Vitamin N How Do We Put it Back in Our Childrens Diet?

Nature Deficit Disorder is alive and thriving in our young children and the cure is right at our finger tips and it involves a big dose of Vitamin N. What is nature deficit disorder? It's not a medical term, but a social trend. Last Child in the Woods, (2005), author Richard Louv coins the term "nature deficit disorder" as describing "the human costs of alienation from nature, among them diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties and higher rates of physical and emotional illness," Louv goes on to explain, we're raising the very first generation to grow up disconnected with nature and this broken relationship is making children overweight, depressed and distracted. First published in the US, his ideas are very important and relevant in New Zealand with our increasing disconnection with nature and the implications this has for us as a society. We live in an age where we are generally wealthier than past generations, but increasingly spend less time in the outdoors with our children. We are more urban, but less connected with our neighbours, less physically active, but more inclined to watch sports on television. Our grandparents talk of walking miles to school every day. Now few parents let their children walk at all - the parent may be out jogging but the child is in the pushchair. Just three or four generations ago, most New Zealanders were involved in some form of physical labour - now the vast majority of us work inside. Were becoming increasingly sedentary, urban, and often live largely in our heads, our intellect, rather than fully inhabiting our physical bodies. Indeed many people avoid physical hardship even mere exertion at all costs. We need to be very conscious about how this is influencing our youngest children. This is not just about nostalgia, this is about long term health, fitness, lifestyle and wellbeing. I have worked in the early education sector for over 30 years and I have seen a huge decline in the area and quality of the outdoor spaces where many young children spend much of their time. Sadly many children have lost access to the outdoor experiences previous generations have enjoyed. The outdoors provides infinite rich opportunities for a deeper learning experience. In 2005 I visited three Forest Schools/Kindergartens in Denmark. Children were climbing trees, building huts, roaming with friends, making fires and playing in the outdoors just as I did when I was a child. What struck me the most was the realisation of what our children in New Zealand have lost. Most of us who grew up in Aoteoroa/New Zealand had experiences of playing in the outdoors, roaming with friends, visiting relatives on farms etc. This is not the case now. Last January (the middle of our summer holidays), I spent many days walking around many of the parks and reserves in the Auckland area -.there were no children playing, biking or walking, either singularly or in groups. When I was

growing up there would have been groups of children roaming together in these neighbourhood parks. According to one study, by 1990 the radius of play around a house for a nine-yearold had shrunk to one-ninth of what it was 20 years earlier. Richard Louv pointed to a recent UCLA report showing that American kids now spend virtually no time in their own yards, sadly this is increasingly the case in New Zealand as well. A glance at any new early childhood centre will hint that the priority for outdoor experiences in these new centres is not high on the list - indeed it appears to be about how many child places can fit into minimum spaces. Many children go to these centres 52 weeks of the year, where there are no opportunities to experience Nature, take risks and experience challenge, be brave, feel exhilaration, wonder or awe. There is artificial grass with structured, safe playgrounds and lots of plastic toys.

What are the ramifications for this for us as a society as a whole? This, along with the influence of electronics, means that our children are not getting the constant stamina and fitness necessary to set them up for a healthy active life. Harvard's School of Continuing Medical Education Alan C. Logan Multiple states that people commonly report that spending time in nature makes them feel better. A series of recent studies provides scientific support for this notion. Sophisticated brain-imaging techniques show that when healthy adults view nature scenes rich in vegetation, areas of the brain associated with emotional stability, empathy, and love are more active. Studies from Japan show spending time in forests can lower stress, improve mental outlook, and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Separate studies have shown similar cognitive-enhancing effects of short periods spent in natural settings. Spending just 20 minutes in vegetation-rich nature has been shown to improve vitality. Given that vitality is defined in psychological lexicon as emotional strength in the face of internal and external oppositions, and living life with enthusiasm and zest, the implications for personal and planetary health are enormous. We have known for a number of years now that the pre-birth to six years is the most critical period in the developing brain. Studies have shown that the developing neurons and the DNA are shaped for their different functions by early life and sensory experiences. Most of the sensitive periods for development including behaviour, language and literacy are in decline or have ended by the time a child turns five or even four years of age. The last seven or so years Play and Learn Early Education Centres in Auckland and Dunedin have focused on re- connecting children with the outdoors. Small groups of intrepid explorers set off into nature weekly. Children have significant experiences which include physical, mental and social challenges. Teachers have witnessed children developing: perseverance; imagination; the ability to face fears; leadership

and team work skills; confidence, perseverance and the can do attitude that will set them up for a life time of learning and development. Children are able to discuss and debate ideas such as will the tide be in or out - will it come right up to the wall?, will there be any lambs, can we touch them?, I can see the whole world today, Just run really really fast through the prickles, how far did the lava go and how does it make caves?, - The conversations are endless. Research shows interaction with the natural environment plays an important role in children's development, including building problem-solving and critical thinking skills, as well as fostering creativity. Louv points to research on attention-deficit disorder in which exposure to nature was shown to decrease ADD symptoms. Play and Learn have recently gone one step further with their nature programmes and have thrown away the walls of their kindergarten. We now offer a programme specifically geared for ensuring our children spend regular and significant time in nature Nature Kindergarten starts and finishes its day in a nature setting with children able to experience and play and learn all day using the natural resources around them to develop skills which will make them fit for life. So the cure for Nature Deficit Disorder is simple open your front door and step outside with your children. Look for ways to make Nature part of your childrens genetic memory and leave a legacy that will last for generations to come. Consider your options for early education there are centres that understand the need to provide nature based programmes make the outdoors part of your family routine on the weekend and above all take lots and lots of Vitamin N. Jan Beatson Director Play and Learn Early Education Centres and Programmes