Nature Explore PSA highlights children interacting with nature in outdoor classrooms
A collaborative effort of the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation, the mission of the Nature Explore program is to connect children with nature.
Today, children are more disconnected from nature than ever, more likely to spend idle time watching television indoors than running and playing outdoors. If current trends continue, the next generation will enter adulthood facing greater health challenges, inferior social skills and a diminished conservation ethic.
With the development of Nature Explore Classrooms, children learn and play outdoors through experiencing the wonders of nature.
These well-designed outdoor spaces provide real-world evidence of the enormous benefit outdoor learning opportunities provide for children.
Proven to be beneficial for children affected by domestic violence, Mary Kay, Inc. has sponsored the development of 17 Nature Explore Classrooms at women’s shelters across the United States.
In urban areas where residents have limited access to nature and no backyards, places like Five Towns Child Care Center in Inwood, N.Y., or the Hooper Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles, Calif., have built Nature Explore Classrooms to provide children and families with a safe place to spend time among grass, flowers, and trees, where children can explore, play, and learn nature’s many lessons.
There are currently more than a hundred certified Nature Explore Classrooms across the United States and Canada, and the list continues to grow. As the network of Nature Explore Classrooms expands, the impact on children is also growing. More children are developing meaningful connections with nature, instilling a lifelong sense of wonder and imagination.
Help connect more youths to the environment by sharing the 2013 Nature Explore PSA and spreading the word about the many benefits children experience when interacting with nature.
Watch the 2013 Nature Explore PSA video on the following link: http://blog.arborday.org/
