Essays

Moseying: Outdoor Recreation Activities

Kids that go outside are cool – Bug Camp for 4-6th
July 3, 2011

Many kids have become video game zombies and television addicts that spend the summer inside. Their minds and muscles atrophy, and they have no exciting experiences to recount.  Kids that go outside and explore and catch critters and endure heat and mesquite scratches are living life to the fullest. Kids that explore and interact with "all of that scary stuff" do better in school, are happier, and are in better health.

July 5th to July 8th, Michael Nickell, the Sibley Nature Center's artist, museum specialist, entomologist, and martial arts expert will lead the bravest, smartest, and toughest kids in town  on four days of adventure from 9 a.m until noon. Students entering 4th grade, 5th grade, or 6th grade this fall are eligible. (There will be another course August 8-11.) Sibley Members pay $50.00, non-members $80.00. For more information contact Michael at Sibley Nature Center, 684 6827. Registration forms are available online.

Doctors are now writing prescriptions for kids that state; "Go outside!"  In Santa Clara, Calif, Kaiser Permanente clinic pediatrician Charles Owyang has already written 67 prescriptions to the Don Edwards Preserve, an urban nature enclave in the San Francisco Bay Area. Owyang also teaches other doctors about studies that show outdoor activities have intellectual and emotional benefits, too — brightening kids' moods, sharpening their concentration and cutting down on stress.

The Children and Nature Network (C&NN) website has an extensive bibliography of related articles.  Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, and Nancy Herron, Outdoor Programs Director for Texas Parks and Wildlife have teamed up giving presentations nationwide on the subject.

Nancy Herron says "The “connection to nature starts locally.” The goal is to increase youth resilience, confidence and self-esteem through more time spent in nature. She said C&NN is making progress with outreach efforts to engage the health community. She referred to new research compilations covering Health and Education Benefits with the goal of making “healthier, happier, smarter children.” Based on this research, she reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Dr. Howard Frumkin says, “We know enough to act.” The outside has a holistic image compared to a gym. It involves all of the senses. "

"The outdoors boosts problem-solving skills, focus and self-discipline. Socially, it improves cooperation, flexibility, and self-awareness. Emotional benefits include reduced aggression and increased happiness. "Children will be smarter, better able to get along with others, healthier and happier when they have regular opportunities for free and unstructured play in the out-of-doors," concluded one authoritative study published by the American Medical Association in 2005."

New research extends the benefits to society when children have ongoing, direct experiences in nature. The route to active concern for the environment as an adult, according to these studies, is to spend a childhood experiencing “wild nature.” Unstructured, independent play in nature creates the strongest attachment. But just as crucial to the nature-child connection, according to this research, is “a mentoring adult” who teaches a child respect for nature.

The couch-potato culture has led not only to epidemic obesity but also to mental health problems, says GP Dr William Bird, founder of the United Kingdom's Green Gym movement and an adviser to the British Department of Health.  ‘The human race has survived in the natural world for 10,000 generations. Disconnecting from our habitual environment challenges our sense of identity and is a significant factor in problems including childhood depression, stress and antisocial behavior.’

One boy in ten and one girl in 18, from age five to ten, has a diagnosed mental health disorder. More than 40,000 children now use antidepressants – a sharp rise over the past five years, he says. Children under 12 who have contact with nature, particularly wild nature, gain ‘a sense of freedom that creates a source of independence and inner strength that can be drawn upon for the rest of their lives’, he says.

All children’s behavior benefits significantly after playing in a natural environment, and the symptoms of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) improve threefold.

Is there a doctor in Midland that prescribes : "Go outside?"