Allowing children to regularly explore and experience nature can lead to positive health benefits including lowering the risk of childhood obesity, reducing allergies, and improving mental health. Through nature children experience more physical activity than indoor entertainment which can combat childhood obesity. While in nature a child’s body can adapt to allergies and eventually become immune. Lastly nature can help to improve a child’s overall mental health. Unfortunately interactions with nature have decreased substantially for children when compared to the time their parents spent with nature during their childhood years. This decline is caused by factors such as parental anxiety, and fast paced lifestyles. Despite the factors that caused the decline in children’s experiences with nature there are ways that parents and caregivers can increase nature experience and exploration for their children, allowing them to reap all the benefits nature provides.
With the current obesity epidemic on the rise the number of children in the United States diagnosed as being obese is greatly increasing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past 30 years, and in 2010 it was estimated that over one third of the child population was either considered overweight or obese. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014) Fortunately, allowing children to openly explore and experience nature can greatly lower the risk for childhood obesity. As children play outdoors they partake in various physical activities. These activities can include games such as tag, hide and go seek, or even sports such as soccer and basketball. Other activities are geared toward individual play suc...
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...is only logical that children should be enabled and encouraged to partake in outdoor activities.
Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, February 12). Adolescent and School Health. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
Hitti, M. (2014, February 12). ADHD in Children Health Center. Retrieved from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/childhood-adhd/news/20040827/nature-helps-fight-adhd
News, N. N. (2014, February 12). Get back to nature to reduce allergies and asthma . Retrieved from NYR Natrual News : http://www.nyrnaturalnews.com/nature/2012/05/get-back-to-nature-to-reduce-allergies-and-asthma/
Vindum, T. (2014, February 12). Reduce Stress in the Great Outdoors. Retrieved from Athletachi : http://www.athleta.net/2011/02/23/reduce-stress-in-the-great-outdoors/
However, within the past few decades science has begun further exploring this concept. Research has proven there is a direct link between spending time in nature and improvements in mental and physical health. A 2013 study (Biel and Hanes, 2013) found that spending even just 20 minutes in a natural environment significantly reduced cortisol levels, a hormone linked to stress. Another mental health study, found elderly adults who engaged in outdoor activities were less prone to depression (Christensen, Holt, and Wilson, 2013). In terms of physical health, spending time outdoors has been proven to reduce blood pressure levels and lower heart rates (Richardson, 2013). The scientific research offers an explanation as to why Strayed, Thoreau, and Emerson had such positive mental health experiences after spending time in
Have you noticed that we feel a powerful desire to connect with nature during difficult times? Whether we are injured, depressed or sad our inclination towards nature increases. Patients in hospitals recover faster if they are in a room with a nice view. Why? Because nature is so pure and powerful that can restore our spirits and heal our bodies and minds. The beauty of nature has been praised in art, poetry, writings and films. Naturalists, poets and writers have documented the many benefits of spending time in nature. "Calypso Borealis" by Muir and "I wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by Wordsworth are two great pieces of literature where our hearts are filled with an indescribable emotion. John Muir and William Wordsworth express their relationship
Richard Louv, the author of, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from nature deficit-disorder,” talks about nature and its benefits to a healthy development. Time Experiencing with nature allows people to have healthy development since it promotes creativity and imagination. It does not take more than a couple of steps outside to see nature. It is all around us. It can even be right outside our window. Leaving the blinds open can bring peace of mind, just by viewing it. As people experience time with nature, no matter the age, they develop greater creativity and imagination. It is like people today fear nature.
While this era has helped improve several aspects of the world, it has also harmed a significant element in today’s society. The emerging generations are losing their connections with the natural world. A few decades ago, kids would have fun by playing outside with each other. Nowadays, parents buy their children handheld devices to provide entertainment, and fail to see how harmful they can be to a child’s health. Children lose the idea of what it means to have fun, and rely on a material possession for what should be coming from natural means. Statistics have shown the results of a lack of physical activity in a growing child is detrimental to their adult lives. Being active and in touch with nature provides a healthy lifestyle, and should be added to everyone’s routine. Moreover, obesity is a dilemma within the United States, and is a concern for a large portion of the population. More than one-third of adults in the United States are considered obese. The causes for such a statistic can all lead to losing touch with nature. Whether it is processed foods, transportation, or technology, they all stem from the idea of separating from nature. The more progressive the world becomes, the farther the relationship with the environment decays. Creating food through unnatural processes are harmful in the long run. The nature of man is to be outside and live in harmony with the Earth.
One of these benefits is being able to relieve stress. Some evidence Williams provides to support this is when she writes, “Those living on blocks with more trees showed a boost in heart and metabolic health equivalent to what one would experience from a $20,000 gain in income. Lower mortality and fewer stress hormones circulating in the blood have also been connected to living close to green space” (57). When Williams states this in her article, she demonstrates the positive effects that nature has on the mind just by being around it! An effect so great that it’s equivalent to a “20,000 gain in income”, which a majority of people would be ecstatic about. Whenever I volunteer at The Grotto, I always find it enjoyable compared to volunteering at my high school due to the fact that the Grotto is surrounded by a great deal of wildlife, while on the other hand, volunteering at Centennial High seems to be bland because of it’s stuffy, enclosed, environment. Not only does nature relieve stress on the mind, but it also calms it too. For instance, when Williams writes, “Officers there report calmer behavior in solitary confinement prisoners who exercise for 40 minutes several days a week in a “blue room” where nature videos are playing, compared with those who exercise in a gym without videos” (58). This illustrates how simply seeing nature can affect the human mind, keeping some of the most aggressive, vicious, people calm. Whenever I get angry or frustrated, whether it be a game or homework, I like to go to the Lynch Wood park and lay there, listening to music. This tends to calm me down and revive my focus so that I can work harder. With nature being able to revitalize the mind, it can also aid the body physically too. “In 2009” begins Williams, “a team of Dutch researchers found a lower incidence of 15 diseases—including depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and
Nature Deficient Disorder is “tapping into the restorative powers of nature of nature, we can promote mental and physical health and wellness; build smarter, and more sustainable businesses, communities, etc., which will ultimately strengthen human bonds”(Richard, 2016).
Ecotherapy is an amalgamation of the ideas of ecopsychology and psychotherapy. At its core, ecotherapy claims that personal human distress can be alleviated by developing a connection with nature. It can include a variety of techniques from “horticulture therapy, wilderness excursion work, time stress management and certain kinds of animal-assisted therapy” (Chalquist, 2009). In the emerging sub-field it is often acknowledged that human emotional ailments come from the industrial world in which we live. Humans are evolutionarily wired to react and respond to nature in a way that manmade settings are not currently fulfilling. This disconnect is what allows many mental illnesses to thrive. It is not suggested that a reconnection
Institute of Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved Jan 10, 2011, from Childhood Obesity Prevention Actions for Local Government: www.iom.edu/Activities/Childhood/LocalObesPrevention.asp
For many people nature is the number one way to relieve stress. There are numerous videos, cassette tapes and CD’s on the market that show nature scenes and/or play nature sounds. One might ask why. Well, the answer is that nature tends to be peaceful, calm and relaxing. It is a place where someone can get away from the madness of a busy life. There are many companies and individuals trying to sell all kinds of things to get people to relax and “de-stress” their lives. In addition to the videos, tapes and CD’s, there is an abundance of marketing strategies to relieve stress including: counseling, exercise or health clubs, pills, massage therapists and health spas. All this “stuff” can becom...
From long walks in the park, to owning houseplants, to simply viewing videos or photographs of open scenery, researchers have uncovered nature 's indisputable healing qualities. Subjects within experiments reporting of significant changes in
The debate over technology being healthy for our children has been a debate that has gone on for years. It appears as though the tragedy that children are missing out on hands-on nature is definitely something we all must learn to accept. Nicholas D. Kristof hits the nail on the head when he suggest that we try to preserve nature but we don’t promote natural activity such as hiking, biking, camping, and “discovering the hard way what a wasp nest looks like”. Kristof does an effective job getting the point across on experiencing nature and limiting technology. He is a father that is destined for his young daughter to know about the outdoors with personal experimentation. Kristof’s intended audience is geared toward people that want their children and themselves to be involved in nature, but they have been consumed with this technological age.
There are many things the general public take for granted, many of these things include: the outdoors, animals, plants, and basically Mother Nature. The word Nature is derived from the Latin word Natura, meaning birth, which is exactly what being in the wilderness does to one’s spirit or soul; it gives them a new birth and spunk. A famous American writer, Edward Paul Abbey, known for his advocacy of environmental issues, said “Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread”. Many people would believe that Edward Ebbay quote is a powerful one, because now and then humans need to take a break from civilization and from their stressful environments and enjoy the beautiful Nature. Also, there have been studies supporting the idea that being or just visiting the wilderness can lower anxiety and depression, since Nature provides the multiple needs humans lack in urban environments, such as direct sunlight, exercise, and fresh air. The wildlife is a great opportunity to always take, since one will get connected to: Nature,...
Because they are becoming more and more obese, children in America today may suffer the consequences of not having good health when they get older and of living a much shorter life than today’s adults. Contrary to many beliefs, “obesity, which used to be a middle-aged and later phenomenon, now, has spread to younger ages, in the context of a major decrease in physical activity” said Caleb Finch (“Wasowicz”). More than half the time, this obesity follows a child into their adulthood. Researchers are frequently asked many questions about the causes of obesity, and they are frequently finding answers. Sometimes, parents are too scared to inform their children and doctors are afraid of upsetting their patients. Also, food in larger, unhealthier portions is easier to access than healthy foods, and many children do not exercise as much as they should. Obesity can have detrimental effects on a child’s physical and mental well being.
On the other hand, nature elements are proven to restore attentional fatigue and contribute both psychological and physiological benefits (Hartig et al., 2003; Ulrich & Simons, 1986; Ulrich et al., 1991). R. Kaplan and Kaplan (1989) proposed a restorative environment requires four features: being away, extent, fascination and compatibility to promote recovery from attentional fatigue. In natural environment, urban dwellers can obtain a sense of freedom from daily routine and projects that require massive mental efforts (being away). Nature usually has abundant and coherent landscape structures. It encompasses trails for exploration (extent), and many attractive elements, such as: animals, trees or plants, water features (fascination), and it
In an excerpt for Lost Child in the Wood by Richard Louv, he tells us about the benefits children who are diagnose with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD and Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD could have just by being out in nature. He even suggests the can be miss diagnosed. Instead they can be surfing from something known as Nature – Deficit Disorder or NDD. In this particular part of the book that was read in class it explained how we as people have cut ourselves off from nature and though many people can coup with this, there are some who suffer from the lack of connect with the greenery and open spaces of nature. The book states “of the twenty-first century, nearly 40 percent of American elementary school either eliminated