How Nature Nurtures Kacee Weaver Analysis of Contemporary Issues in Education and Montessori Submitted To: Sandra Wyner Andrew The Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs St. Catherine University July 28, 2013

13 to 20 percent of children in the US suffer from Mental Disorders With the most prevalent being Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

An Estimated $247 BILLION dollars is spent each year on childhood mental disorders One Swedish study showed; Coming from a family on welfare benefits increased the risk of ADHD medication by 135% when compared with households not claiming benefits. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100601072634.htm

On average, children in the US spend as little as 30 minutes outside each day involved in unstructured play And, as many as 7 hours in front of an electronic screen Two-Thirds of children can’t pass a basic physical and 40% show early signs of heart circulation problems

What’s wrong with this picture?!

Contact with nature is essential to healthy child development

What is YOUR best childhood memory?

Adult Memories of Childhood “Going to Yellowstone National Park with my grandparents”~ Shantell Gillman “Finding my first horse when I was out walking my puppy when I was 10” ~Hillary Meader “Going camping at the beach with my family”`Alicia Blackard “Riding 3-wheelers in a huge field for my birthday”~Tony Weaver “Bottle feeding baby goats on my grandparents farm”~Amanda Mullins “Building tree houses and playing in the river”~Me

The outdoor environment is nature’s Ritalin

Last Child in the Woods’ Richard Louv says; “Immersion in a natural environment was shown to improve concentration, mood, and perceptions of health in children. Another study found that outdoor space fosters more creative mental activity, improves child/adult interaction, and can relieve the symptoms of attention- deficit disorders.”

Isn’t it Dangerous outside? The greatest danger lies in raising a generation of couch- potatoes with no sense of community, autonomy or self- confidence; not in the fear of a skinned knee, broken bone or unproven kidnapping statistics.

If You LOVE your children, make them go outside! “Children with generous exposure to nature, those who learn to see the world directly, may be more likely to develop the psychological survival skills that will help them detect real danger, and they are therefore less likely to seek out phony danger later in life. Play in nature may instill instinctual confidence.”

GET OUTSIDE

References   Candra, D. T. (2009). LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. Childhood Education, 85(5), 329. Retrieved fromhttp://search.proquest.com/docview/210393857?accoun tid=26879 Tucker, P. (2006). Curing "nature deficit disorder". The Futurist, 40(3), 13. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218596005?accountid=2 6879 http://www.cdc.gov/features/childrensmentalhealth/  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/1006010726 34.htm http://richardlouv.com