January 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 34
Kids and the Outdoors: It's Natural
Embracing " Nature Immersion Therapy " shows kids the
wonders of the outdoors with health benefits to boot
By Ken Keffer
I
'd like to introduce you to a little something I call Nature Immersion Therapy. It's not something fancy, extravagant or complicated. In its simplest
form, Nature Immersion Therapy is about getting kids back outside. And it
directly supports the 10 Million Kids Outdoors initiative, aiming to get children
outside - one classroom, one family and one kid at a time.
On the second anniversary of this
initiative, I can't help but think about
my experiences of yesteryear. At the
risk of overly romanticizing the past, I
remember when growing up was about
gathering the neighborhood for a game
of Kick the Can or Capture the Flag.
Instead of electronic play, we were
building forts in the backyard, flying
a kite in an open field and exploring
the woods at a nearby park or nature
center. Winter was a time for snowball
fights and skiing in the park. This cer-
32 Parks & Recreation
tainly sums up much of my youth. I'm
convinced there is a stretch of bike path
in Wyoming that is still rutted from the
countless miles I put on it as a kid.
It's easy to think that those days are
in the past, but as a naturalist, environmental educator and writer, I'm here to
tell you that childhood is still about the
essentials of outdoor play and learning. When you immerse a kid in nature, cool and amazing things happen.
Much has been written about how
childhood has changed in recent
| J A N UA R Y 2 0 1 5 | W W W. N R PA . O R G
years, and the news is often alarming.
From increased rates of childhood
obesity and mental health disorders,
to the lack of access to green space
in an ever-paved-over planet, we hear
that childhood is doomed. In the 10
years since the publication of Richard
Louv's Last Child In the Woods, Nature
Deficit Disorder has become a growing concern.
Luckily, there is a cure. A growing
body of research has demonstrated
that both structured and unstructured
outdoor play and learning have numerous benefits to children. So whether your Nature Immersion Therapy
with kids includes summer camps,
field trips or just exploring at the local
park, you can make a difference.
January 2015 - Parks & Recreation
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2015 - Parks & Recreation
January 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 1
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