Children Need Nature

The message...."Get your children outside to play" has been circulating widely for the past several years. Much of the attention children and nature are getting these day is due largely to the national best-selling book "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv in which he coins the term Nature Deficit Disorder. A growing body of research (compiled at The Children & Nature Network and available on-line) all show that today's children are spending significantly less time among nature than older generations did as children. 

A survey completed by the Outdoor Foundation found that only 59% of youth 6-24 years old participated in a list of 40 outdoor recreation activities during an entire years time! This percentage continues to decline each year. 

There are of course plenty of valid reasons why children's contacts with nature are declining. Urban areas have been increasing- decreasing natural spaces and many parents don't live in areas where they feel their children will be safe exploring on their own. As a result, many children's activities tend to be organized and adult led such as team sports or lessons. With the increase in both the access and variety of childhood media options, it is very easy to spend free time looking at a screen rather than looking out of the car window at the sights passing by. 

Why be concerned about children and nature? 

Will it really make a difference for the kids? 

According to the Children, Youth and Environments Center for Community Engagement children who spend more time in natural environments have reduced stress, increased physical health, and display increased creativity and increased concentration. 

The biophilia hypothesis by Edward Wilson, suggests there is a distinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. Multiple studies support this hypothesis showing improved feelings of well-being in subjects after exposure to natural environments. 

Having free-play outside provides children:

• Less physical boundaries 
• Decreased adult interference
• More meaningful learning experiences
• Increased independence

Set up safety guidelines ahead of time

Safety of children is always a concern so be sure to state any rules or boundaries ahead of time to enable children to fully engage and direct their own play within the safety of those boundaries. Keep in mind the environment to determine how much- or little- space you can safely give the kids. 

Allow children to direct their own play

No need to organize a structured activity, dictate what to look for or engage in a geology lesson. If children are interested in the names of the things they find or see, they will most likely ask you so try to avoid rattling off the names of the flora and fauna in the area ;) Hang back and watch the wonder unfold. Children will take charge of their play and you can hang nearby and explore at your leisure too.

What children learn in nature will "stick"

Spending time in nature also exposes children to vast number of new sensory experiences. Multisensory experiences increase the number, complexity, and efficiency of neural connections in the brain. This is why engaging multiple senses in learning activities has become a goal for educators. Additionally, when play is child directed it becomes more meaningful and the fact that it occurs in context also increases its meaning. So while we can talk about damns or even visit a damn, when a child builds a damn through trial and error with some flowing water and materials on-hand, they will walk away with a more complete understanding of a damn. And....children with positive learning experiences will approach school with more positive attitudes. 

Improve your sense of self with a trip outdoors

Spending time in natural settings also allows children more opportunities to take calculated risks, such as climbing a tree, or leaping over a brook with out soaking their shoes. Children use their bodies differently than they would indoors or even in structured outdoor settings. Walking up a hill or on a string of granite boulders is much different than walking along a graded path or sidewalk. Being outdoors allows children more choices, more opportunities and more independence. 

Creating time to expose children to nature can be a challenge for many families depending upon where they live. The Children's Nature Network has tool kits to help families and friends create nature clubs for families.This allows adults to share in the planning, transportation and supervision of kids in outdoor settings providing an increase in the number of opportunities and access children have to experience nature.

Make time to connect with nature...

wonders await 

River Rocks as a Paint Palette

Spending time outside often leads the children who are "collectors" to gather up items of interest, including cool, smooth river rocks.

Offer some acrylic paints and paintbrushes and see what this palette offers the artist.

You will need:
smooth stones (you can collect or purchase at a local landscaping store)
acrylic paint
paint brushes
water cups
clear spray paint (optional, and an adults job)
                                                                                                                                                       

Pizza!

A doll

A face

A superhero emblem

A baseball

An Easter Egg

Younger children will also enjoy painting the smooth rocks. Our young artist asked for brown, so we offered to shades of brown and white paint to help add depth.                                                    

Optional- Have an adult spray painted surfaces with a clear acrylic to protect from the water and weather. 

Offer Kids Drinking Water Often

With the hot summer days upon us it is important to remind children to drink plenty of water in order to avoid dehydration and heat exhaustion. Our body is composed of roughly 75% water. Water is especially important in helping to maintain an optimum body temperature of 98.6 degrees and it also helps maintain our blood volume.

Just as a plant in a smaller pot can dry out more quickly than a plant in a larger, deeper pot, younger children are more vulnerable to dehydration and overheating than adults. 

Be sure to have plenty of cool water on hand to offer children. Often children can become very absorbed in an activity and may need to be reminded to take a water break. 

Total water needs (estimates) for children:
         1-3 years.......about  4  cups of fluids
         4-8 years.......about  5  cups of fluids
Boys 9-13 years....about  8  cups of fluids
Girls 9-13 years.....about  7  cups of fluids
Boys 14-18 years..about 11 cups of fluids
Girls 14-18 years...about  8  cups of fluids

*If the weather is hot and/or humid and children are physically active, their needs for fluids will increase. 


Recommendations taken from Daily Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride and Sulfate

The figures above are for total water consumed including those in beverages other than water and fluid rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables. 

Water along with a well balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables is ideal for keeping kids hydrated. Water has no sugar (great for dental care), no caffeine, no calories (great for healthy weight maintenance), no unnatural additives, and it is free! 

For children who are used to flavored beverages add some natural flavoring agents to increase consumption of water.

Orange Mint Water
3 large oranges, sliced
10 mint leaves
1 half of gallon of water
Place mint and orange slices in a pitcher and add water. Allow flavors to blend at least two hours in the refrigerator. Pour in glasses over ice and serve garnished with an orange slice and a sprig of mint.

Watermelon & Basil Water
2 cups of seedless watermelon, cubed
10 to 12 basil leaves
1 half gallon of water
Pour water over watermelon and basil. Refrigerate at least two hours and then serve in glasses over ice, garnished with a sprig of basil.

Salud!

Enjoy these posts for more information on child feeding & nutrition. 

If you are a child care provider in California you can receive cash reimbursements for providing healthy food to the children in your care. If you are a child care provider in El Dorado, Alpine, Placer, Nevada or Mono county our agency can help you enroll in the California Child Care Food Program (CCFP).

Puffy Paintings

This activity is sensory rich and process oriented.

You will need:
Watercolor tubes
Shaving cream
White school glue
Cardboard
Paintbrush
Popsicle sticks, or any object which will "draw" through the puffy paint.

First we added a couple pea sized squirts of paint from our watercolor tubes to the glue.

Then we added- roughly, an equal amount of shaving cream.

Cut a piece of cardboard- which will be your art surface.

Paper won't hold up with this art medium.

Apply your paint by hand or with a paintbrush.

Use popsicle sticks, forks, etc. to draw your design.

Give your project a few days to dry- laying it flat.

 Our second attempt look a little bit more work.

 Yikes! We needed a larger container......

No problem...we moved it to a bowl.

Oh no, our paint was runny.....

No problem...we added more shaving cream to the surface and mixed on the cardboard surface.

Ahh- and even dried, they have the invigorating smell of shaving cream!

Blackberries & Raspberries: Fruit/ Vegetable of the Month

Raspberries and Blackberries are members of the rose family and are native to Asia. These sweet berries grow on thorny bushes which grow wild in many areas of the world. Some berries are a hybrid of raspberries and blackberries: tayberries, loganberries, and boysenberries. Besides red raspberries, raspberries can be yellow, orange, or purple/black.
Raspberries and blackberries are considered as super fruits because they are packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals which promote health and inhibit growth of cancerous cells. (details)
Both raspberries and blackberries are rich in fiber, vitamin C, manganese, vitamin K, and folate.

Children naturally enjoy these deliciously sweet berries. Top oatmeal, dried cereal, granola, yogurt, or green salad with berries. Make smoothie with a banana a couple handfuls of berries, yogurt and ice.

For a great math and science activity to complete with children, purchase raspberries (in various colors if available), blackberries and any available hybrids such as boysenberries. For a group activity, have everyone taste each berry and record each person's favorite on a chart. Create a bar graph to show which berries are most preferred. If you don't have a large enough group for the project, taste each berry and describe the differences between each berry- taste, appearance, size.... After you are finished, you can throw them in a pie shell or make a fresh berry cobbler to enjoy!

If you are a child care provider in California you can receive cash reimbursements for providing healthy food to the children in your care. If you are a child care provider in El Dorado, Alpine, Placer, Nevada or Mono county our agency can help you enroll in the California Child Care Food Program (CCFP).

Wild blackberries growing along a bike path in Oregon.

Recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables varies with age.

Children ages 2-3 need   1- 1.5 cups of fruits and 1- 1.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Children ages 4-8 need   1-2     cups of fruits and 1.5-2.5 cups of vegetables each day. 

Children ages 9-13 need 1.5-2  cups of fruits and 1.5-3.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Teens ages14-18 need   1.5 -2.5 cups of fruits and 2.5-4 cups of vegetables each day.

Keep in mind that fruits and vegetables are rich in essential vitamins and minerals needed for optimum growth and development. Check out  CDC's fruit and vegetable calculator for an more accurate recommendation based upon age, sex, and activity levels.

Remember your plate.......

Half of your plate should have fruits and vegetables

Watercolors & Stencils

This is an outdoor art project our agency has offered many times at local children's events and the kids always enjoy immensely. We set up this activity outside with a bin of water to rinse the stencils and an area for spraying which will allow for easy clean up for the over spray.

An additional bonus to this activity is the fine motor strength developed from squeezing the spray bottle. If you don't have plastic stencils, you can use any object that creates a nice silhouette or trace a simple shaped object onto a large plastic lid, cutting out the shape. If you don't have liquid watercolors, you can create them with watercolor paint in tubes. Squeeze some watercolors into a spray bottle, add water and shake to create your own liquid watercolors.

You will need:

Liquid water colors or watercolor tubes

Paper

Spray bottles (re-use some spray bottles or buy some at the Dollar Store)

Stencils

Crayons

Place the stencil over the paper, spray and done!

Variations: Embellish this art project using crayons before spraying as our artist did with this tiger.



And the artist added the yellow center of this flower with yellow crayon.



Be sure to offer multiple colors and multiple shapes to provide children plenty of creative input into this process oriented art project.

June 2013 Child Care Referral Data

See what kind of child care parents in El Dorado County were looking for in the month of June-based upon data collected when parents contacted us during this time frame.

If total percentages exceed 100% it is because more than one response or category was recorded for some clients.

Magnetic Marble Paintings

This project is similar to marble painting but using a magnetic wand and magentic marbles allows children to create more intense and intentional movements with the marbles.

You will need:
A metal sheet pan
Magnetic wand
Magnetic marbles
Two colors of paint
Paper

We used magnetic marbles from a Magnetix building set.

Place a piece of paper over the metal sheet pan.
We tried using a large plastic lid from a large storage container and a cardboard box but the sheet pan worked the best by far. It was smooth and kept a strong contact between the marble and the magnet wand.

Add a small amount of paint in opposite corners. Adding some marbles to each color.

With the blue and yellow project we used 10 marbles. With the red and blue project we used only two marbles. We noticed when using a larger number of magnetic marbles they would become magnetized and begin sticking to each other. We needed break them up with a slight jolt from time to time.

The artist named this piece "Color Clash"