Friday, May 28, 2010

Update on Children in Nature

It has been a while since my last mail out, but there is some interesting work being done that I want to share with you.

From the Winnipeg Free press an article on the study of a soil borne microbe that increases serotonin levels in the brain and appears to aid in learning. Great news for children's gardening programs! Click here for the article. Click here for a (slow loading) video discussion of the research.

Researches in Washington State conducted an experiment in a blank walled office and another equipped with flat screen tv's showing park settings. Which do you think was most restful? Click here for details of this interesting study.

For those of you that might not have had a chance to explore the "Discover the Forest" website I sent out in the last email, click here for a link to an article that describes the it and leads you to some specific sections of the site.

For info on "Why Teens are Not Involved in Out-of-school Time Programs: The Youth Perspective" click here for the results of a study. While this is not a study focussing on getting kids outdoors, it gives insight into what we have to do to attract this age group of children and young adults.

Ted Ritzer from Alberta Parks sends info on a US youth program that assists with work in National, State and other park systems called the Student Conservation Association. For a video showing their work, click here. For the history of the program, click here.

From the NRPA newsletter we have this article on the increasing popularity of natural playgrounds. Click here for the article.

In praise of physical activity...this article cited by the NRPA newsletter speaks of student's needs to be active and the academic benefits this brings. Click here for the article.

Recreation Management magazine provides us with an extensive article on the move to natural play spaces. This article has ample pictures to illustrate points made in the writing. Click here for details.

The Lifestyle information Network provides us with an Active Healthy Kids Canada report card with some warnings about the health of the youngest, most vulnerable elements of our population. Click here to see a summary of the report.

From the Children & Nature Network comes the summary report of the Grassroots Survey done in 2009. This report looks at the general condition of Children in Nature opportunities in the US (and to a very small extent, Canada). Click here for the results.

More from Ted Ritzer. This link the the Catching the Spirit Youth Society in Vancouver provides some ideas for outdoor program opportunities for kids. Click here for the link.

A study from the University of Essex in GB. suggests "A walk a day keeps the doctor at bay". The article suggests the relationship of nature to the human psyche is a key factor in determining our mood. Read the article by clicking here.

There is a Children in Nature gathering being planned in central Alberta. Alberta Recreation and Parks is NOT involved in staging this event, but I am sharing it with you as information. Click here to go to the Lak'ech Ecolodge website and look under upcoming events for more info.

Recess coaches help kids learn outdoor games and teach them how to resolve conflict on the school grounds. Click here for a link to this article from NRPA.

Sprynt Ontario provides this link for Youth Friendly Communities. Click here to look at the report on this PDF.

The Alberta Council for Environmental Education offers a link to look at the results of a survey they conducted to determine the attitudes Alberta's youth have concerning the environment. Click here to link with their website and select the polling information for review.

Please note that I will be sending you a survey tomorrow on Children in Nature. I would greatly appreciate you taking the time to complete it.

Thanks, on behalf of the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association.

Cliff Lacey