There’s a growing international movement to educate and reacquaint ourselves with the physical, cognitive, social, emotional and spiritual benefits of time spent in nature and the outdoors. Nature, and outdoor education in particular, engages us on multiple levels, allowing for individual strengths to shine. While this is important for all kids, it’s particularly so for kids with special needs.
Each year we serve about 35,000 students of all ages and abilities in our Nassau BOCES Outdoor and Environmental Education programs.
Teachers and parents are constantly amazed at what a few short hours in the outdoors reveals about their children: “Marc can’t sit for a minute in class. Here in the outdoors he’s free to move and explore and learn in other ways.”
Marc might be a kid with attention deficit disorder, or simply one of those children who learns best kinesthetically. For these children, the outdoors becomes an equalizer, allowing children with special needs and behavioral challenges to be successful because they have the freedom to interact with natural materials in a myriad of ways.
There’s a growing body of research that supports the vital role of nature in children’s development, including those children who have special needs. A recent study in the Journal of Attention Disorders, for example, reported that walks outdoors, especially in natural settings, improved attention and concentration and that for some children “a dose of nature worked as well as a dose of medication.”
We’ve had children attend our programs who are selectively mute or simply shy, who struggle with verbal delays and cognitive disorders, who travel in a wheelchair or have visual impairments, or who for whatever reason are often labeled as “different” or “other.” Programs like Nassau BOCES provide an atmosphere of safety and respect and value the importance of diversity. Hands-on activities facilitate relationships with peers, with oneself, and with nature. Children are given the tools and opportunities to build their own knowledge through multiple learning styles and to express themselves and feel part of a community.
Parents of all children should advocate for the use of the outdoors as a tool in school learning. Insist on adequate recess time. Build a Nature Explore Classroom on the school grounds. Take a field trip to a nearby park or outdoor education center.
Contact Nassau BOCES and LINCK for more information on how to get started in your community.
Mary Watros is the site director of the Nassau BOCES Outdoor and Environmental Education Center at Brookville. She’s a founding member of the Long Island Nature Collaborative for Kids (LINCK).
5 Things You Can Do With Children
Plant bean or radish seeds and tend to them together.
Take a walk and collect natural objects. Sort them by size, shape, color, texture.
Make a sundial by putting a stick into the ground. Use rocks to mark where the shadow
falls each hour.
Turn your snowman into a birdfeeder. A raisin mouth, a birdseed hat, apple eyes and
a cranberry belt.
Sit in your yard or a park and observe the surroundings. Discuss how the area
will look/sound/feel/smell in three hours, three days, three weeks and three months.
www.linck.org Long Island network of educators, parents, environmental organizations, health professionals, landscape architects and others
www.greenhour.org National Wildlife Federation site with blog that includes ideas for families and nature
www.childrenandnature.org Site of Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder; great links to research and resources
www.dimensionsfoundation.org Information on Nature Explore Classrooms; research on nature education, especially for younger children and children with special needs
