The Great Outdoors

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The Great Outdoors North Carolina
Cooperative ExtensionNorth Carolina State
University
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Objectives

• How you can affect the quality of outdoor child
  care environments
• How you can teach families about the importance
  of spending time together outdoors

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Outdoor play is a great way to create connections
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Myth or Fact?

• Being outdoors cannot affect the obesity problem.
• Pediatricians recommend no TV for children under
  age 2
• TV has led to some poor results for children and
  families
• The outdoors can help your relationship with your
  child

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What we know . . .

• We have always believed that it is healthy for
  children to play outdoors.
• An increasing body of research indicates HOW
  important outdoor play really is!

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It is important for. . .

• Health
• Fitness
• Attention/Focus
• Emotional/Social development

• Social skills
• Language development
• Nature/science knowledge
• Complexity of play
• Problem-solving skills

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Why arent children going outside?

• Safety concerns
• Crime
• Traffic
• Rules, regulations, sanitation
• Air quality ozone days
• Sun safety
• Current conditions
• Lack of high quality outdoor environments
• Over-emphasis on academics
• Free space shrinking

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What are the consequences?

• Type some responses in the white chat box

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What are the consequences?

• Decline in physical fitness
• Rising childhood obesity rates, juvenile diabetes
• Increase in attention issues
• More allergies, asthma, respiratory illness
• Children not learning to care for/appreciate the
  environment

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Going Green

• Who will care for our environment in the next
  generation?
• Are we passing down HOW to care?
• Litter, landfill concerns, water, air concerns

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Obesity is a concern for adults and children

• Obesity is a critical health problem that has
  increased to serious effects on long term health.

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Obesity Trends Among U.S. Adults1991, 1996, 2004
Obesity Trends Among U.S. Adults1991, 1996, 2004
(BMI ?30, or about 30 lbs overweight for 54
person)
1996
2004
No Data lt10 1014
1519 2024 25
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So what?!

• Obese children lead to obese adults
• Sedentary activities
• The strongest predictor of physical activity
  among children is time spent outdoors.

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• Children need 1 hour per day of vigorous
  activity. (U.S. Surgeon General)

But More than half of parents (54) said that
they had little or no time to spend engaged in
physical activity with their children, but wish
they had more time.
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Research tells us . . . .

• Children who are exposed to natural environments
  attend better for longer periods of time.
• Exposure to nature and natural settings improves
  attention span.

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Another consequence

• Attention and behavior problems are being
  increasingly reported by teachers and parents.

discipline
ADHD
Focus
impulse control
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Research tells us . . . .

• Exposure to nature and natural settings decreases
  impulsivity in children.
• Exposure to nature and natural settings decreases
  challenging behaviors in young children.

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Research tells us . . . .

• The outdoors facilitates children's ability to
  expand their sense of wonder and connection to
  nature.

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Historical perspective
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(No Transcript)
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Why Develop an Outdoor Scale?

• Existing measures of quality were limited
• Focus on indoor environment
• Outdoor measures focus primarily on safety
• Existing measures not comprehensive

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Purpose and Use

• To define outdoor quality
• To improve existing conditions
• To provide guidance for new design and
  construction
• To document change and improvements
• To inform policy

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The Development Team

• Karen DeBord, Professor State Extension
  Specialist, North Carolina State University
• Linda L. Hestenes, Associate Professor
• Department of Human Development Family Studies,
  University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• Robin C. Moore, Professor of Landscape
  Architecture,
• College of Design, North Carolina State
  University, The Natural Learning Initiative
• Nilda G. Cosco, Education Specialist
• The Natural Learning Initiative, College of
  Design, North Carolina State University
• Janet McGinnis, Program Consultant, NC Office of
  School Readiness, More at Four Pre-kindergarten
  Program, Raleigh

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Characteristics of POEMS

• 56 items
• 5 domains
• Checklist format present/not present
• Observation and Interview

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Five Domains

• Physical Environment (13 items)
• Interactions (13 items)
• Play Learning Settings (13 items)
• Program (9 items)
• Teacher/Caregiver Role (8 items)

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What do we do outside?

• Be intentional
• Learn about the outdoors and quality
• Be involved and plan
• Tour other locations for ideas
• Take this photo tour (depicts mostly preschoolers)

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Physical Space

• Entrances, circulation pathways, drainage,
  accessible, natural feel, shade

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Indoor outdoor connection
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Settings

• Storage, think whole development, shade, natural
  manufactured

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Storage for outside clothes Boots, hats, gloves,
umbrellas Change of clothes
Clothing Storage
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Teacher interaction

• Involved but not intrusive
• Planned curiosity
• Observe and pick up on child cues
• Listen to what children are interested in
• Use of questions

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(No Transcript)
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Interactions

• Encourage child to child, to adult, with
  environment

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Program

• Anything you can do inside you can do outside

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Model environmental care
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(No Transcript)
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Consider redesigning
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Some first steps Pathway Shade Stage/platform
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Phased plan -Attracting wildlife -Planned
plantings -Incorporation of each curriculum area
(art, drama, science, etc)
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(No Transcript)
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Families

• Direct connections with families
• Pediatricians
• Child care
• Media
• Special events, museums, parks
• Youth

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Resources

• Extension
• Horticulture (Liz Driscoll, Lucy Bradley)
• Forestry (Project Learning Tree)
• College of Design
• FCS 4-H (www.poemsnc.org)
• NC Outdoor Learning Alliance
• http//www.osr.nc.gov/ole

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Web Tour

• www. Poemsnc.org--gt Links
• POEMS DVD (Order for 10 for Agents)
• http//www.osr.nc.gov/ole

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Other age groups
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Infants Toddlers

• Sensory awareness (smell, taste, feel, hear)
• Physical safety, trials (climb, bend, walk,
  collect, dump, stack)
• Parent involvement

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School-agers

• Youth set own learning goals
• Hobby related (photography, collecting, using
  hands)
• Think all curriculum areas outside -settings
  (forts, hiking, fishing, water, food prep)
• Peer to peer connections

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Change the thinking

• Its not recess anymore
• Discuss with other staff members
• Make outside a place you want to be
• Contributes to healthier living
• Contributes to environmental care
• Overcome your personal biases/fears first

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Questions