Let’s go outside! Many people spend 90% of their time indoors. It has gotten harder to get young children away from the screen. As we get ready to head outside for more hours than in the winter, let’s explore some of the benefits of being outdoors.

The first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions going outside is fresh air, sunshine and time to renew my spirit and energy.  It takes a great deal of reserved strength to be a great teacher and getting outdoors is a way to renew those reserves.  Time spent enjoying nature helps me renew not only my physical energy, but my emotional outlook as well.  These benefits are enough to make me head for the door. I believe this to be true for young children too.

Jan White in her Exchange (May/June 2013) article, “Somersaults and Spinning: The Serious Work of Children’s Neurological Development says a vast amount of movement is required for the brain to fully develop and then fine-tune its ability to interpret all the motion possibilities.  This also needs to be matched with vision, hearing, and sensory information coming from inside the body (proprioception).  Rather than actually balancing and staying still, it is movement in gravity that makes this sensory system wire up in the brain and body.  It is perhaps not surprising to find that these are the very things that young ­children most want to do and find such pleasure in!”

Young children need to move their whole bodies. Young children need to throw, catch and kick a ball, run, jump, dribble and shoot a ball, climb, chase, gallop, swing, crawl, and be loud. Young children need to dig, fill, spill and carry. They also need space to whirl, twirl, roll and bounce. All of these activities build the large muscles of the body necessary for a sense of equilibrium in relation to space and gravity, which is necessary for school readiness.  All these movements can be accomplished during unstructured play time or under the direct instruction of a teacher or a coach. Games of toss and catch, kicking into a goal, shooting a ball into a basket, hopscotch, jump rope and hula hoops are some traditional playground games. Remember drawing with chalk on the driveway or painting with water on the building are great ways to strengthen muscles.

Young children need the sensory experiences of sight, sound and touch.  Grass, trees, and bushes offer up a variety of sensory experiences.  Use all of your senses when outdoors.

At Friendship Garden Nursery School we are in the process of building an outdoor learning center, as an extension of the indoor classroom.  Since undertaking this project I have been investigating some different elements to include.   Outside of the above mentioned playground activities our area will include a space to make music, a mud kitchen, tables and benches for outdoor discovery, paint easels and a big chalk board.

In this area we will also enjoy sun catchers and wind chimes. There will be baskets of pinecones and tree blocks.  The goal is to assault the senses with nature.

Now, go outside and have fun!

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