Outdoors Crucial to Early Childhood Development
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The Great Outdoors
Cutting-edge studies indicated that direct exposure to nature is essential for a child's healthy physical and emotional development. A growing body of evidence, highlighted by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods, links the lack of nature in children's lives to the rise in obesity, attention disorders and depression.
Quality preschool programs understand this and address these concerns by making outdoor play an essential component of each day. In fact, to maximize the effectiveness of preschool experiences, children must have substantial opportunities to play outside for at least 45 minutes for every three-hour preschool day.
"Based on previous studies, we can
definitely say that the best predictor of preschool children's physical
activity is simply being outdoors...and that an indoor, sedentary
childhood is linked to mental health problems."
- James Sallis, Program
Director, Active Living Research Program for the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation
Room to Grow
Outdoor environments provide children with the space they need to develop muscle skill and coordination, also known as gross motor skills. Outdoor environments at preschools are stocked with a variety of appropriate equipment that help encourage at least seven different gross motor skills beyond the running, jumping, hopping and other actions that a flat surface with no equipment allows. Children need to be able to kick, catch and throw balls, climb, dig, push and pull up with their arms, slide and balance among other possible combinations.
Preschool playgrounds must incorporate stationary equipment such as climbing structures and portable equipment such as tricycles, jump ropes, and balls. Ample equipment should be available so that children can move freely amongst the variety of equipment available to them.
In this photo:
South Bay Unified School District's VIP Village in Imperial Beach
commemorates the construction of a much anticipated play structure
which provides children with a fun way to develop gross motor skills.
Shown in the photo, Preschool Director David Sheppard of VIP Village
is accompanied by key partners who contributed to the effort: Steven Smith representing First 5 San Diego and Claire
Norwood representing the San Diego County Preschool for All
Demonstration Project.
The Nature Deficit
Aside from the importance of stationary and portable play equipment, research shows that simply being outside is important to children. In his book Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv observes a global phenomenon that he calls "nature deficit disorder" which describes the human costs of alienation from nature including diminished use of the senses and attention difficulties. To counteract such a phenomenon, new research studies suggest that exposure to nature may reduce the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and that it can improve all children's cognitive abilities and resistance to negative stresses and depression.
Preschools on the forefront of environmental design have been aware of the importance of the outdoors to children for years. Preschools are known for maximizing all available outdoor space for the benefit of children. A visit to a high quality preschool reveals the variety of outdoor activities and fun available to children outside of the preschool facility. Aside from play equipment, gardens, rocks, trees, shrubs and other flora are often found on preschool grounds.
However, preschools are not limited to their immediate preschool environments. Adults are encouraged to venture into the "real-world" with children on adventures that merge real-life environments with fun and learning.
In this photo: Outdoor adventures appeal to a child's natural curiosity and spontaneity. Here children from Southwestern College Child Development Center examine flora with Kara Casares, a member of the the SDCPFA Professional Development Team. Adventure is right around the corner.
Let's Go Learning Adventures
With the help of the cutting-edge Let's Go Learning Adventures, adults now have access to a wealth of resources online which help guide real-life adventures with their own children. The online Let's Go format provides the user with a series of content-rich modules for adventures such as going on a nature walk, a grocery store, the post office, a restaurant or a vehicle hunt. Each module contains a self-guided interactive interface dedicated to maximizing the opportunities that adults can provide to children while taking these adventures.
The San Diego County Office of Education, under the leadership of San Diego County Preschool For All Professional Development Coordinator Sandy Silverman, has provided the expertise and technical resources necessary to make the Let's Go Learning Adventures useful, fun and available to anyone via the World Wide Web. Printed materials are also available to those who cannot access the Internet.
For more information about the "Let's Go Learning Adventures," contact Sandy Silverman: (858) 292-3620 or ssilver@sdcoe.net
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