Give the kids a break – learning happens outside
What happened to recess? In some places in America it has all but disappeared. In some places, children get a meager 7 minutes of unstructured outside time. We’ve been fortunate to be involved with projects that promote kids’ outdoor learning, such as the Tanglewood Elementary School outdoor classroom. It’s a small thing we can do. We as a society have a bigger thing to do – and that is to reclaim the wisdom that much of children’s learning happens in play.
Does it matter? Yes it does. Think back to when you were a child. Do you remember how sometimes you just needed to blow off some steam by swinging on a branch? Did you have a streambed to turn over rocks and look for crayfish? Maybe you had a grassy field where you could run around with friends and then stare at the clouds floating by.
A recent viral video has gotten people talking about the merits of going outside. When you were a kid, you didn’t need to be told that being outside was good for you. It was natural. Have you heard the term “Nature Deficit Disorder?” The cure lies just on the other side of the door.
