This document discusses research on the decreasing connection between children and nature. It argues that children today spend less time outdoors in unstructured play and more time engaged with digital technology and structured activities. Some of the reasons for this disconnect include fear of both the known and unknown outdoors, the prevalence of technology, and less free time due to busy schedules and school reforms focused on standardized testing. The nature deficit has consequences for children's health, well-being, and development.
Inspiring environmental citizenship by the learning escapeMark Brown, FRSA
A workshop given by The Learning Escape at the Eco Schools show 2012. Covering Nature Deficit Disorder, Outdoor Learning and Environmental Citizenship. Educators from Whitchurch and Danesfield Manor Schools also talk about how their Learning Escapes have inspired Outdoor Learning and help to promote Environmental Citizenship.
This project focused on Nature-Deficit Disorder in children. The author conducted a gardening project for children to connect with nature. The activities of the project included dirt preparation, potting, and planting.
Nature deficit has had profound impacts on our children’s mental and physical health. Over the past 20 years, time spent playing outdoors has been cut in half, but the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled and the adolescent obesity rate has tripled.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
Inspiring environmental citizenship by the learning escapeMark Brown, FRSA
A workshop given by The Learning Escape at the Eco Schools show 2012. Covering Nature Deficit Disorder, Outdoor Learning and Environmental Citizenship. Educators from Whitchurch and Danesfield Manor Schools also talk about how their Learning Escapes have inspired Outdoor Learning and help to promote Environmental Citizenship.
This project focused on Nature-Deficit Disorder in children. The author conducted a gardening project for children to connect with nature. The activities of the project included dirt preparation, potting, and planting.
Nature deficit has had profound impacts on our children’s mental and physical health. Over the past 20 years, time spent playing outdoors has been cut in half, but the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled and the adolescent obesity rate has tripled.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
A Parent’s Guide to Overcoming Common Obstacles for Kids and Outdoor Play.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
Offering sufficient outdoor time improves the overall health of our children while lengthening attention spans, diminishing aggressiveness, improving test scores and ultimately advancing learning. This guide addresses those concerns.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
This article illustrates how getting dirty outdoors benefits kids. Who would have thought something we spend so much time wiping, sweeping, and mopping away could be so good for kids’ health? Spending time outside is great for kids, and studies show that getting dirty while they’re out there might be even better. Studies have shown benefits to immune systems, hearts and skin, as well as kids’ emotional well-being and learning skills.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
American kids are out of shape, tuned out and stressed out because they’re missing something essential to their health and development, unstructured time playing outdoors.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
Be Out There takes an in-depth look at how to balance screen time with green time in the report, Friending Fresh Air: Connecting Kids to Nature in a Digital Age. Here, we offer insight on how to use technology you already love and still connect your kids to nature.
How Outdoor Education and Outdoor School Time Create High Performance Students.
In this report, we summarize the available studies on the role of outdoor learning programs and outdoor play time in furthering children’s overall education: improving their lifelong learning skills, prospects for career success and school test scores.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
According to a 2012 survey of 1000 parents commissioned by National Wildlife Federation (NWF), weather topped the list of barriers to getting kids outdoors. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed cited weather as most problematic, over concerns about strangers (38%), homework (31%), and a busy schedule (5%).
Parents protect their kids; it’s their job. So, it’s natural when the weather turns really nasty or dangerous to keep children inside. But, children are far more adaptable, resilient and hearty than we modern parents give them credit for. Two decades ago, kids routinely ran in the sprinkler to cool off on a sweltering day, made igloos when it snowed, splashed in puddles when it rained. How many do that now? Not many, statistics say. Modern children spend only minutes each day outside in unstructured activities.
Children are one of the most affected group by Climate Change Impacts. This presentation talks about experience of children from South Asia - how they are seeing the changes in environment and it's impact on their life .....
This presentation will raise awareness of the connections between the health of young children and a healthy school environment, with emphasis on the benefits of exposure to the outdoors. It will show how these benefits can be strengthened through collaboration, including the efforts of the No Child Left Inside Coalition.
Three Ways Nature and Outdoor Time Improve Your Child’s Sleep: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
Three Lessons of the Rwandan Genocide Free Essay Sample on Samploon.com. Genocide as the Systematic Killing of a Social, Political, Cultural .... Is genocide just another form of war? - University Social studies .... Native Genocide - GCSE History - Marked by Teachers.com. Centuries of Genocide: Essays and Eyewitness Accounts by Samuel Totten .... Genocide Research Essay Requirements by Mary Petty. The Eight Stages of Nanking Genocide Essay Example GraduateWay. The Path to Genocide: Essays on Launching the Final Solution by .... Why is Good to Study the Cambodian Genocide? Free Essay Sample on .... Can Genocide Really be Prevented? Free Essay Sample on Samploon.com. Bosnian Rwandan Genocide Comparison Essay Example GraduateWay. 9780521426954: The Path to Genocide: Essays on Launching the Final .... Genocide Teaching Resources. Stopping Genocide - GCSE English - Marked by Teachers.com. How the world came to define genocide and crimes against humanity - The .... History of The Rwandan Genocide - Free Essay Example PapersOwl.com. Genocide Essay Hutu The Holocaust. Rwandan Genocide Essay - 24/25 Modern History - Year 11 HSC Thinkswap. Genocide In-Class Essay. Free essay on genocide. Essays on genocide. How To Prevent Genocide Essay Outline. Rwandan genocide essay topics. Rwandan Genocide Essays: Examples .... genocide research paper help?. Cambodia genocide essay - essaywritingmyselfsample.web.fc2.com. Example essay about genocide. ️ Armenian genocide essay topics. Free Armenian Genocide Essay .... Whites Genocide Photo Essay Ramanis blog. Cambodia genocide essay - dissertationappendix.web.fc2.com Genocide Essay Genocide Essay
A Parent’s Guide to Overcoming Common Obstacles for Kids and Outdoor Play.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
Offering sufficient outdoor time improves the overall health of our children while lengthening attention spans, diminishing aggressiveness, improving test scores and ultimately advancing learning. This guide addresses those concerns.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
This article illustrates how getting dirty outdoors benefits kids. Who would have thought something we spend so much time wiping, sweeping, and mopping away could be so good for kids’ health? Spending time outside is great for kids, and studies show that getting dirty while they’re out there might be even better. Studies have shown benefits to immune systems, hearts and skin, as well as kids’ emotional well-being and learning skills.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
American kids are out of shape, tuned out and stressed out because they’re missing something essential to their health and development, unstructured time playing outdoors.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
Be Out There takes an in-depth look at how to balance screen time with green time in the report, Friending Fresh Air: Connecting Kids to Nature in a Digital Age. Here, we offer insight on how to use technology you already love and still connect your kids to nature.
How Outdoor Education and Outdoor School Time Create High Performance Students.
In this report, we summarize the available studies on the role of outdoor learning programs and outdoor play time in furthering children’s overall education: improving their lifelong learning skills, prospects for career success and school test scores.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
According to a 2012 survey of 1000 parents commissioned by National Wildlife Federation (NWF), weather topped the list of barriers to getting kids outdoors. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed cited weather as most problematic, over concerns about strangers (38%), homework (31%), and a busy schedule (5%).
Parents protect their kids; it’s their job. So, it’s natural when the weather turns really nasty or dangerous to keep children inside. But, children are far more adaptable, resilient and hearty than we modern parents give them credit for. Two decades ago, kids routinely ran in the sprinkler to cool off on a sweltering day, made igloos when it snowed, splashed in puddles when it rained. How many do that now? Not many, statistics say. Modern children spend only minutes each day outside in unstructured activities.
Children are one of the most affected group by Climate Change Impacts. This presentation talks about experience of children from South Asia - how they are seeing the changes in environment and it's impact on their life .....
This presentation will raise awareness of the connections between the health of young children and a healthy school environment, with emphasis on the benefits of exposure to the outdoors. It will show how these benefits can be strengthened through collaboration, including the efforts of the No Child Left Inside Coalition.
Three Ways Nature and Outdoor Time Improve Your Child’s Sleep: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers.
National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Be Out There movement to give back to American children what they don’t even know they have lost: their connection to the natural world. In the process, NWF aims to help reverse alarming health trends and help families raise happier, healthier children. Signs everywhere show the spirit of the movement taking hold.
For more information, go to www.beoutthere.org/join
Three Lessons of the Rwandan Genocide Free Essay Sample on Samploon.com. Genocide as the Systematic Killing of a Social, Political, Cultural .... Is genocide just another form of war? - University Social studies .... Native Genocide - GCSE History - Marked by Teachers.com. Centuries of Genocide: Essays and Eyewitness Accounts by Samuel Totten .... Genocide Research Essay Requirements by Mary Petty. The Eight Stages of Nanking Genocide Essay Example GraduateWay. The Path to Genocide: Essays on Launching the Final Solution by .... Why is Good to Study the Cambodian Genocide? Free Essay Sample on .... Can Genocide Really be Prevented? Free Essay Sample on Samploon.com. Bosnian Rwandan Genocide Comparison Essay Example GraduateWay. 9780521426954: The Path to Genocide: Essays on Launching the Final .... Genocide Teaching Resources. Stopping Genocide - GCSE English - Marked by Teachers.com. How the world came to define genocide and crimes against humanity - The .... History of The Rwandan Genocide - Free Essay Example PapersOwl.com. Genocide Essay Hutu The Holocaust. Rwandan Genocide Essay - 24/25 Modern History - Year 11 HSC Thinkswap. Genocide In-Class Essay. Free essay on genocide. Essays on genocide. How To Prevent Genocide Essay Outline. Rwandan genocide essay topics. Rwandan Genocide Essays: Examples .... genocide research paper help?. Cambodia genocide essay - essaywritingmyselfsample.web.fc2.com. Example essay about genocide. ️ Armenian genocide essay topics. Free Armenian Genocide Essay .... Whites Genocide Photo Essay Ramanis blog. Cambodia genocide essay - dissertationappendix.web.fc2.com Genocide Essay Genocide Essay
Back to Nature and the Emerging Child Saving Movement: Restoring Children’s Outdoor Play
`
For more information, Please see websites below:
`
Organic Edible Schoolyards & Gardening with Children =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851214 ~
`
Double Food Production from your School Garden with Organic Tech =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851079 ~
`
Free School Gardening Art Posters =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159 ~
`
Increase Food Production with Companion Planting in your School Garden =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159 ~
`
Healthy Foods Dramatically Improves Student Academic Success =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851348 ~
`
City Chickens for your Organic School Garden =
http://scribd.com/doc/239850440 ~
`
Simple Square Foot Gardening for Schools - Teacher Guide =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851110 ~
Children’s Nature Deficit: What We Know - and Don’t Know
`
For more information, Please see websites below:
`
Organic Edible Schoolyards & Gardening with Children =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851214 ~
`
Double Food Production from your School Garden with Organic Tech =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851079 ~
`
Free School Gardening Art Posters =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159 ~
`
Increase Food Production with Companion Planting in your School Garden =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159 ~
`
Healthy Foods Dramatically Improves Student Academic Success =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851348 ~
`
City Chickens for your Organic School Garden =
http://scribd.com/doc/239850440 ~
`
Simple Square Foot Gardening for Schools - Teacher Guide =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851110 ~
Chapter 4WHAT DO YOU THINK1. Is the personality of an ind.docxchristinemaritza
Chapter 4
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
1. Is the personality of an individual determined at birth?
2. Are the media today as important in a child’s socialization as the child’s family? Might the media be more important?
3. Do people adjust the presentation of their personalities in interactions in order to leave particular impressions? Might we say that we have different “social selves” that we present in different settings?
p.80
GIRLS, BOYS, AND TOYS
REUTERS/Aly Song
We can find a box (or several boxes) of toys in most U.S. homes with children. Many of us can look back on our childhoods—whether they are a recent or distant memory—and recall a favorite toy. It might have been a smiling doll, a stuffed animal, a hardy truck or tank, or a set of colorful blocks. If we were lucky, we had an array of toys from which to choose our fun. In this chapter, we talk about agents of socialization, that is, the entities (like families, peers, and schools) that teach us the norms, rules, and roles of society. From a sociological perspective, toys are not just toys—rather, they too are agents of socialization, contributing to children’s early ideas of who they are and who they can be in society.
Like other key agents of socialization—families, peers, the media, school, and organized sports, among others—toys may contribute to a child’s sense of socially accepted roles, aspirations for the future, and perceptions of opportunities and limitations. If we as social beings are made not born, as sociologists argue, then toys contribute to the construction of boys and girls in ways that can be both predictable and surprising.
In 2014, two researchers at Oregon State University published a study with some attention-getting results. In this research, 37 girls ages 4 to 7 were each given one of three toys with which to play: a Mrs. Potato Head, a glamorous Barbie doll, or a doctor Barbie doll. After a short period of play, each subject was shown pictures depicting 10 female- and male-dominated professions, like librarian, teacher, and flight attendant (“female” jobs) and pilot, doctor, and firefighter (“male” jobs). With each picture, the subject was asked, “Could you do this job when you grow up?” and “Could a boy do this job when he grows up?” (see Figure 4.1). Notably, girls who played with either of the Barbie dolls identified fewer jobs that they could do than did the girls who played with Mrs. Potato Head—and all of the girls in the study thought that a boy would be able to do a greater number of both the male- and female-dominated jobs (Sherman & Zurbriggen, 2014). Other research has shown that young girls exposed to Barbies express a stronger desire to be thin and have lower body self-esteem than do girls exposed to dolls with more realistic body proportions (Dittmar, Halliwell, & Ive, 2006).
p.81
FIGURE 4.1 Number of Jobs Girls Think They Can Do Better or Worse Than Boys Based on Occupation Type
SOURCE: Sherman, A.M. and Zurbriggen, E.L. (2014). “‘Boys Can B ...
Environmental Interventions for Healthy Development of Young Children in the Outdoors
`
For more information, Please see websites below:
`
Organic Edible Schoolyards & Gardening with Children =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851214 ~
`
Double Food Production from your School Garden with Organic Tech =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851079 ~
`
Free School Gardening Art Posters =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159 ~
`
Increase Food Production with Companion Planting in your School Garden =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851159 ~
`
Healthy Foods Dramatically Improves Student Academic Success =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851348 ~
`
City Chickens for your Organic School Garden =
http://scribd.com/doc/239850440 ~
`
Simple Square Foot Gardening for Schools - Teacher Guide =
http://scribd.com/doc/239851110 ~
The History of Children’s Human Rights: Childism and the Impact of Coercion and Control In American Culture What
Family Scientists and Future Family Scientists Need to Know Regarding the Impact of Prejudice on Children.
Boothe Prize Essays 2012-2013
30
spring 2012 HOnOrABLE MEnTiOn
Charlotte Geaghan-Breiner
INSTRUCTOR'S FOREWORD
“Where the Wild Things Should Be: Healing Nature Deficit Disorder Through the
Schoolyard” is a research-based proposal for action. Charlotte’s essay provides an
original solution to a problem first defined by journalist Richard Louv in 2008:
nature deficit disorder posits that many children of the developed world are alienated
from nature. The documented results of this disorder can be dire and include
poor health, including depression, obesity, and diminished cognitive capacity;
impoverished ecological knowledge; and limited engagement with environmental
activism. To mitigate this disorder, Charlotte proposes a transformation of the
schoolyard, a space foundational to global childhood and one commonly recognized
as an asphalt desert. Designed with adult needs in mind, schoolyards today are
equipment dominated to allow children to “blow off steam” and hard scaped to
facilitate monitoring.
Writing with confidence and imagination, and drawing on extensive reading in
geography, science education, and biology, Charlotte envisions the schoolyard as a
child-centered space in which environmental learning might occur. She proposes
four tenets of Natural Schoolyard Design: integration of biodiversity, sensory
stimulation, diversity of topography, and “loose parts”—such as sand, water, stones,
leaves and sticks, which permit children to play inventively. Out of hardscapes,
her essay urges, we might develop vibrant, engaging, natural environments. Her
argument provocatively questions the opposition between nature and culture,
demonstrating that man-made spaces such as the schoolyard can provide children
crucial access to nature.
—Sarah Pittock
Where the Wild Things
Should Be: Healing Nature
Deficit Disorder through the
Schoolyard
Charlotte geaghan-Breiner
The developed world deprives children of a basic and inalienable right: unstructured outdoor play. Children today have substantially less access
to nature, less free range, and less time for independent play than previous
generations had. Experts in a wide variety of fields cite the rise of technology,
urbanization, parental over-scheduling, fears of stranger-danger, and increased
traffic as culprits. Even the environmental education movement is to blame, some
argue, because it prioritizes abstraction over direct experiences in nearby nature.
A growing body of research from the United States, United Kingdom, Mexico,
Germany, Canada, Australia, Norway, Japan, and Spain has confirmed that this
trend is a legitimate and pervasive phenomenon, though varied in scope and degree.
In 2008 journalist Richard Louv articulated the causes and consequences of children’s
alienation from nature, dubbing it “nature deficit disorder.” Louv is not alone in
claiming that the widening divide between children and nature has distressing health
repercussions, ...
Nature-Nurture (Heredity vs environment) Backgro.docxdohertyjoetta
Nature-Nurture
(Heredity vs environment)
Background
It has long been known that certain physical characteristics are biologically determined by
genetic inheritance. Colour of eyes, straight or curly hair, pigmentation of the skin and certain
diseases (such as Huntingdon’s chorea) are all a function of the genes we inherit. Other physical
characteristics, if not determined, appear to be at least strongly influenced by the genetic make-
up of our biological parents. Height, weight, hair loss (in men), life expectancy and vulnerability
to specific illnesses (e.g. breast cancer in women) are positively correlated between biologically
related individuals. These facts have led many to speculate as to whether psychological
characteristics such as behavioural tendencies, personality attributes and mental abilities are also
“wired in” before we are even born.
Those who adopt an extreme heredity position are known as nativists. Their basic assumption is
that the characteristics of the human species as a whole are a product of evolution and that
individual differences are due to each person’s unique genetic code. Characteristics and
differences that are not observable at birth, but which emerge later in life, are regarded as the
product of maturation. That is to say we all have an inner “biological clock” which switches on
(or off) types of behaviour in a pre programmed way. The classic example of the way this affects
our physical development is the bodily changes that occur in early adolescence at puberty.
However nativists also argue that maturation governs the emergence of attachment in infancy,
language acquisition and even cognitive development as a whole.
At the other end of the spectrum are the environmentalists – also known as empiricists (not to be
confused with the other empirical / scientific approach). Their basic assumption is that at birth
the human mind is a tabula rasa (a blank slate) and that this is gradually “filled” as a result of
experience (e.g. behaviourism). From this point of view psychological characteristics and
behavioural differences that emerge through infancy and childhood are the result of learning. It is
how you are brought up (nurture) that governs the psychologically significant aspects of child
development and the concept of maturation applies only to the biological. So, when an infant
forms an attachment it is responding to the love and attention it has received, language comes
from imitating the speech of others and cognitive development depends on the degree of
stimulation in the environment and, more broadly, on the civilisation within which the child is
reared.
In practice hardly anyone today accepts either of the extreme positions. There are simply too
many “facts” on both sides of the argument which are inconsistent with an “all or nothing” view.
So instead of asking whether child development is down to nature or nurture the question has
been reformulated as .
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of Humanities and Social Science. IJHSSI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Humanities and Social Science, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
Ecopsychology in Relationship between School Students and the Natural Worldijcnes
Ecopsychology studies the relationship between human beings and the natural world through ecological and psychological principles. The field seeks to develop and understand ways of expanding the emotional connection between individuals and the natural world, thereby assisting individuals with developing sustainable lifestyles and remedying alienation from nature. We describe specific examples using a pedagogical framework for helping School students to engage, explore, explain, and elaborate the psychology behind nature. This approach should better prepare students with an understanding that ecological knowledge must be integrated with solutions that address psychological barriers if efforts to alter behavior related to nature world are to succeed.
Di Collins, Journeying Gently, UK
EOE 2011 Metsäkartano, Finland
Into the Woods: About the significance of wood and wilderness for Youth Work in Europe.
The Child’s Psychological Use of the Parent: A Workshop James Tobin, Ph.D.
This workshop is designed for parents who would like to improve the quality of their relationship with their children. Dr. Tobin provides a roadmap for parents based on a core paradox of the human condition, i.e., the initial need to bond (to form and sustain early life) and the subsequent need to separate/individuate (in order for the child to secure a distinct personal identity unencumbered by unresolved issues with the family of origin). According to Dr. Tobin, both the parent and the developing child simultaneously press for separation/individuation and resist it. This workshop attempts to alert parents to the underlying dynamics that prolong this ambivalence and provides pragmatic suggestions for how parents can be "of use" psychologically so that their child is more successfully primed for the achievement of autonomy.
Welcome to the Program Your Destiny course. In this course, we will be learning the technology of personal transformation, neuroassociative conditioning (NAC) as pioneered by Tony Robbins. NAC is used to deprogram negative neuroassociations that are causing approach avoidance and instead reprogram yourself with positive neuroassociations that lead to being approach automatic. In doing so, you change your destiny, moving towards unlocking the hypersocial self within, the true self free from fear and operating from a place of personal power and love.
https://bit.ly/BabeSideDoll4u Babeside is a company that specializes in creating handcrafted reborn dolls. These dolls are designed to be incredibly lifelike, with realistic skin tones and hair, and they have become increasingly popular among collectors and those who use them for therapeutic purposes. At Babeside, we believe that our reborn dolls can provide comfort and healing to anyone who needs it.
The Healing Power of Babeside's Handcrafted Creations
Our reborn dolls are more than just beautiful pieces of art - they can also help alleviate stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. Studies have shown that holding or cuddling a soft object like a stuffed animal or a reborn doll can release oxytocin, which is often referred to as the "love hormone." This hormone helps us feel calm and relaxed, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.
In addition to their physical benefits, reborn dolls can also offer emotional support. For many people, having something to care for and nurture can bring a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Reborn dolls can also serve as a reminder of happy memories or loved ones who have passed away.
1. Researching the Child ~ Nature Connection
March 2008
A White Paper Prepared By Nicole L. Migliarese
for California State Parks’ Children in Nature Campaign
2. Researching the Child ~ Nature Connection
A White Paper Prepared By Nicole L. Migliarese
for California State Parks’ Children in Nature Campaign
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this report are
those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views, opinions, or
policy of California State Parks.
To cite: Migliarese, N.L. (2008). Researching the Child ~ Nature Connection. California
State Parks. (Available at www.parks.ca.gov)
2
3. Researching the Child ~ Nature Connection
Abstract: Today’s children are much less connected to the natural world than at any
other time in history. This natural connection has been replaced in various ways –
greater interaction with the digital (‘plugged-in’) world, less unstructured outdoor play,
and via growing urbanization. This decreased exposure to nature has consequences that
we are just beginning to understand. The negative outcomes for children of this ‘nature-
deficit’ include sky-rocketing rates of childhood obesity and type-two diabetes, increased
psychological stress…all due to diminishing opportunities for children to engage in
unstructured, creative play in the out-of-doors.
Introduction
The lives of children have radically changed over the course of the past century. No
longer is free time spent outdoors inventing games with neighborhood friends or
exploring the pockets of nature that existed in backyards or empty lots. A growing body
of research has demonstrated that the natural world holds numerous benefits for both
children and adults, alike. While it is still mysterious just how the mind, body and spirit
gain from exposure to and experiences with nature, empirical evidence forces us to
reexamine and rethink the lives of today’s children.
First dubbed ‘nature-deficit disorder’ by Richard Louv (2005), this disconnection with
the natural world is both complex and worrisome. Throughout the present article, the
phrases ‘nature deficit’ and ‘exposure to nature’ will be used. In basic terms, these
phrases embody what could be seen as the problem and the solution, respectively.
Nature-deficit suggests that children are suffering from a lack of exposure to and
experience with the natural world around them. Historically, humans have had an
intimate connection with the flora and fauna around them; ironically, though, the modern
lifestyle is deficient of meaningful contact with plants and animals in our immediate
surroundings. Unfortunately, the rate at which our lifestyles have changed has far
outpaced the evolution of our cognitive, psychological, and physiological hard-wiring.
Research across disciplines now suggests that this disconnect (both figurative and literal)
has far-reaching consequences for the health and well-being of both individuals and the
natural environment in which they act.
Conversely, exposure to nature is the means by which this connection is established and
fortified. The natural environments in which children are immersed need not be areas
referred to as ‘wild spaces’ or even the wilderness found in state or national parks.
Nature, in this context, can refer to the small (if not tiny) pockets of plant and animal life
that can be found in urbanized areas, the green spaces in suburban developments, or the
landscapes of rural areas…essentially, nature is everywhere though we often fail to attend
to its presence in our daily lives. Despite its omnipresence, our children are just not
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4. connected to the natural world. A discussion of the reasons for the child – nature divide
follows.
Reasons for the Disconnection from Nature
Technology
Today’s youth have been dubbed ‘digital natives’ and ‘indoor children.’ However society
refers to them, this generation of children is unlike any other. Children across the state, as
well as across the nation, have never been more technologically-savvy than they are
today (Yahoo! Media Relations, 2003). Nor has any other generation of children been
more linked to the world around them, so long as that world is mediated by technology
made possible by the internet (Levin & Arafeh, 2002). Our local children have peer
groups made up of youth in India, Brazil, and China. YouTube and MySpace unite them
in ways we couldn’t have imagined when we were ourselves children (Taylor, 2005). But
all of this technological interaction has come at a price. The everyday lives of children
have moved indoors and inside of a handheld device. This shift in lifestyle trickles down
from adults to even the youngest children. A recent article in the journal Pediatrics
reported that one-third of American children aged 3 to 6 years have a television in their
bedroom (Vandewater, Rideout, Wartella, Huang, Lee & Shim, 2007). The ways in
which children once connected with the natural world – curious exploration, free play
outdoors, experiences with nature – have quietly faded into the background, if not
disappeared altogether from the lives of our plugged-in youngsters.
Fear of the Known and Unknown
While more than 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, over 94% of land
in this country was classified as rural by the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau (Federal Highway
Administration, 2003, 2004). But the open spaces have become foreign to most. Life and
all that it entails for today’s children is represented by the urban (Louv, 2005). In the
mind’s eye of the modern parent, free time possesses many dangers. Many feel that time
spent unsupervised by an adult invites ‘stranger danger’ and threats from within the
larger community (including violence/crime and exposure to drugs). A media frenzy in
the 1980s surrounding rising rates of childhood abductions sparked parents’ fears that
their child was unsafe playing unsupervised outdoors (Lee, 1993). This fear altered
unstructured free time once spent playing on neighborhood streets as children were
brought inside into private homes and play took on a new face. Even today, this fear
remains exaggerated – true kidnappings are rare in the United States, though incidences
are highly publicized. A U.S. Census survey of parents found that one in five parents
keeps their children indoors as much as possible out of fear of the world outside their
front door (Dye & Johnson, 2006).
Parents are not the only ones that have become more afraid of ‘nature.’ Children once had
rich and diverse experiences in the natural world immediately surrounding their homes.
Today, the media produces 15 second sound bytes about close encounters between
wildlife and people. The sensationalized details permeate urban legend lore which, in
turn, intensifies people’s perceptions of the dangers of the natural world. This is despite
statistics which repeatedly show children are more likely to be harmed by objects of
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5. modernity – the gun is exponentially riskier than the spider (Heerwagen & Orians, 2002).
Summarizing the profound influence fear has had on altering the fundamental shape of
childhood, Louv notes, “fear is the emotion that separates a developing child from the
full, essential benefits of nature. Fear of traffic, of crime, of stranger-danger—and of
nature itself” (2005).
Time Otherwise Spent
In a twist of irony, today’s children often do spend time outside. They’re on soccer teams
at school or on the community softball team. Even preschoolers can now enroll in peewee
sports. Nearly all varieties of organized sports have grown in popularity across the
country and across all age groups. Presently, over 41 million children participate in
organized competitive sports (Hilgers, 2006). While playing on a team remains an
important hallmark of childhood, it should not be equated with unstructured outdoor play.
According to children themselves, participation in sports does not ‘count’ as play; it’s
more like work for them (Louv, 1990). In an investigation of how Americans spend their
time, a multi-decade study found that children’s free playtime dropped approximately
25% between 1981 and 1997, apparently due to an increase in the amount of time spent
in more structured activities (Hofferth & Sandberg, 2001).
Parents’ role in scheduling the lives of children has also changed. Today’s parents are
much more involved in the minute-to-minute details of youngsters – a change that
delimits the unstructured, creative play that was once a hallmark of childhood
(Chamberlin, 2006). What had previously been inextricably linked with experiences in
and with the natural world, ‘free play’ no longer involves fort building, tree climbing, or
peeking under rocks next to the back steps (Heerwagen & Orians, 2002), all elements that
tap into a child’s imagination and sense of wonder.
School Reforms
In a piece dedicated to deconstructing the ways our schools of today exacerbate the child
– nature divide, Monke points out that schools have turned up the thermostat on an
already super-hot technology driven American culture (2007). As the counterbalance to
the overly plugged in world, schools should “unplug” and focus their efforts on
developing the health of children’s inner lives by giving them experiences with the real
world, as well as the symbolic world (ibid.).
Several obstacles currently prevent schools from radically reforming their structure and
their curricula; of these, No Child Left Behind looms large. This federal education policy
includes no direct mention of any form of environmental education. In fact, on the
national level, environmental education is not even under the jurisdiction of the
Department of Education. Matters of learning in and about the natural world are overseen
by the Environmental Protection Agency, as mandated by the Environmental Education
Act of 1990. Standardized tests that measure students’ proficiency in prescribed areas
(also referred to as content standards, usually focused on literacy and math) rarely include
topics defined as ‘environmental science’ and are, therefore, often excluded from a
school’s curriculum.
5
6. Above and beyond changes in standards and curriculum, school schedules have also
changed. In a recent study of public elementary schools across the nation, nearly 15
percent of upper elementary children no longer have any recess time at all during the
academic day (Parsad & Lewis, 2006). Even when playtime is permitted, air quality often
forces children indoors (Breathe California, 2007). One of the last holdouts of childhood
outdoor free play is being downsized or eliminated. Contact with the world outside of the
built environment has been pared down, reorganized, reconfigured, and digitized.
Positive Outcomes of Being Connected to Nature
In his best-selling text, Louv captures the positive benefits of nature for children noting,
“healing the broken bond between our young and nature is in our self-interest – not only
because aesthetics or justice demands it, but also because our mental, physical, and
spiritual health depend upon it and so does the health of the earth” (2005). Some claim
that the benefits human reap from being connected to the natural world are hard-wired –
we’re evolutionarily predisposed to operating in a world filled with natural kinds. This
affinity is referred to as the biophilia hypothesis and has been forwarded by such scholars
as Kellert, Wilson, and Kahn (see Kahn & Kellert, 2002; Kellert & Wilson, 1993). If
warranted, this claim might lead to the connection between nature and human well-being,
both physiologically and emotionally. When we look more closely at these possible
benefits, especially for children, we find empirical evidence that supports the child –
nature connection. Several significant positive outcomes for connecting children to the
natural world will be discussed – physical and psychological well-being, inter- and
intrapersonal skills, and cognitive functioning.
Physical and Psychological Well-Being
Obesity is a health issue that America can no longer deny. Rates of obesity have
skyrocketed for all segments of the population in the U.S., particularly among children,
prompting health officials to label the trend ‘the obesity epidemic’ (Ogden, Flegal,
Carroll, Johnson, 2002). Paired with increasing weights, there is a correlated rise in the
rates of type two diabetes in children, an affliction once almost exclusively seen in adults
(CDC, 2000).
Beyond the physical benefits that time spent in nature affords, children also increase their
ability to cope with stressors in their daily lives by interacting with the natural world
(Wells & Evans, 2003). A study conducted in the UK demonstrated that people living in
urban areas that had access to green spaces or gardens tended to have lower occurrence
rates of mental disorders (Lewis & Booth, 1994).
Inter- and Intrapersonal Skills
The lives of today’s children are complex. They’re much more connected with the global
community, yet this complexity demands greater skills in terms of both inter- and
intrapersonal relations. And while the academic world has long been interested in
6
7. investigating the social and emotional lives of children, it only recently took up the issue
how the natural world might influence children’s socio-emotional well-being. Emerging
evidence demonstrates a link between experiences in the natural world and children’s
conflict resolution skills, their motivation and self-efficacy.
Cognitive Functioning
Considered essential for learning, attentional capacity in children has received much
inquiry from the fields of medicine, education research, and cognitive psychology.
Findings indicate that attentional capacity increases when children are surrounded by
more natural, greener environments (Grahn, Martensson, Lindblad, Nilsson, & Ekman,
1997; Wells, 2000). Numerous other studies now demonstrate the therapeutic effects of
both proximity to green spaces and time spent in natural environments for children that
struggle with the ability to control one’s impulses and actions, particularly challenging
features of Attentional-Deficit Disorder and Attentional-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(see Burdette & Whitaker, 2005; Kuo & Taylor, 2004; Taylor, Kuo & Sullivan, 2001 &
2002; Wells, 2000 for more on the ADD/ADHD and nature connection).
Analytical thinking is also positively impacted by time spent outdoors. Improvements in
students’ science and math knowledge are reflected in test score gains (AIR, 2005),
creativity and problem-solving skills get better (Kellert, 2005), and their ability to make
connections at both the proximal and distal levels (i.e., reasoning skills) also develop
(Lieberman & Hoody, 1998) when the environment is utilized as a context for learning,
teaching, and playing.
The Child – Nature Connection Today, Stewardship Tomorrow
Louv opens a chapter in his Last Child in the Woods with a quote form naturalist Robert
Michael Pyle, “What is the extinction of a condor to a child that has never seen a wren?”
(2005). Given the current environmental crises faced at both the local and global levels,
there is an urgent concern for where the next generation of stewards will come from.
Given that numerous studies on adult behaviors for and beliefs about the environment
point directly back to childhood experiences with the natural world (Chawla, 2006), what
will become of pro-environmental attitudes and action when the children that grew up in
a world devoid of natural experiences ages? Chawla has also found that the role of an
adult who instills a respect for nature is paramount to a child’s developing a stewardship
ethic later in life (ibid). What if parents and teachers, children’s most proximal sources of
role models, are wary of taking their children out-of-doors to share with them the natural
world or are too constricted in their teaching practices to incorporate any type of nature
study into their curriculum? Who, then, will serve in this mentorship role?
A Growing National Phenomenon
As many will be aware, the issues related to the need to reconnect children with the
natural world have received growing attention over the last several years. This increasing
interest has resulted in many local initiatives springing up around the country as well as
the convening of several national-level gatherings. Among these, the 2006 National
7
8. Dialogue on Children and Nature, held at the National Conservation Fund’s West
Virginia Training Center, allowed multiple stakeholders to coalesce around the child-
nature disconnect. Similarly, the National Forum on Children and Nature has been
organized as a grant-making coalition that had begun to support exemplary projects and
programs from across the nation that directly connect children with outdoors.
California’s Children in Nature Campaign
“All California children will be inspired to actively and creatively engage with and
appreciate the natural environment.” Such is the vision statement of the California
Children in Nature – A Campaign for Action, a state-wide initiative of California State
Parks. A primary goal of the Campaign is to make the child ~ nature connection issue
accessible to all segments of California society. The initiative will coordinate and
promote State Park programs that connect children with nature, provide resources to raise
awareness and understanding of the critical need for this effort, work with partners to
facilitate regional collaborations, and work directly with communities to bolster capacity
and promote sustainability of efforts. The “California Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights”
is one of the Campaign’s initiatives, outlining a list of activities and corroborating
research that child should experience before the age of 14. The goal of the Campaign is to
focus on awareness and action, and to expand the scope and number of entities that can
play an important role in overcoming barriers and/or providing direct services. California
State Parks will also develop a best-practices evaluation mechanism to promote and
assess programmatic outcomes at both the local and state-wide levels. By engaging
diverse partners in the Children in Nature Campaign, California State Parks aims to raise
awareness of the ‘children in nature’ issue at all levels of Californian society and to
facilitate the actions necessary to bring about change.
California State Parks
Our Mission
To provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by
helping to preserve the state's extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most
valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality
outdoor recreation.
California Department of Parks and Recreation manages more than 270 park units, which
contain the most diverse and some of the finest collections of natural, cultural, and
recreational resources to be found within California. These treasures are as diverse as
California: From the last stands of primeval redwood forests to vast expanses of fragile
desert; from the lofty Sierra Nevada to the broad sandy beaches of our southern coast;
and from the opulence of Hearst Castle to the vestiges of colonial Russia.
California State Parks is the largest state park system and contains the largest natural and
cultural heritage holdings of any state agency in the nation. State park units include
underwater preserves; redwood, rhododendron, and wildlife reserves; coastal wetlands,
estuaries, beaches, and dune systems recreation areas, wilderness areas, reservoirs; state
8
9. historic parks, historic homes, Spanish era adobe buildings, museums, visitor centers;
lighthouses, ghost towns, and off-highway vehicle parks. These parks protect and
preserve an unparalleled collection of culturally and environmentally sensitive structures
and habitats, threatened plant and animal species, ancient Native American sites, historic
structures and artifacts . . . the best of California's natural and cultural history.
California State Parks consists of nearly 1.4 million acres, with over 280 miles of
coastline; 625 miles of lake and river frontage; nearly 15,000 campsites; and
approximately 3,000 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails.
####
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