Earth Day is April 22 and it is a day marked to celebrate the earth and identify ways to protect the environment. One way we can extend our Earth Day activities is to take a vow to spend more time in nature. It’s one easy step that has many lasting benefits for both the environment and people.
According to Janice Swaisgood, Children & Nature Network’s National Coordinator of Nature Clubs for Families, here are some easy ways to connect with nature this Earth Day (and beyond):
- Explore nature in your yard or nearest nature area: turn over pots, snap pictures of living creatures and allow unstructured time to romp and connect.
- Attend a community Earth Day fair and learn about ways to protect the nature areas around your community.
- Gather a group of friends to play and learn in nature at a local trail or park.
- Pledge to join or start a nature club of your own. Check out this helpful nature club tool kit from Children & Nature Network.
Swaisgood adds, “There is mounting research that supports the idea that children [and adults] who spend regular time playing and learning in the natural world are happier, healthier, smarter, more creative and better problem solvers.”
Children have few opportunities for unstructured play due to hectic schedules, lifestyle changes, environmental barriers and the rise of electronic media. Current statistics state that over 90% of a child’s week is spent indoors and 50 hours per week is spent on screen time (TV, video games, iPods, etc). That’s a lot of inactivity and it’s leading to some major health problems.
“We have emerging research that links children’s mental, physical and spiritual health directly to their association with nature. We can look at it this way: time in nature is not a luxury; it is essential to our children’s health.”
— Richard Louv, co-founder of the Children & Nature Network.
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Disease Control recommend 60 minutes of unstructured play for kids per day. What does unstructured play look like? It’s gold, old-fashioned free play and an added bonus is if it’s in nature!
“While traditional playgrounds have their time and place, I would encourage parents and caregivers to ‘think outside the park’ into the surrounding settings, particularly if there is more natural area there,” Swaisgood says. “Kids learn to negotiate, create, problem-solve, etc. in very different ways in the natural world when everything isn’t equidistant and covered in rubber protection.”
Utilize Earth Day as a springboard to locate and find ways to connect your family to nature. The health and mental benefits are innumerable and help children (and adults) develop a sense of place, fostering a life-long love of the natural world.
Elise Jones is a writer and social media consultant who is also lucky to call herself wife and mom too. She writes on green parenting, home design and life’s adventures. All of her work can be found at Elise Jones Consulting.
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