Leave No Child Inside Summit ’08 Notes: Nurturing Human Relationships with Natural Places

Nurturing Connections with Nature requires a multi-faceted, age-appropriate approach

Group:
Regina Martin, Wayne National Forest
Laura Busby, The Wilds
Heather Wood, YMCA
High school students (a great addition to the session!)

Essences/main ideas

Need to feel connection before you value the environment
Unstructured play is one tool in the toolbox (particularly appropriate for younger ages)
Element of enjoyment of sense of wonder precede valuing natural world

Next steps for small group:

Utilize modeling – be willing to take the risks associated with unstructured play
Encourage Metro Parks to set aside areas for exploration

Recommendations to Steering Committee:

Work with community organizers/planners to make more space available for nature play/exploration
Develop community oriented conservation measures and nature based activities
Continue to push connection with health initiatives
Promote after school programs with orientation toward nature activities and/or exposure
Educate parents about 1) Value of unstructured activities 2) Disadvantages of teaching to the tests
Encourage land use planning that takes ecology into account – i.e. designate some areas as set asides for wildlife, etc while opening other areas to exploration/adventure.
Encourage more areas that invite teenagers to unplug and engage in healthy outdoor pursuits like campfires. We need to include social component to draw teens
Encourage more schools to abandon tests and place greater emphasis on interactive learning experiences.

Note from Alice – Wow that is a lot of recommendations!! One that hit me immediately was encouraging schools, programs and parks that are doing a good job with the above. One idea would be to create a Top Five list or Top 10 or something. It would get media attention and others would strive to get on it. We could expand it over time. Who could take this on? We could start with one category, for example, preschools.