By Graham Little

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, describes a world in which our connection to the natural environment has shifted. He states that, “nature is something to watch, consume, to wear – to ignore. A recent television ad depicts a four-wheel-drive SUV racing along a breathtaking beautiful mountain stream – while in the backseat two children watch a movie on a flip-down video screen, oblivious to the landscape and water beyond the windows.” Scenes like this have become all too commonplace in our society as children become more and more removed from the natural world. In our schools, we see more emphasis placed on math and technology and less on learning about our natural environment leading us to wonder exactly what affect this is having on our children and their development.

Research has shown that the decline in outdoor play has contributed to the rise in obesity rates as well as the rise of various social and emotional problems including negative moods and reduced attention spans. As children spend more time indoors, connected to technology and the internet, and less time engaged in free or structured play in the natural environment we see the negative effects of nature-deficit disorder or NDD. NDD, while not a formal medical term, can be detrimental to our children’s overall growth and well-being.

Outdoor play has proven to strengthen the immune system and well as improve Vitamin D levels which can help prevent heart disease and diabetes. In their research, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has stated that outdoor, physical activity can help reduce stress and have positive impacts on anxiety and attention deficit disorder. This is critical is a society where are children are continuing to have greater pressure placed on them to perform academically to be successful. The AAP also states that children who experience outdoor play achieve more at school and demonstrate more advanced self-confidence, resiliency and self-advocacy. The latter of these has proved to help children develop healthy relationships and learn leadership skills.

The cure for NDD is not as simple as one may think. We live in a society which has made unstructured outdoor play scary. Through images on TV, and messages from well-meaning advocacy groups, we see nature as a place where our children are at risk from injury or harm from strangers. Where can we find an environment where our children are encouraged to explore the natural environment but parents can feel safe that their children will be supervised and safe? The answer is summer camp. Whether it be day camp or overnight camp, summer camp is a place where children are given the freedom to explore the natural world in an environment where they can feel nurtured and develop healthy peer relationships.

Peg Smith, former CEO of the American Camp Association, states that “camp plays a more important role today in fostering children’s connection to nature than in the past. While children have fewer and fewer opportunities to be outdoors, the camp experience advances the outdoor learning environment.” Sending your child to camp can be a life-altering experience that will not only improve their physical health but also help them develop the necessary skills to be successful in school and beyond.

JCYS Camp Henry Horner, located on 180 acres on Wooster Lake in the northern Chicago suburb of Ingleside, has embraced their role in combatting NDD. Not only does the wooded site provide the perfect environment for children to be surrounded by nature but in Summer 2018 they will offer expanded programming through their Outdoor Skills Lab (OSL). During their time in the OSL campers will learn about the natural environment through experiential activities surrounding a variety of topics including animal studies, aquatic environments and tree identification. In addition to environmental education, campers also will learn Outdoor Living Skills in the OSL. These skills include, knot tying, how to safely build a fire for cooking, shelter building, archery and outdoor safety/first aid. A key component of the OSL will take place on the camp’s High Sierra Adventure Center where campers will practice teambuilding skills on the challenge course, climb on the rock wall, overcome fears on the high ropes course and fly through the woods on the zip line.

More information about combatting Nature-Deficit Disorder and planning for summer camp can be found online. We recommend the following sites:

The Children and Nature Network – Research and Community Networks

Richard Louv – Author

American Camp Association – Resources for Campers and Families.

• Graham Little holds a Master’s Degree in Recreation Administration – Outdoor Pursuits from the George Williams College of Aurora University, has over 20 years of camp operations and management experience and currently serves as the Director of JCYS Camp Henry Horner in Ingleside, IL.

 

[vc_row fullwidth=”true” fullwidth_content=”false” el_class=”pb72″][vc_column width=”2/3″ offset=”vc_col-lg-offset-2 vc_col-md-offset-2 vc_col-sm-offset-2″][vc_column_text]In October of 2017, Rachel Sherman and Turhan Karabey, two of the best and brightest JCYS educators, were accepted for the JUF Reggio Emilia Community of Practice. As part of a delegation of Early Childhood Educators from across the country, they traveled to the home of the Reggio Emilia approach to Early Childhood Education, Reggio Emilia, Italy. For 10 days they immersed themselves in study in order to boost their own knowledge of the play-based system.

As I look back now at the excitement I had when Turhan (Karabey) and I were accepted for the JUF Reggio Emilia Community of Practice I realize that I had no idea the amazing experience that awaited me. We joined a group of 7 other educators, administrators, and atelieristas headed by our incredible leader Jenna Kalkman-Turner. We attended meetings beforehand with the Chicago group to study together, prep ourselves, and get to know one another. We quickly became a tight knit group filled with ideas to share and ready to learn from the experts in the field of Early Childhood Education.

The Reggio approach to early childhood education was born out of the city of Reggio Emilia, Italy post WWII when the ton was trying to rebuild from bombed out rubble areas and loss of lives. The community came together under the leadership of Mr. Loris Malaguzzi (a man who at the time was an administrator in the Reggio Emilia school system) to discuss how to ensure that these atrocities don’t happen again and more importantly how to move forward. They all agreed that the way in which they educated their youth needed to be revised with an emphasis on creating critical thinkers. To encourage a love of learning they expose the students to what they describe as the 100 languages, meaning that through materials, different medium, and exploration children can express themselves. While I have studied and worked in this way for over 15 years I now know that I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. Being in Italy, being able to witness and interact with the Reggio approach first hand was one of the biggest learning experiences of my life.

When we arrived, we joined a contingency from Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Israel. We toured Venice and celebrated Shabbat over amazing plates of pasta and risotto while discussing how to look at our learning experience through a Jewish lens. We then traveled to Reggio Emilia on Sunday and were welcomed by a parent of students in the Reggio Emilia preschools. She led us on a tour of the city, giving us some historical context as well. The next morning, we journeyed together to the Loris Malaguzzi International Center. There we spent the next five days attending presentations by teachers, pedagogistas, atelieristas and staff of Reggio Children (the larger organization the city has put together to manage all of the schools.)

The seminars often involved video footage of long term projects or dissection of themes in the greater community of schools. We found ourselves learning how they document during the process, their collaboration with one another, and so much more. We were also fortunate enough to visit a few of their sites to observe the work and the environments. But, all of that and more to come, as we share our new knowledge with the greater JCYS community in the coming months.

By
Rachel Sherman – Assistant Director of Early Childhood Education, Michael R. Lutz Family Center – Wicker Park
Turhan Karabey – Assistant Center Director, Michael R. Lutz Family Center – Wicker Park[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]