Written by Jeremy Seeger

Outdoor schools have seen growing popularity in the last few years. Perhaps you have seen the posts about them from a friend on Facebook, or perhaps you’ve seen an article about one online. Norway and Switzerland both have well known and successful outdoor preschool programs that have served as a model for some startups in the United States.

But the trend is not limited to early childhood. The system of Waldorf schools, which are technology-free until middle school and encourage outdoor learning, have also grown to over 150 campuses in North America! While it may seem that this growth is a knee-jerk reaction to the increase of technology, there is a growing pool of evidence that shows there are major benefits educationally, socially, and emotionally for children who are given greater opportunity to spend time outdoors.

The last decade has seen schools adopting and implementing new technologies at a rapid pace. Since its launch in 2006, Google Apps for Education has grown to over 30 million users worldwide. Our own Lutheran schools are no exception. A WELS Google+ group for Chromebook-using schools boasts over 250 members. At the same time the position of technology coordinator is being added to many of our schools.  It is likely that your own students, whether they are in kindergarten or high school, spend at least some time during the school day interacting with technology.

This growth in technology certainly has its benefits for schools and has become a permanent fixture in our school culture, but along with these benefits comes the increase in time children spend in front of screens. The American Pediatric Association recommends that children have no more than two hours screen time daily. However, recent surveys indicate that as many as 90% of children regularly surpass this two-hour limit up to an average of 6½ hours daily (Ossola, 2015; Oster, 2015).

There are many arguments that can be made to criticize or support this increase in technology time. The unfortunate reality of this increased use of technology is the decrease in time children are spending outside. Richard Louv observes in his book, The Last Child in the Woods (2008), that the U.S. has seen a cultural shift in the last 50 years in which children are commonly encouraged to stay inside while being subtly discouraged from independent outdoor activities. Reversing this shift and exposing children to nature on a regular basis can benefit their academic performance, their classroom behavior, and the quality of their social interactions and emotional awareness (Kaplan, 2001; Summers, 2014; Taylor & Kuo, 2009;).

The early 1990s saw a 250% increase in prescriptions used to treat ADD and ADHD in children, both of which have been linked to lower academic performance in school-age children (Biederman et al, 2004; Safer et al, 1996). There is growing evidence that shows non-medical interventions could have a positive effect on the ability of these students to focus. Taylor and Kuo (2009) found that students with ADD and ADHD benefited greatly from taking a 20-minute walk through a city park when compared with students who took a 20-minute walk downtown or through a neighborhood. Some students were even able to focus on a task at a level comparable to their peers not affected by an attention disorder. Taylor and Kou’s research, along with a number of other studies that indicate improved behavioral academic performance after exposure to nature, suggests strongly that our students would benefit from increased time spent outdoors with nature (Bratman et al, 2015; Wells, 2000).

The benefits of the outdoors on a child’s emotions can also be experienced simply through observing nature. Various studies indicate that having windows with a view of trees, water, or other natural scenes improved participants’ satisfaction with life (Wells & Evans, 2003), decreased aggression and violent tendencies in youth (Kuo, 2001), and also increased students’ motivation and self-esteem (Louv, 2007). A study by Bratman et al. (2015) showed that participants who walked in a natural environment reported a significant decrease in anxiety immediately following their walk. Those who walked in an urban environment reported no change in their emotional state.

The growth of technology in our schools and our homes has undeniable benefits and has become an integral part of our society. Educators need to be aware of the unintentional side effect that comes with this growth. The increase of screen time and online social interaction inevitably leads to a decrease in time children are spending in nature.

The changes to our Lutheran schools and classrooms do not need to be huge in order to be beneficial. Many of the studies referenced indicate that even brief, visual interactions with nature provide benefits to students. Consider implementing neighborhood walks through a nearby park, taking students outside for class on a regular basis, taking a walk around the building in between classes, or even simply adding some natural artwork to your classroom walls. Perhaps your school shares property with your church; students could spend some time raking, shoveling, or helping with other property cleanup as a productive time outside as well.

Whatever the method may be, repeated, intentional interaction with nature provides students with growth in academic performance, improved classroom behavior, and an increase in the quality of their social interactions and emotional awareness.

 Jeremy Seeger MLC ’09 is currently serving as a fourth grade teacher and technology director at Martin Luther Lutheran School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He is also enrolled in MLC’s Master of Science in Education program, educational technology emphasis.
References

Bratman, G. N., Daily, G. C., Levy, B. J., & Gross, J. J. (2015). The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition. Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 41-50.

Biederman, J., Monuteaux, M. C., Doyle, A. E., Seidman, L. J., Wilens, T. E., Ferrero, F., … & Faraone, S. V. (2004). Impact of executive function deficits and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on academic outcomes in children. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 72(5), 757.

Charles, C., & Louv, R. (2009). Children’s nature deficit: What we know and don’t know. Children and Nature Network, 1-32.

Kaplan, R. (2001). The nature of the view from home psychological benefits. Environment and behavior, 33(4), 507-542.

Kuo, F. E., & Sullivan, W. C. (2001). Aggression and violence in the inner city effects of environment via mental fatigue. Environment and behavior, 33(4), 543-571.

Louv, R. (2007). Leave no child inside. Orion Magazine, 57(11).

Louv, R. (2008). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. Algonquin Books.

Maniccia, D. M., Davison, K. K., Marshall, S. J., Manganello, J. A., & Dennison, B. A. (2011). A meta-analysis of interventions that target children’s screen time for reduction. Pediatrics, peds-2010.

Ossola, A. (2015, January 22). The Surprising Amount of Time Kids Spend Looking at Screens. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

Oster, E. (2015, June 18). ‘Screen Time’ For Kids Is Probably Fine. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

Richtel, M. (2011). A Silicon Valley school that doesn’t compute. The New York Times, 22.

Safer, D. J., Zito, J. M., & Fine, E. M. (1996). Increased methylphenidate usage for attention deficit disorder in the 1990s. Pediatrics, 98(6), 1084-1088.

Schrom, B. (2014, September 30). Announcing Drive for Education: The 21st century backpack for students. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

Sherr, I. (2013, June 19). Apple Is Awarded iPad Contract for Los Angeles Schools. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

Strife, S., & Downey, L. (2009). Childhood Development and Access to Nature A New Direction for Environmental Inequality Research. Organization & environment, 22(1), 99-122.

Summers, J. (2014, August 28). Kids And Screen Time: What Does The Research Say? Retrieved July 29, 2015.

Taylor, A. F., & Kuo, F. E. (2009). Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park. Journal of attention disorders, 12(5), 402-409.

Wells, N. M. (2000). At home with nature effects of “greenness” on children’s cognitive functioning. Environment and behavior, 32(6), 775-795.

Wells, N. M., & Evans, G. W. (2003). Nearby nature a buffer of life stress among rural children. Environment and behavior, 35(3), 311-330.