In 2005, Richard Louv coined the term “Nature Deficit Disorder” in his book “The Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder.” The phrase was meant to describe the costs of our alienation from nature. Especially as screen time takes up more and more time in children’s lives it seems children are spending less nature time than ever before. And parents, educators and the general public are becoming keenly aware that the lack of nature in children’s lives is not good for them.

The consequences of an indoor childhood are drastic.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,  the average American child ages 8 to 12 spends 4 to 6 hours a day watching or using screens, and teens spend up to 9 hours in 2024. *And these numbers don’t include screens used for schoolwork*. A 2017 study suggests that many teens spend most of those hours on their phones in their bedrooms, alone and distressed (2017, The Atlantic). 

A 2022 study by Pew Research Center found that 95% of teens had smartphones compared with only 23% in 2011. And 35% of teens say they use YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook “almost constantly”.

The costs of an “indoor childhood” spent on screens include:

• Increased child obesity, diabetes and asthma.
• Reduced ability to relate to other children and adults.
• Less realistic life expectations.
• Inability to concentrate.
• More aggressive behavior.
• A higher likelihood of personal isolation.

Ultimately today’s children may have lifespans that are three to five years shorter than their parent’s due to their inactive indoor lifestyles.

But there is still good news:

Time in Nature Helps Kids Learn and More and More Kids are Getting Outside!

Despite the move towards at home/on screen learning duirng the pandemic, the 2021 Outdoor Participation Report  highlighted that in 2020 nearly 34 million American children ages 6 to 17 participated in some sort of “outdoor outing”. These children embarked on an average of 77 outdoor outings per person per year. That’s a 1% increase over 2019, and a 2% increase over the three years prior. And in 2024 the numbers were even better! Biking, camping and fishing were the most popular outdoor activities for children ages 6 to 17.

Clearly, many parents and educators already recognize that time in nature helps kids learn. In fact data from the Outdoor Classroom Day survey in 2017 shows that 97% of teachers say that outdoor play is critical for children to reach their full potential, and 88% of teachers say that children are happier after playing outdoors.

A growing body of evidence from around the world is demonstrating that Time in Nature Helps Children Learn :

• Spending time in nature, or even just having a view of nature helps children restore their attention.
• Nature helps relieve children’s stress, and develop resiliency for coping when their lives do become more difficult.
• Nature helps children develop more self-discipline – especially girls with ADHD.
• Outdoor instruction makes students more engaged and interested.
• Time outdoors may increase physical fitness.
• Nature settings may promote social connection and creativity.

How can I get my class outside and enjoying the benefits of nature?

 MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS PREPARED TO BE OUTSIDE AND IN NATURE

In Scandinavia there is an expression – there is no bad weather, only bad clothes. It’s important that everyone in your class is dressed properly to be outside – if that is having hats and sunscreen, or warm winter boots and mittens.  Communicate with your families early so that they have time to buy appropriate clothes, and consider how you will support students who don’t have appropriate clothing.

It’s also important for you to establish routines and procedures for when you are outside and in nature, so that children are safe and respecing all living things, know how to use outdoor materials, know how to respond to disctractions, understand their boundaries, and know what to do if they have questions, are finished early or encounter a problem.  A classroom agreement for outside activities can be a powerful tool. 

SET A GOAL TO GET OUTSIDE AND IN NATURE WITH YOUR CLASS 

Start small – maybe a goal of 30 minutes of free play time outdoors every two weeks. Whatever goal you set, try to keep track, and celebrate the wins! Over at 1000 Hours Outside they have some pretty cool inspiration for trackers you could modify for your goals.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE IN A FOREST TO ENJOY NATURE

Learn how to find and indentify the tiniest natural things growing and living in your own school yard:

• School yard scavenger hunts are easy to do and help kids learn to look more carefully at the natural world.
• Kids love ID books and even very young children can learn to use them. Don’t forget to check out the apps too. Look for ID books for plants, birds, insects, animals and animal tracks, and clouds.
• A few simple tools like magnifying glasses, binoculars, a cloud frame, a bug box, a butterfly net, tweezers, go a long way.
• Kids love collections! Make room in your classroom for a nature collection of leaves, stones, grass, moss, shells, and whatever else they find.
• Encourage students to use their phones or cameras to create videos and photojournals of their nature trips.
• Teach students how to use a nature journal with simple lessons on sketching, water colour, weather tracking, mapping and using their senses.
• Plan some nature based arts and crafts like plant pressing, flower aranging, paining rocks, create a treasure display or more!
• Take students on a walk around your community or to nearby natural areas. Use this Activity Book to help focus your students’ attention.
• Building bird feeders, flower boxes, a fort, a container garden will keeep kids engaged for months on end.
• Invite your local wildlife rescue organization to your classroom – many will have a rescued animal they will bring to your class.
• Try a citizen science project – kids can help with things studying the effect of outer space on seed germination in the Tomatoshere Project,or observe and record clouds.

Make sure you check out our Resources Page – we are adding new free resources to support outdoor learning all the time!

GO FLY A KITE

What better way to spend time outdoors and interacting with nature than decorating, assembling and then flying your very own Kite? We have seen how children are inspired by this simple experience of learning in and about the natural world countless times. And best of all, our Kites fly in low wind and small spaces, so you don’t need access to huge fields to have a successful Kite Activity.

Published 09/2022

Updated 09/2024

Resources

MORE

• In Canada sign up for “Take Me Outside” in October every year.
• Plan an activity for Earth Day in April.
• Find a Citizen Science Project here.
• Learn more about how to set up successful outdoor learning experiences here.
• Checkout the projects at greenlearning.ca
• Support all your students. Learn aboout Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Outdoor Education.