What is the value of nature connectivity in Primary Education?
Hello fellow education enthusiasts, in this blog I wanted to investigate how bringing children closer to nature has the potential for positive outcomes. My interest sparked when working with children, I have observed how each individual child in a group responds to going outdoors, the majority of which is positive. They showed excitement when told that we were going to look for insects, birds and animals. The children had lots of interest in nature and were constantly asking questions and talking about what they were seeing. This is a clear sign that above everything else, children tend to enjoy outdoor play and learning. Especially when it involves interacting with nature. I have seen quieter children becoming more confident and engaging more in sessions and socialising with peers more than they do when inside. This has also been observed by Pascal and Bertram, where they have stated that the involvement shows evidence of deep learning. “The children demonstrated high levels of involvement, which are considered to signal that deep learning is taking place” (Pascal and Bertram, 1997). I would like to investigate what it is about nature that has such positive effects on children and why it should be encouraged in education.
“Children’s contact with the natural world is in decline” (Charles and Wheeler, 2012).
In the modern world, a stereotype that is often talked involving children is that they spend too much time inside and using technology. Whereas in the past children were sent outside to play and explore. Parents nowadays may even stop children from going outside as they are fearful for this safety. But is this really for the best? “4 out of 5 UK children are not connected to nature” (RSPB, 2013). This statistic is shocking, although I do have to question how this was measured. What does it mean to be ‘connected’ to nature? I believe that even some children that have access to nature may not be connected to it. Also, those that do not have access to a quality experience with nature, could still feel connected with it from other experiences. Even so, I still do believe there is a decline in children that have contact with nature and do not see the importance in caring for our world due to the joy what it has to offer can bring us. “Should children continue to be disconnected from nature and not value and respect the importance of protection and conservation, the natural world will further diminish (Miller, 2005). Without children that care for our environment, it will continue to deteriorate, by bringing children outside into forests and beaches they are able to appreciate nature and enjoy being in a different environment where they can explore. Once the child has found a love for their surroundings they will want to preserve it and treat it with respect.
“Ensure contact with nature that highlights the enjoyment and wonder of it, while recognising our place within the natural world in order to build empathy and a sense of responsibility for it” (Cheng & Monroe, 2012). Here, Cheng and Monroe state that we must make sure that the interaction that children have with nature is a positive experience so that they understand the wonder of the world. Practitioners and parents have a responsibility to ensure that the experience children have with nature includes quality play and learning. “It is not enough to insist upon the necessity of experience, nor even of activity in experience. Everything depends upon the quality of experience which is had” (Dewey, 1938/1997, p. 27). People will always reflect on the past experiences they have had throughout their life. If their experience involving nature are positive they will likely think of nature in a positive way and support conservation of the world. Or so we hope. This interaction should be continued throughout a person's life otherwise they could easily lose this ‘connection’ they have with nature. “learners construct their own view of the world based on personal experience” (Higgins & Nicol, 2002, p. 2). We are learners throughout our whole life and we must continue to learn about the world around us so we do not lose touch with it.
“Part of the allure of the outdoors may lie in the departure from the familiar context of the classroom and traditional forms of learning” (Broderick and Pearce 2001; Rea 2008). I believe the main fascination children have with nature is that it breaks up their time spent in the classroom to do something different which involves methods of teaching that are not typically used on a day-to-day basis. They are often given more time to themselves and working with peers opposed to working in a session involving the whole class. This means each child has the opportunity to talk more than they usually would and discuss their ideas without the pressure of talking to a large group of children and the teacher. Teachers can use this unique experience to observe the children and get more of an idea about their holistic development and social skills. However, Waite and Davis (2007) noted how free play and child-initiated exploration of the natural environment appeared to engage children to a greater extent than adult-led activities in Forest School. This suggests that adults should take a step back from trying to control the time spent outside and should give the children independence to investigate their surroundings and be creative by making up games with narratives.
One of the greatest benefits I have witnessed in children due to making connections with nature is the potential to have positive effects on a child’s physical and mental state. “Further, children who spend less time in nature suffer in their health and wellbeing and miss out on opportunities to develop physically and mentally” (Fjortoft, 2001). This is something that can only really be observed over time, practitioners are able to observe how moods change in children when being around nature but this does not directly affect their mental health. I have worked with a group of children over a year and I always noticed that they were their happiest when outside. They were able to run around and climb hills, jump over rocks and skip with their friends. The quietest of children would come out of their shell when in nature, which then affected how engaged they would be inside the classroom. I believe this boost in self-esteem has the potential to have a knock-on effect on a person’s mental health. As well as this, time spent alone with nature can be a time for self-reflection and relaxation. Most people do not take time out of their day to have a moment to themselves. Could we be a less stressed world if we did? Children should be encouraged to do this throughout their life as a way to reflect on their emotions and take control of their mental health. As well as physical benefits, a connection to nature has been shown to relate to happiness in adults with a similar effect size as established factors, such as income and education (Capaldi, Dopko & Zelenski, 2014). This suggests that by continuing a connection with nature throughout your life can lead to more successful prospects and a generally more happier life.
To summarise, the perceived effect of children connecting with nature is extremely positive. Although to actually see these benefits happening, we must ensure that children are given positive and quality experiences with nature and continue to do so throughout their life. They will, therefore, have better mental and physical states, which will affect them in all aspects of life. If we bring up children that care for our planet, more positive changes will be made in the future to help conserve our planet. Many of the benefits stated have the potential to not apply to some children, but the likelihood of connections with nature having negative effects on children is very slim. This should lead to children having more opportunities to connect with nature through outdoor learning and play.
Do you think that nature connectivity is as valuable as I do?
Here is a documentary film on Nature Deficit Disorder by Miranda Andersen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsIYWEodnz0
References
Broderick, A., and G. Pearce. 2001. Indoor adventure training: A dramaturgical approach to management development. Journal of Organisational Change Management 14, no. 3: 239–52.
Capaldi C. A., Dopko R. L. and Zelenski J. M. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 5. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00976
Charles, C., & Wheeler, K. (2012). Children & Nature Worldwide: An Exploration of Children’s Experiences of the Outdoors and Nature with Associated Risks and Benefits. Children and Nature Network and the IUCN's Commission on Education and Communication.
Cheng, J. C. H., & Monroe, M. C. (2012). Connection to Nature Children’s Affective Attitude Toward Nature. Environment and Behavior, 44(1), 31-49.
Dewey, J. (1997/1938). Experience and education. New York: Touchstone.
Fjortoft, I. (2001). The natural environment as a playground for children: The impact of outdoor play activities in pre-primary school children. Early childhood education journal, 29(2), 111-117.
Dewey, J. (1997/1938). Experience and education. New York: Touchstone.
Miller, J. R. (2005). Biodiversity conservation and the extinction of experience.Trends in ecology & evolution, 20(8), 430-434.
Pascal, C., and T. Bertram. 1997. Effective early learning: Case studies in improvement. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Rea, T. 2008. Alternative visions of learning: Children’s learning experiences in the outdoors.Educationalfutures: e-journal of the British Education Studies Association 2. http:// www.educationstudies.org.uk/materials/vol_1_issue_2_rea_final.pdf.
RSPB. (2013). Connecting with Nature. RSPB. Available online at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/connecting-with-nature_tcm9-354603.pdf
Waite, S., and B. Davis. 2007. The contribution of free play and structured activities in Forest School to learning beyond cognition: An English case. In Learning beyond cognition, ed. B. Ravn and N. Kryger, 257–74. Copenhagen: the Danish University of Education.
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