- Studies indicate that children who play and explore outdoors are less stressed and may further benefit by learning confidence and social skills.
- Nature has all sorts of patterns and parts. And all the parts somehow fit together. When children get to play in the outdoors from the earliest age, they learn - what is what, how things fit together, what they do.
- In nature, kids see, hear, smell and touch things all at the same time, getting them to observe, ask questions and figure out things that have a lot of parts to them. The richness in the outdoors is far more stimulating—and gets the mind working more—than only watching television or playing electronic games. There is a place for that stuff but they are no substitute for what experience in nature brings to kids' development.
- Research indicates that children feel respected and cared for when adults they respect spend time with them outdoors. Kids, in turn, learn how to behave with the family and adults. They also tend to talk and communicate more, engage in conversation. Beyond family, a sense of connection to community and place is nourished. Everyone benefits—from individuals, to families, to whole communities.
