Nature is a place for developing community and a place for invite and uncovers diversity.

In the book of Nature Principle Richard Louv states that “The future will belong to the nature-smart—those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need” (Louv, 2012)

Conclusions and Recommendations- Planting and Growing a Green Generation

There is an urgent need for letting the children play outdoors and connect with the natural world.  Children have an innate biological tendency to connect with the Mother Nature.  We need a balance to our academically and technologically demanding world.  We are responsible for giving the children a happy, healthy, and playful childhood.

Nature and outdoors are spaces can be changed and used in an imaginative way and places for doing, thinking, wondering, discovering, feeling, and being. It is a place where teachers can response to child-initiated interaction and build on children’s interests and therefore rich learning can take place. In recent years, a growing influence of the Italian Reggio Emilia early childhood educational approach implying an increasing interest in space and architecture in early childhood settings.

Young children are active learners. Their best learning occurs with hands-on, interactive play and discovery. They must be given developmentally appropriate opportunities to learn about the natural world (White & Stoecklin, 2008). Therefore, helping and supporting children to develop a loving relationship the natural world is the priority. Provide a nature playground and encourage outdoor play are vital to young children's healthy development. Nature explore classroom projects, incorporating natural elements and using natural materials and loose parts, planting and growing a garden, having recess,  greening  the school ground, learning about  nature and outdoors, and finding time to walk to school are ways to help children reconnect with nature. We need to provide and create a nature playground and outdoor space for children’s cognitive engagement as well as their physical and social development.  

Together, we bring a true happy, healthy, and joyful childhood to young children. Let the children play, let them play in nature and outdoors, let them be child, let them be little, and let them run, let them be free, and let them wonder and discover, and let them fly…

References

Gardner, H. (2000). Intelligence Reframed, Multiple Intelligences for the 21th Century.

           Basic Books.

Goodenough, E. (2003). Secret Spaces of Childhood. University of Michigan Press.

Louv, R. (2005).  Last Child in the Woods.  New York, NY: Algonquin.

Louv, R. (2011). Nature Principle. Algonquin Books.

Johnson, James, & James F. Christie. (2009). Play and Digital Media. Computer in the Schools,                    
           (26), 284-289. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

White, R., & Stoeckin, V. (2008). Nurturing Children’s Biophilia: Developmentally Appropriate 
           Environmental Education for Young Children. White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group.     

Wilson, E. O. (1984).  Biophilia. Harvard University Press.

Satistics Retrived May 18, 2012, from Frankwbaker website,  http://www.frankwbaker.com/mediause.htm

Song-Let them be Little by Billy Dean

A Song by Billy Dean-Let them be Little  

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUKbxbmpcwU

Nature and Nurture-A Letter to the Educators

Nature and Nurture

A Letter to the Educators

Dear Educators,

            I would like to address the importance of nature and outdoor play in the lives of young children and its values and benefits for the physical, cognitive, social-emotional well-being of young children. A growing concern with children’s lack of meaningful connection with nature has risen in recent years. Many people believe that children today are nature-deprived. Children need nature and outdoor play. It is an issue that is worthy of serious consideration and one that drives my vocation.

Have you ever had an experience in which nature challenged, healed, revitalized, humbled, exhilarated, inspired, and restored you? Most of my childhood was spent in my grandparents’ house where has a beautiful garden, a vine yard, and a pond was surrounded the west side of the garden. The time I spent in the garden with my grandparents was the most memorable time in my life so far. The garden was my dream land and my fairytale home. The flowers, the cheery trees, the ducklings, the smell of the herb field, the morning breeze, bird chipping, the leaves, the fairy house, and the apples… I still dream about my nature playground.  I wish I could rebuild my wonderland again someday. The garden was my “Magic circle of play” and a true child-territory. My experiences gave me a continuing appreciation for nature, a love for arts, science, and environment, and a passion for children and education. I invite you to think about what were your favorite things to do outdoor when you were little? Climb trees, build tree houses and hiding places, pick wild flowers and berries, build fairy houses and forts, ride bicycles, play sand and mud,  bug hunting, and the list goes on. However, now a day, young children are becoming increasingly separated from the natural world as their access to the outdoors diminishes. The children are overscheduled for lessons after lessons.  Our advanced technological virtual world has been keeping our young children inside their rooms.

Children have less opportunity spend in natural places than I did 35 years ago. In Last Child in the Woods, author Richard Louv (2005) coined the term Nature-Deficit Disorder, to describe the human costs of alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illness (p. 36). In today’s world, children spend more time in virtual world with games and screen time. Children’s play has become more structured lessons and sports, lacking of spontaneity, freedom, and positive connection to the real world.

Why do people discourage their children play outdoor?  In your community what restricts children’s access to free play and the outdoor? How could you incorporate the nature and outdoor elements into your classroom curriculum?

Research shows that most people make excuses by saying the busy daily schedules, spaces are limited, and believe "Strangers dangerous".  Some people blamed technology, video games, and digital media.

Children are naturally curious, born with a sense of wonder and discovery, and passionate about their surroundings. Therefore, provide a nature playground and encourage outdoor play are vital to young children's healthy development.

Children need nature space and materials, and most importantly, unrushed time in nature to be healthy people. Nature and outdoors offer concrete and authentic learning experiences. Children benefit profoundly from regular interactions with nature and play outside of their houses. Nature education advocate, author Richard Louv says, “We should leave no child inside and not No Child Left Behind" (Louv, 2005).  

Nature and outdoors are spaces can be changed and used in an imaginative way and places for doing, thinking, wondering, discovering, feeling, and being. It is a place where teachers can response to child-initiated interaction and build on children’s interests and therefore rich learning can take place. In recent years, a growing influence of the Italian Reggio Emilia early childhood educational approach implying an increasing interest in space and architecture in early childhood settings. I sense a desire to reconnect with nature and perhaps bring a bit of balance to our academically and technologically demanding world. I encourage you to join me to call all educators, policy makers, and parents’ attention to reconnect with nature to let the children be children and to let them play in nature and outdoors. We need to provide and create a nature playground and outdoor space for children’s cognitive engagement as well as their physical and social development. Together, we bring a true happy, joyful, and freedom childhood for the young children.

I hope the children to listen to birds, to watch sunrise and sunset, and to look at trees and mountains; I hope the children to learn to love the earth and each other. I hope the children to be curious, creative, and inventive. I hope the children to experience planting a seed and watching it grow and help care for plants and notice the growth, changes, the smells, the textures of the leaves. I hope them to wonder, to explore, and to discover the beauty of Mother Nature.

Sincerely,

Wen Gao 

References

Louv, R. (2005).  Last Child in the Woods.  New York, NY: Algonquin.

Louv, R. (2011). Nature Principle. Algonquin Books.

Organizations that promote creative play

Below are organizations that promote children's creative and constructive play.

Alliance for Childhood, www.allianceforchildhood.org

American Association for the Child’s Right to Play, www.ipausa.org

Arbor Day Foundation, www.arborday.org/

Association of Children’s Museums, www.childrensmuseums.org

Children and Nature Network, www.cnaturenet.org

Children’s Environments Research Group, City University of New York, http://web.gc.cuny.edu/che/cerg/

Hooked on Nature, www.hookedonnature.org

KaBoom!, www.kaboom.org 

National Institute for Play, www.nifplay.org

North Carolina State University Natural Learning Initiative, www.naturalearning.org 

Types of play

This video illustrated the different types of children's  play, includes creative play, object play, dramatic play, social play, cooperative play, quiet play, indoor and outdoor play, etc.

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSUdGqK6ohM

Images from my school's rooftop garden

I took these pictures from our school's Rooftop garden. The children  had fun of taking care of the strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes,  and cucumbers. 

                                       

Images from my school's garden

These are my favorite pictures. I took them last summer and used for my Summer Painting Camp-Little Monet.

Images from my school's playground

I took these pictures on our school's  playground. 

A beautiful day. 

We Were Playing Shadow Tag

 

A slug is sleeping on a potato. 

Facts about Outdoor Time and Children

I found some interesting facts about children's outdoor play time.

Fast Facts About Outdoor Time and Children

• Children are spending half as much time outdoors as they did 20 years ago. (Juster et al 2004); (Burdette & Whitaker 2005); (Kuo & Sullivan 2001)
• Today, kids 8-18 years old devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using entertainment media in a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). (Kaiser Family Foundation)
• In a typical week, only 6% of children ages 9-13 play outside on their own. (Children & Nature Network, 2008)
• Children who play outside are more physically active, more creative in their play, less aggressive and show better concentration. (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005; Ginsburg et al., 2007)
• Sixty minutes of daily unstructured free play is essential to children’s physical and mental health. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008)
• The most direct route to caring for the environment as an adult is participating in “wild nature activities” before the age of 11. (Wells and Lekies, 2006)
  
  
  Source: National Wildlife Foundation: 
  http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Be-Out-There/Why-Be-Out-There.aspx

Table and Chart of the children using electronic devices and time spend indoor

I found these charts and tables about the children using electronic devices. 

Source: Media Literacy Clearinghouse http://www.frankwbaker.com/mediause.htm

Children at Play Museum

This is the link about children's play museum.

               


http://www.childrenatplayobx.com/

Richard Louv interview

Richard Louv talks about Nature-Deficit Disorder 

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvCP-dLe1H0

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e6_cY3-J3o

Why play is important?

An article discusses the importance of play.
 http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/why_play_is_important.html
 Raising Children Network

Llinks and Resources

                                                       References

Cheng, M. & Johnson, J. (2010). Research on Children's Play: Analysis of Developmental
             and Education Journals from 2005-2007. Early Childhood Education Journal. 37,
               249-259.
Gardner, H. (2000). Intelligence Reframed, Multiple Intelligences for the 21th Century.
           Basic Books.
Gardner, H. Project Zero. Harvard university Website, http://www.pz.harvard.edu/pis/hg.htm
Goodenough, E. (2003). Secret Spaces of Childhood. University of Michigan Press.
Louv, R. (2005).  Last Child in the Woods.  New York, NY: Algonquin.
Louv, R. (2011). Nature Principle. Algonquin Books.
Louv, R. Richard Louv's Website, http://richardlouv.com/
Molen, Chambers, Wichrowski, & Fried. (1999). Growth Through Nature: A Preschool Program for
          Children with Disabilities. Sagapress, Incorporated.
Johnson, James, & James F. Christie. (2009). Play and Digital Media. Computer in the
            Schools, (26), 284-289. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Nabhan, P. & Trimble, S. (1995) The Geography of Childhood. Beacon
         Press.
Riojas-Cortez, M. (2001). Preschoolers' Funds of Knowledge Displayed
          through Socialdramatic Play Episodes in a Bilingual Classroom.
          Early Childhood Journal. 29 (1).
Samuelsson, I. & Carlsson, M. (2008). The Playing Learning Child:
          Towards a Pedagogy of Early Childhood. Scandinavian Journal of
          Education Research. 52 (6), 623-641.
Sobel, D. (1999). Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature
           Education. Orion Society.
White, R., & Stoeckin, V. (2008). Nurturing Children’s Biophilia: Developmentally
                Appropriate        
Wilson, E. O. (1984).  Biophilia. Harvard University Press.
Warden, C. (2010). Nature Kindergartens: An Exploration on
            Naturalistic Learning within Nature Kindergartens and Forest
            Schools. Mindstretchers.
Warden, C. (2007). The Potential of a Puddle. Mindstretchers.
Warden, C. (2007) Nurture Through Nature.Mindstretchers.
Waters, J. & Maynard, T. (2010). What's so Interesting Outside? A Study
             of Child-Initiated Interaction with Teachers in the Natural
              Outdoor Environment. European Early Childhoods Education
                   Research Journal. 18 (4), 473-483.
Whitebread, D. Coltman, P. Jameson, H. & Lander, R. (2009). Play,
               Cognition and Self-Regulation: What Exactly are Children
               Learning When They Learn Through Play.Educational  & Child
               Psychology. 26 (2).
Youngquist, J. & Pataray-Ching, J. (2004). Revising "Play": Analyzing and
                articulating Acts of Inquiry. Early Childhood Education
               Journal. 31 (3).

Nature Deficit Disorder

The video explain the term  Nature Deficit Disorder.

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAtdhQSp5b8&feature=fvwp&NR=1

Nature Principles

This video explains Richard Louv's six nature principles   

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tPLOsklo4I

No Child Left Behind and Leave No Child Inside-Nature Education and Outdoor Play

I would like to address the importance of nature and outdoor play in the lives of young children and its values and benefits for physical, cognitive, social-emotional wellbeing of young children. 

Children are naturally curious, born with a sense of wonder and discovery, and passionate about their surroundings. Therefore, provide a nature playground and encourage outdoor play are vital to young children's healthy development. 

Think about what were your favorite things to do outdoor when you were little? 

Climb trees, tree house, swings, secret club, picking wild flowers, build fairy houses, forts, bicycles, picking berries, sand and mud, bug hunting, dirt alley, and the list goes on. 


Why do people discourage their children play outdoor?  Research shows that most people make excuses by saying the busy daily schedules, spaces are limited, and believe "Strangers dangerous".  Some people blamed technology, video games, and digital media. 

Nature education advocate, author Richard Louv says, “I think we should leave no child  inside and not No child left behind". (To be continued)

Last Child in the Woods

This video is about Richard Louv's book-Last Child in the Woods 

Nature A B C

The alphabet found  in nature 

                                 YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjg6jWwi9MI

Questions about play

I will try to answer some questions such as, What is play? What is intentional, creative play, and constructive  play? Why Play? The types of play? and  Nature Education and Outdoor play.
Richard Louv's book about nature, nature-deficit disorder-Nature Principle and the Last Child in the Woods.
Harvard Gardener's Naturalist Intelligence, and E. O. Wilson's Biophilia Hypothesis

Links about children's play:
Education.com: http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Is_Play_Out/
Play: It’s the way young children learn:http://www.4children.org/issues/2007/may_june/play_itrsquos_the_way_young_children_learn/
Why play is important: http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/why_play_is_important.html

Why play matters for both kids and adults:

Help guide.org: http://www.helpguide.org/life/creative_play_fun_games.htm