Natural Play

There is growing interest in natural outdoor play spaces for children.  Some of it was started by Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, published in 2005. He coined the term “nature deficit disorder” – a phrase that resonated with parents and educators across the country.

The research is compelling:

• Physically strenuous play contributes to healthy brain development, enhances learning, and improves memory.
• Play in nature-based play areas encourages more fantasy play and more egalitarian play among children of different ages and genders.
• Some research indicates that on playgrounds dominated by play structures, children establish a social hierarchy based on physical competence – which is difficult for children who are shy, delayed in physical development, or just cautious.
• Children who play freely in natural spaces have better motor coordination and better concentration.
• In terms of hour-by-hour physical activity, the exercise that children get in unstructured play outdoors is more varied and less time-bound than in organized sports. 
• The Center for Disease Control refers to unstructured outdoor play as the “magic bullet” for addressing childhood obesity.

The various studies are well-organized on the Children and Nature Network site below. For information, inspiration and immersion in various aspects of connecting children to nature:

• Alliance for Childhood: http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/
• American Horticultural Society: http://www.ahs.org/ (See “kids link”)
• Children and Nature Network:  http://www.childrenandnature.org/
• Conservation Fund: Children & Nature: http://www.conservationfund.org/children-nature
• Landscape & Human Health Laboratory at University of Illinois: http://lhhl.illinois.edu/
• Natural Learning Initiative:  http://www.naturalearning.org/
• Nature Explore:  http://www.arborday.org/explore/
• Playground Design Blogspot:  http://playgrounddesigns.blogspot.com/

Five Natural Play Spaces in Boston
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Why Natural Play Space Matters - See for Yourself!

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CIF in the News
Most recently: The Boston Globe Magazine - The Green Issue, October 10, 2010
Earth angels: These five innovators are doing good deeds at home and far away.

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