play and pedagogy: Outdoor Play in Australia: Undervalued and Underadvocated

play and pedagogy: Outdoor Play in Australia: Undervalued and Underadvocated

An exceptionally interesting and insightful piece by Emily Clark. 

Emily states she asked educators,  "What barriers do you face in your context that prevent or limit children from engaging in outdoor/nature play?

".... I was convinced that the key barrier would be aligned with attributes of physical environments, such as; artificial play spaces, limited space, building structures, lack of shade etc. While these issues were raised in the responses, I was surprised to discover that the dominant barriers were the attitudes of families and staff, which prevented using the outdoor space to its full potential. Some of the staff and parental concerns expressed included;

· Children getting dirty.
· A belief that children should not access the outdoors in certain types of weather (e.g. rain, wind,           cold).

· A belief that illnesses are caused from being outside.
· Aspects of outdoor play perceived as ‘too risky’
· Difficulties in ensuring children are appropriately dressed

How kid-friendly urban design makes cities better for all - Curbed

How kid-friendly urban design makes cities better for all - Curbed

The full article can be read through the hyperlink above

Most importantly, it suggests a child-friendly lens can help leaders, planners, and designers envision a better city for everyone, one that offers a wealth of social benefits (society gains $8 in benefits for every $1 spent on early play-based education.

“Perhaps uniquely, a child‐friendly approach has the potential to unite a range of progressive agendas—including health and wellbeing, sustainability, resilience and safety—and to act as a catalyst for urban innovation,”

Too much Facebook causes 'virtual autism' claim experts

Too much Facebook causes 'virtual autism' claim experts

The full article can be read through the hyperlink above

"In France they've labelled it virtual autism — the idea that if you're raising your child on screens, they're not having social interactions or learning basic social skills."The fear is children in particular who are exposed screens are developing symptoms that are similar to some traits of that found on the autism spectrum. This could lead to the inability to detect whether people are lying or be able to tolerate difference in opinion of those they meet later in life. The researchers also claim this could have a knock-on effect with friendships and that those who spent hours each day on social media "had fewer friends". "If all they're getting is 2D screens and not enough human interaction and not enough motor skills development, you will end up with a problem," she claims.

Get children outdoors to play and learn, on Outdoor Classroom day and all year round!

Get children outdoors to play and learn, on Outdoor Classroom day and all year round!

Don't forget to sign up for Outdoor Classroom Day - 12/10/2017. Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play. On the day, thousands of schools around the world take lessons outdoors and prioritise playtime.

Green schoolyards offer physical and mental health benefits for children | EurekAlert! Science News

Green schoolyards offer physical and mental health benefits for children | EurekAlert! Science News

The full article can be read through the hyperlink above

Green schoolyards offer an opportunity for children to experience a healthy outdoor environment as part of their daily lives. After school hours, they provide value to the entire community through improved health, higher rates of community and family engagement, and increased opportunities for active outdoor play and relaxation.


"Too many children have no access to quality school grounds. In many neighborhoods, the standard play space is a barren asphalt playground or a concrete slab surrounded by chain link fence--a completely unsuitable environment for children's play." says Richard Louv

Risk in Play and Learning — ISGA

Risk in Play and Learning — ISGA

The full research paper can be read through the hyperlink above

An interesting piece from the International School Grounds Alliance

“School grounds should not be as safe as possible but as safe as necessary. Since the world is full of risks, children need to learn to recognize and respond to them in order to protect themselves and to develop their own risk-assessment capabilities.”— Risk in Play and Learning: Ubud-Höör Declaration, International School Grounds Alliance

While promoting risk-taking on school grounds may raise questions of liability for schools and concerns for parents it is essential for the development of healthy young people, according to a declaration released September 4, 2017 by the International School Grounds Alliance (ISGA). This declaration is endorsed by all 54 of ISGA's Leadership Council members, representing 38 organizations from 16 countries and six continents.

Social and emotional health are important benefits of school gardens | MSU Extension

Social and emotional health are important benefits of school gardens | MSU Extension

The full article can be read through the hyperlink above

For example, at study by Habib and Doherty in 2007 show that large number of students report “that they feel ‘calm,’ ‘safe’, and ‘relaxed’ in the school garden.”

Additionally, children who work in gardens are more likely to accept people different from themselves, according to Dyment & Bell, 2006. Moreover, a study of third, fourth and fifth graders by Robinson & Zajicek in 2005 showed that students participating in a garden program had increased self-understanding, interpersonal skills and cooperative skills when compared to non-gardening students.

All of those studies show improvements in pro-social behavior that is important to children being happy with themselves and with others.