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 with 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 fairy tale home. The flowers, the cherry trees, the ducklings, the smell of the herb field, the morning breeze, bird chirping, 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 in sand and mud,  bug hunting, and the list goes on. However, nowadays, young children are becoming increasingly separated from the natural world as their access to the outdoors diminishes. The children are over-scheduled for lessons after lessons.  Our advanced technological virtual world has been keeping our young children inside their rooms.

Children have less opportunity to spend in natural places than I did 35 years ago. In Last Child in the Wood, 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 to play outdoor?  In your community what restricts children’s access to free play and the outdoors? How could you incorporate nature and outdoor elements into your classroom curriculum?

Research shows that most people make excuses by citing their busy daily schedules, limited spaces, and the belief of “Strangers are dangerous”.  Some people blame technology, video games, and digital media.

Children are naturally curious, born with a sense of wonder and discovery, and passionate about their surroundings. Therefore, providing a nature playground and encouraging 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 the outdoors offer concrete and authentic learning experiences. Children benefit profoundly from regular interactions with nature and play outside of their house. Nature education advocate, author Richard Louv says, “We should leave no child inside and not No child left behind” (Louv, 2005).  

Nature and outdoor spaces can be changed and used in an imaginative way and can be 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 shift in attitudes toward nature, a desire to re-connect 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 free childhood for the young children.

I hope the children will be listening to bird singing, watching sunrise and sunset, and looking at trees and mountains more; I hope the children will be learning to love the earth and each other more. I hope the children will be more curious, creative, and inventive. I hope the children to experience planting a seed and watching it grow and to 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.