|
 It’s more than an unfortunate abstraction. Scientists
say our increasingly indoor lifestyle negatively affects our health
and well-being, not to mention our drive to protect the natural
world. And it may be hampering kids’ ability to learn and thrive. A
new e-book, published by Frontiers in Psychology, examines the many
ways putting children back in contact with nature could make them
more successful in school and in life.
“We think of bits of nature – flowers, gardens, having views of
trees – as nice, as ‘dessert,’ but don’t recognize them as being
functional. But the research is telling us nature is not dessert.
It’s necessary. This is one of those rare times where we like
something and it’s good for us,” says Ming Kuo, director of the
Landscape and Human Health Lab in the Department of Natural
Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois.
Kuo is a co-editor and contributing author for the book.
The free e-book, “The natural world as a resource for learning and
development: From schoolyards to wilderness,” contains 13 articles
from scholars around the world. Kuo says the wide diversity of
articles strengthens the case for nature’s importance to children.
“The cumulative impact of all these articles together says, look,
not only do we consistently find that being around nature boosts
children’s learning and healthy development, but we find it in
studies asking different questions, using different tools, looking
at very different groups of children,” she adds.
The articles dive deep into the effects of nature
exposure on behavior and academic performance for children, from
preschoolers attending immersive year-round nature programs to
elementary students in urban, high-poverty schools. Other articles
are more academic, posing future research questions for scientists
in the field and developing a common language for describing ways
children interact with nature.
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Catherine Jordan, pediatric neuropsychologist at the University
of Minnesota and co-editor of the book, says, “Through this type of research, we
have the opportunity to make real impact in the world by answering game-changing
questions such as, ‘Can nature reduce educational opportunity gaps and
achievement gaps between children from different economic backgrounds?’”
Several of the articles would suggest the answer is yes. For example, one of
Kuo’s articles in the book finds that academic performance in high-poverty
Chicago schools increases in relation to schoolyard greenness. Another article,
led by Rachel Szczytko of North Carolina State University, shows that outdoor
learning can improve attention span and decrease disruptive behaviors in
children with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral disabilities. Even teachers
are impacted; another of the articles shows they become more creative, leaving
more room for inquiry-based learning when teaching outside the classroom.
To the book’s co-editors, the relationship between nature and learning is clear.
“As a mom who knows the scientific evidence on children and nature, I feel
ethically bound to let other parents know nature really is important for kids –
at least as important as after-school enrichment classes,” Kuo says. “And every
bit counts – walking through a green, leafy neighborhood, having a green view
while doing classwork or homework, daydreaming up in a tree – they all make a
difference.”
The e-book, “The natural world as a resource for learning and development: From
schoolyards to wilderness” is published by Frontiers in Psychology and is
co-edited by Ming Kuo and Catherine Jordan. A short introduction to the book is
available here.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences is in the College
of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of
Illinois.
[Sources: Ming Kuo & Catherine Jordan
News writer: Lauren Quinn] |
