The Cure...Naturally?

Imagine a school with outdoor classrooms, with comfortable space to spread out and learn while outside breathing fresh air, experiencing natural light, and moving away from the constraints built into the school day. Imagine hiking through the woods and taking note of the biology encountered. Imagine taking water samples from a mountain stream, in several different locations to compare the composition of the water. Imagine taking kids to an old fashioned farm where they could experience the work required to clear, plow, and plant land without the use of engines. Imagine having them milk cows, collect eggs, churn butter, wash clothes by hand, haul hay bales, butcher animals and prepare them for consumption, and all the other processes that had to be accomplished in order to survive. Maybe our obesity problem is partially due to the fact that food is just too easy to come by; it’s too accessible. Maybe they should sew their own clothes to appreciate the work that goes into a shirt or a pair of pants.

The goal, despite all the names listed in the readings, is to get kids into the surrounding community and nature. While getting kids out might require a bit more coordination and less reliance on technology, the benefits seem to be very clear. From gaining vitamin D, getting exercise, alleviating ADHD symptoms, encouraging relaxation, and student performance, the research is clear the benefits abound, so why don’t more schools promote this type of learning?
It would seem there would be a few reasons. First, I think the lack of conducive space is a factor. For instance, if I wanted to take my kids outside on school grounds during the day, there really is no place to go. The grounds are dominated by P.E. classes which would make it difficult to hear and possibly concentrate. Second, time constraints might be an issue. There are a couple parks which are within walking distance, but I think it would be difficult to justify the use of class time to walk the kids there and back. This brings me to the third issue – liability. I could see some administrators being very uncomfortable with having students leave grounds without a permission slip (might be able to cover with a blanket one for the year though).

While I agree with the benefits and would like to see some feasible options developed, I’m not sure the education climate in our area, at least for public schools, is quite to this place yet. However, I do think it can easily be accommodated with extra-curricular clubs. This may not allow all students to be reached, but it is a start. Outdoor clubs which get kids outside to explore and experience their world is a fabulous idea, which I might be feasible to find funding for through grants…worth exploring? Absolutely!

On another note, I really appreciate all the resources listed in the article “Do Our Kids Have Nature-Deficit Disorder?”