Time Outdoors
Helps Kids Respect and Connect with Nature
September 05, 2014
Story at-a-glance
Children who spent five to 10 hours a week outside developed
a strong attachment to nature, a value that is important to
both human development and well-being
Children who spent much time outdoors also experienced a
wealth of positive emotions, including peacefulness,
happiness, and a sense of belonging to the world
Parents of children with the strongest connections to nature
also spent a lot of time outdoors during childhood, engaging
in experiences that they believe helped to shape their adult
lives and spirituality
Spending time outdoors is associated with better physical
and mental health, and increased life satisfaction, in both
children and adults
By Dr. Mercola
If you live in North America, the unusually long cold winter
may have had you cooped up indoors for far too long. Now that
the weather is finally feeling like spring and summer, you're
probably thrilled to spend more time outdoors… and hopefully
your kids are too.
One of the most beneficial activities for children is simply
spending time in nature. This encourages unstructured playtime,
which is essential for kids to build their imagination, relieve
stress, and simply be kids.
It also allows kids plenty of sun exposure to build and
maintain their vitamin D levels. But there are benefits on a
much deeper level, too, according to recent research in the
Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture.1
Spending Time Outdoors Helps Kids Connect with Nature and
Increases Happiness
The study, though small with just 10 children included,
yielded incredibly meaningful results. Children who spent five
to 10 hours a week outside developed a strong attachment to
nature, a value that is important to both human development and
well-being.
Children who spent a lot of time outdoors also experienced a
wealth of positive emotions, including peacefulness, happiness,
and a sense of belonging to the world. As you might suspect,
parents of children with the strongest connections to nature
also spent a lot of time outdoors during childhood, engaging in
experiences that they believe helped to shape their adult lives
and spirituality.2
Perhaps this study sheds some light on previous research that
has found exposing children with ADHD to nature is an
affordable, healthful way of controlling symptoms.3
Beyond this, growing research shows that humans of all ages
need to maintain their connection with the natural world in
order to achieve optimal health and wellness.
Did You Play Outside Until Your Mom Called You in for Dinner?
Many of you reading this probably remember spending every
daylight hour outside with your friends. Likely these are among
your favorite childhood memories, but times have certainly
changed in that regard, and not necessarily for the better.
For many kids today, childhood is becoming increasingly
overrun with technology, schedules, and time spent indoors, when
the key to health and happiness lies just outside. As reported
by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF):4
"In the last two decades, childhood has moved
indoors. The average American boy or girl spends as few as
30 minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day, and more
than seven hours each day in front of an electronic screen.
This shift inside profoundly impacts the wellness of
our nation's kids. Childhood obesity rates have more than
doubled the last 20 years; the United States has become the
largest consumer of ADHD medications in the world; and
pediatric prescriptions for antidepressants have risen
precipitously.
Our kids are out of shape, tuned out and stressed
out, because they're missing something essential to their
health and development: connection to the natural world."
NWF has compiled a revealing list of facts that shows just
how important outdoor time is for children… and how detrimental
removing this inherent connection to nature may be.5
For the record, nature's benefits don't discriminate.
They're equally relevant to children and adults alike, with
research showing people with access to nature have better
health, increased levels of satisfaction, lower stress, and
greater well-being.
Outdoor play increases fitness levels, fights
obesity, and builds healthy bodies.
Spending time outside raises levels of vitamin D,
helping to protect children from heart disease,
diabetes, bone problems, and more.
Time outdoors improves distance vision and lowers
the chance of nearsightedness.
Schools with environmental education programs score
higher on standardized tests in math, reading, writing,
and listening.
Exposure to environment-based education improves
students' critical thinking skills.
Children's stress levels fall within minutes of
seeing green spaces.
Play protects children's emotional development while
loss of free time and a hurried lifestyle may lead to
anxiety and depression.
Nature makes people nicer, enhances social
interactions, and improves value for community and close
relationships.
Summer Is the Perfect Time for Outdoor Family Activities
A warm sunny day has an allure that is difficult to resist.
Go with your instincts and get outdoors when it calls to you.
Remember, your kids are watching your every move, and if they
see you enjoying the great outdoors, they will too.
Encourage your children to engage in activities that are
naturally interesting to them, such as playing on the monkey
bars, rollerblading, skateboarding, playing basketball with
friends, or even helping you in the garden. Organized sports are
great, but so are spontaneous romps through mud puddles,
climbing trees, and spotting frogs in a nearby creek.
Opportunities to grow and appreciate nature are everywhere,
so try to encourage your child's natural curiosity and sense of
exploration by identifying birds on the way to the bus stop,
talking about the insects you see around your yard, or helping
your child plant a small flower or vegetable garden.
Above all, resist the urge to overly structure your child's
outdoor time, instead encouraging natural active play, time
together as a family, as well as, respect and appreciation for
the outdoor world.
Are You Planning a Trip to the Pool? Chemical Safety Tips for
Every Parent
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
released new data showing that nearly 5,000 chemical-related
pool injuries were treated in US emergency rooms in 2012.6
More than half of these injuries were among children and teens,
most often occurring between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Swimming pool chemical injuries included respiratory problems
from breathing in chemical fumes, eye injuries, and skin
injuries. If you're uncertain whether the pool you're entering
has recently been treated with chemicals, ask before taking a
dip. If you own or operate a pool, the CDC offers the following
tips:7
Store chemicals safely and securely to protect children
and animals from accidental exposure, and keep children away
from the area where chemicals are being handled
Avoid mixing different pool chemicals, especially
chlorine products with acid
Do not pre-dissolve pool chemicals unless the label
instructs you to do so
Add pool chemicals to the water. Do not add water to
pool chemicals
For those of you who have ever wondered if the chlorine
in a swimming pool poses a health risk, now you know that
it certainly can. What you'll find even more unsettling to know,
however, is that the
disinfection byproducts (DBPs) created by chlorine reactions
are far more dangerous.
Would You Know What Drowning Looks Like?
Aside from chemical safety, if you're planning a trip
involving any form of water, please become familiar with what a
drowning person actually looks like (it's not the
way you see in the movies, with shouting and flailing arms).
Drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury
death in the US, where about 10 people die from drowning every
day. The risk is even greater among children aged one to four,
who have the highest drowning rates, and it remains the
second-leading cause of accidental death (second only to motor
vehicle accidents) for kids one to 14.8
What's shocking, however, is that many drowning deaths among
children occur when the child is being supervised and may be
only a short distance from an adult. Occurring quickly and
quietly, a drowning can happen right before your eyes, before
you even realize what happened. Many people believe a drowning
person will flail about in the water, splash, and make noise to
call for help. But this image is far from reality.
Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., a former lifeguard and educator,
coined the term "instinctive drowning response" to describe what
happens when a person is very close to drowning. When a person
is drowning, nature takes over and the movements become a result
of instinct. For starters, the person will not be able to call
for help, as their body is working on struggling to breathe
first and foremost.
They also will not be able to wave their arms to attract
attention, as the instinctive response is for your arms to
extend out laterally and press down against the water's surface
in an attempt to keep your head above water. Children may even
appear to be dog-paddling when in fact they're drowning. The
other telltale sign of a drowning person is no movement from
their legs; a drowning person will not kick but will instead
remain upright in the water, sometimes appearing to be climbing
an invisible ladder with their feet.
Five Signs That Drowning Is Imminent
If a person is shouting and waving for help, they may still
be in distress and need assistance. However, the five signs that
follow, reported in On Scene, the journal of US Coast
Guard Search and Rescue,9
may occur when a person is only 20-60 seconds from disappearing
below the surface:
Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are
physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory
system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary,
or overlaid, function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before
speech occurs.
Drowning people's mouths alternately sink below and
reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of
drowning people are not above the surface of the water long
enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help.
When drowning people's mouths are above the surface, they
exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink
below the surface of the water.
Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature
instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and
press down on the water's surface. Pressing down on the
surface of the water, permits drowning people to leverage
their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water
to breathe.
Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning
people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements.
Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the
surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform
voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a
rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning
Response, people's bodies remain upright in the water, with
no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a
trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle
on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before
submersion occurs.
Other "quiet" signs of drowning reported by Mario Vittone, a
former US Coast Guard rescue swimmer, include:10
Head low in the water, mouth at water level
Head tilted back with mouth open
Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
Eyes closed
Hair over forehead or eyes
Not using legs – Vertical
Hyperventilating or gasping
Trying to swim in a particular direction but not
making headway
Trying to roll over on the back
Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder
Children who are suddenly quiet
9 Top Ways to Get Outdoors as a Family
Are you looking for a few fun and creative ways to spend your
summer outdoors with your family? Try out these simple and
inexpensive outings:
1. Go on a Scavenger Hunt – Make a list
of challenges (find an orange leaf, get a neighbor's
signature, snap a photo of a tulip, etc.), split your family
into teams, set a time limit, and then head off (on foot or
on bike) to see who can complete the most items.
2. Have a Water Day – Tossing water
balloons, splashing in a kiddie pool, and running through a
sprinkler in the backyard are fun ways to stay cool while
enjoying nature on a hot summer day.
3. Set "Mileage" Goals for the Weekend –
Decide as a family how many steps, or how many miles, you
want to travel over the weekend, then have fun trying to
reach the goal. You can use pedometers to measure steps
taken while going on nature hikes, playing tag, and more,
and can challenge the family to increase your goal each
weekend.
4. Wash the Car – Washing the car uses
key core muscles and can be a fun, bonding outdoor
experience, especially if you take time to cool off with the
hose, too.
5. Family Olympics – Get together with a
group of families and compete in outdoor events like
hula-hoops, 50-yard dash, relay race, basketball shoot, and
an obstacle course. You can even make it an annual event!
6. Do Outdoor "Chores" and Gardening –
Weeding the garden, watering plants, planting a garden, and
harvesting fruits and vegetables help your kids connect with
nature while teaching your kids the value of responsibility.
Make outdoor chores fun by setting a time limit and even
turning on some music while you work together as a family.
7. Plan Seasonal Outdoor Activities –
Swimming, biking, canoeing, and hiking are great in the
summer, while, come winter, sledding, ice skating, building
a snowman, or skiing are fun.
8. Play Together – Tag,
hide-and-go-seek, hopscotch, doing cartwheels, and building
an outdoor fort are fun for kids and adults alike.
9. Try Out Family Sports – A backyard
game of softball or volleyball, shooting hoops, or taking a
trip to a golf course give you quality time as a family
while getting you outdoors.