The increasingly vital education children get from simply opening the front door.
It’s called the Great Outdoors for a reason. It’s great. For a lot of us, getting outside is something we only get to do on the weekends or on vacation. It feels like a privilege and when we have time to do it, its coveted and enjoyable.
But when you’re a kid, getting outside should be something that’s built into your day. And it should be. Experts say that children who spend time outdoors are more likely to be fit, be more creative and have better executive function (a fancy term for knowing how to use and plan your time accordingly. It’s even said that going outside for “free play” (just making up stuff as they go along) can help the child be better at those essay questions waiting for them in college. (Who knew?)
According to one “free play” and parenting expert, children need to be outside for at least three hours a day. And before you start thinking that’s impossible, get a load of this: The average American child is said to spend only four to seven minutes a day playing outside, and instead, spends over seven hours a day in front of some type of a screen. That. Is. Staggering.
So when you hear that kind of information, you might want to be more motivated to get your little nugget outside. And it’s really not too impossible with a few adjustments in your daily schedule. Walking to school and from school (if that’s possible,) going outside right when they get home from school (and it’s still light out), walking to the mailbox, or walking to a friend’s house are great ways to work in open air time.
But with more and more public schools having recess inside, shortening it to 15 minutes or eliminating it all together, it’s having a major effect on our kids. Nature Deficient Disorder is a real thing and a result of missing outdoor time, according to the Child Mind Institute. As a result, kids can experience depression, boredom and increase their risk of child obesity.
Montessori Children’s House (MCH,) a private Montessori school in Redmond, prides itself on the amount of outdoor time students get everyday – rain or shine. In addition to several outside unstructured play periods outside (one or more recesses a day, depending on the child’s schedule), children in their Early Childhood Program (for children ages 3-6) have weekly gardening time in their centrally located organic garden. Also, children have real ‘face time’ with the farm animals onsite at MCH. Students can also collect eggs from the school’s chickens, go with the school’s Animal Specialist to pet one of the four goats in their custom-built goat habitat or snuggle one of the school’s extremely fluffy bunnies that live just outside of their classroom. (Sorry, you have to be a kid to go MCH.)
“Getting outside and ‘just playing’ increases gross motor development in toddlers and children,” said Infant/Toddler Program Director and ‘Discover Me’ instructor, Kim Berude. “This is crucial to the brain development of children from 18 months old to three years old. Once a child is a bit older – three to six years old – the development shifts over to physical development, helping them physically get stronger.”
Berude goes on to say that the outdoors not only promote and refine gross motor skills, but also teaches young children about the science of nature. “Toddlers are curious, enthusiastic and motivated by all the wonderful sensory experiences they find outside,” she said.
MCH’s Head of School, Jennifer McConnell is a steadfast believer of not only free play for all her students, but Risk Play – the complete opposite of helicopter parenting.
At MCH, the student age ranges from six months old to sixth grade. Their elementary enrollment continues to rise, thanks to an innovative nature-based playground and personalized curriculum. “Having that free, unstructured play time helps our students bond with each other. That kind of collaborative play pulls in all the social and emotional skills that children need when they’re older,” McConnell said. “Negotiation, turn taking, leadership, rule development for games, problem solving …all of these skills are needed when they’re adults. At MCH, we start introducing those concepts very early on in their development.”
Going outside and playing either alone or with friends is said to be an “imagination catapult.” And when you add in elements of nature (such as a walk through the woods or a stroll on the beach) it instills a connection to the world. It’s not hard to believe that when kids get out more, they feel more connected with nature and are more likely to grow up as environmental advocates with a “green” mindset.
And then there’s this: If you live in the Pacific Northwest and you don’t go outside when it’s raining, you’ll never go out.
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Learn more about MCH -- and their Parent & Child Program for infants, “Discover Me” -- at MCHkids.com or call (425) 868-7805. MCH is hosting an Open House on December 2 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; RSVP by calling the office or visiting Facebook.com/MCHRedmond.
