Natural playground Benefits

Ever heard of nature-deficit disorder?…the belief that increasing behavioral problems are a cause of humans decreasing time spent outdoors (children are believed to be especially effected by this). First brought to the world by Richard Louv, now a growing body of scientific evidence is working to prove this theory.

This lack of connection to the natural world is fought against with a growing interest in natural playgrounds which foster a direct connection to Earth, water and all the other elements

Here are few of the benefits:

Stress reduction

Cognitive restoration

Sense of belonging

Promote overall well-being

Prevents and/or decreases: Attention difficulty, Aggression, Depression, Vitamin D deficiency, Obesity and Inability to cope with stress

By means of integrating natural elements into children’s play, this allows an organic connection to nature. See some of simple examples of our natural playground at De La Madre Daycare in East Austin, TX. Of additional benefit to our childcare is that they can help to gather some of the supplies which is fun and promotes a sense of purpose & confidence!

REFERENCES

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2015;2015:651827. doi: 10.1155/2015/651827. Epub 2015 Dec 16. Addressing "Nature-Deficit Disorder": A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of Young Adults Attending a Wilderness Camp Sara L Warber 1, Ashley A DeHudy 2, Matthew F Bialko 3, Melissa R Marselle 4, Katherine N Irvine 5