American author and journalist Richard Louv, in his book The Last Child in the Woods, described the growing disconnect our children have with nature as ‘nature-deficit disorder’.

It would seem the further we move away from nature and gravitate towards a more ‘in-doors’ life-style the growing trends of childhood obesity, behavioural and attention problems and the rates of depression and anxiety are becoming increasingly prevalent.  

Experts see the rise in technology as one of the key factors of change influencing the time children spend in outdoor play. The Child Mind Institute documented the average American child spends 4-7 minutes in unstructured outdoor play and over 7 hours in front of a screen each day.

As well as technology we have also seen a shift in family lives and parenting styles. Many families now see both parents and grandparents working which leaves very little time for weekend adventures, or even play in the backyard.

Children are spending on average 7 hours in front of a screen each day.

Growing urbanisation means more of our ‘wild’ lands are zoned further away from where we are living, and our gardens are shrinking. With the pressures of everyday life many families simply don’t have the time or energy to maintain a garden, let alone take a walk in the woods.    

And simply put, children seem to prefer the screen. Richard refers to a child he interviewed for his book. The child said, “I prefer playing indoors than outdoors, it’s where all the electrical outlets are”.

Many studies are showing the vast benefits that being in nature brings both adults and children. A report published in July 2018 from the University of East Anglia gathered evidence from over 140 studies involving more than 200 million people.

Lead author Dr Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett said “We found that spending time in, or living close to, natural green spaces is associated with diverse and significant health benefits. It reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, increases sleep duration, reduces blood pressure, heart rate and stress”.

The report also added that spending time in natural areas exposes people to a diverse array of bacteria. This may have benefits for the immune system and reduce inflammation.    

Our modern lifestyles are having powerful impacts on our health. But what are the long-term impacts of ‘nature-deficit disorder’ on our children as they move into adulthood?

Sonia Codd

Sonia Codd Manager/Owner of TimberNook Hawke’s Bay – an organisation that runs nature based sensory education programmes - is passionate about getting our children back into nature.

Sonia says, “We are in a time when it has never been more pertinent for children to be outdoors. The positive feedback we receive from parents and teachers proves the necessity for the growing child to be connected with nature”.

TimberNook was founded by occupational therapist Angela Hanscom who first made the connection between active play, sensory awareness and attention when she noticed how children literally ‘bounced off the walls’ in classroom settings.

From these observations Angela, researchers and teachers developed the TimberNook programme.

Sonia comments, “At TimberNook children experience authentic play in the forest. They are totally immersed in nature. Here, there is no such thing as ‘bad weather’ just inappropriate clothing!”

Set in a small forest of gum trees, real magic is happening. There is no brightly coloured plastic or concrete walls. There is a feeling of freedom. The children are confident, relaxed and having a great time.

“Our environment promotes teamwork, connectedness, builds resilience and confidence. The children get to run in the grass, play in the mud, climb trees, learn outdoor craft skills, build huts and explore. All this is done at their own pace, we allow the children to lead their own learning. We operate a ‘stand-back’ but ‘tuned-in’ teaching philosophy,” Sonia says.

Research shows that children’s development – on every level – is positively impacted when they have daily contact with nature. Depending on their age children need between 3-5 hours of unstructured outdoor play each day.

Sonia says “I see the benefits. Children learn how to be creative thinkers and problem solve. They are challenged to develop and grow naturally. I have seen them overcome anxieties and learn new skills. The children’s ability to ‘get along with others’ grows and they learn self-discipline. All these vital developments are carried over into their home and school environments”.

Many parents who have made the decision to incorporate TimberNook into their child’s lives exercise the right extended to them in the New Zealand Education Act 1989 whereby children can spend one day a week at a private organisation.

Harvey

Harvey’s parents were becoming increasing concerned about his ability to cope in school with dyslexia.

Nicky says “Harvey is a bright boy with good language skills but struggles to read, write and spell. As he moved through primary school it became obvious to us as parents that he was becoming anxious and started school refusal. This became very stressful and upsetting for us all.”

Harvey’s parents frustratingly found his school could not provide the type of intervention he needed and the programmes they did have were not designed to help those with dyslexia. Harvey was not considered ‘bad enough’ for extra help at school or through the Ministry of Education.

“As you can imagine, school is tough, trying hard to fit into a ‘one-size fits all’ education system that is under resourced and lacks the training to help children such as Harvey. As Harvey grew older, he became more aware of his learning differences and became more and more frustrated”.

Harvey’s parents heard about TimberNook through a colleague.

“We decided to put Harvey into the forest education programme for one day a week. Harvey is a boy who is much happier climbing a tree than sitting down to read. When he first started forest education, we could see how totally different he was after attending there. He comes home from his day covered in mud but much calmer and happier. Mornings of forest school we have no trouble getting him there! Happy to go, happy when we pick him up, and happy at home that afternoon,” Nicky says.

Nicky feels being in nature, Harvey finds his ‘Zen’.

She says, “In my opinion it is great for Harvey’s well-being and self-esteem. He is still learning in so many ways and has made some great friends. The staff are amazing, they are so supportive and understand him. TimberNook provides Harvey with a place ‘to be’ and ‘just be’.”

Sonia understands that not all children can come to TimberNook but insists how vital it is we get our children off the screens and outdoors.

“The complexity of a natural environment, which will include some level of risk in the child’s play, is fundamental in the development of motor skills and directly impacts the depth of a child’s learning”.

To avoid ‘nature-deficit disorder’ you need to get your kids outdoors. Below are some ideas to make nature stimulating.

• Go fruit or vegetable picking
• Plant a small insect-friendly garden
• Go for a walk. If your child is hooked on technology, ask them to photograph or film it
• Start a nature collection
• Find stones and paint them
• Participate in community tree plantings and beach clean ups
• Join Forest and Bird
• Give them outdoor tools and let them play in the mud
• Build something like bird feeders, bee watering holes and insect motels

For more information on TimberNook’s extensive programme visit their website.

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