I saw this little article and found it particularly important. Some of the research even shows that even being outdoors, somewhere like at a camp, can help with ADHD.
The New Nature Movement
Field Notes from the Future: Tracking the Movement to Connect People and Nature
http://www.childrenandnature.org/blog/2010/10/07/outdoor-education-and-play-benefit-all-education/
A new report from the National Wildlife Federation, Back to School: Back Outside, shows how outdoor education and time is connected with wide-ranging academic benefits including:
- Improved classroom behavior
- Increased student motivation and enthusiasm to learn
- Better performance in math, science, reading and social studies
- Reduced Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Higher scores on standardized tests (including college entrance exams)
- Help under-resourced, low-income students perform measurably better in school
The report reviews research focused on the physical, mental, and social benefits that contact with the outdoors and nature provides to children. There is a lot of information on the relationships between children’s outdoor-related behavior and their school performance and learning. Topics covered include such important programs and attributes as:
- Recess
- School gardens
- Field trips and hands-on outdoor learning
- Natural views
- Academic achievement
- Higher test scores
- Increased responsibility
- Community benefit
