Ellipse Magazine - learn. play. nature.

LEARN.PLAY.NATURE.

PATTEN | MARIN | MURPHY

                
Play is regulated,
                diminishing both
                creative freedom
                and the ability to have meaningful play.

                American children on average spend only four
                    to seven minutes outside playing each day,¹ and
                    five to eight hours in front of a digital screen.²
                    The digital world has restructured our children’s playtime, and therefore their learning, imagination,
                    health, and sense of play. How do we go about enriching our children’s lives by opening up their ability to learn, explore, and use their imagination? How do we instill and cultivate an awareness for our earth as something valuable and to be cared for?

                    In comparison to the past generation’s history of free-range outdoor play — building forts, exploring backyard forests, and only returning at the day’s end for dinnertime — today’s children spend only half the time outdoors and are often under 
                    constant surveillance for fear of safety.

                    Play is regulated, diminishing both creative
                    freedom and the ability to have meaningful
                    play in public parks or playgrounds.

                    Our fears for the youngest generation have led to
                            a more sedentary lifestyle, in which unstructured
                    play is reduced and the ‘helicopter parent’ model emerges.² Although the safety and health of our children is a priority, the loss of freedom hinders the learning and exploratory process in which children can discover their surroundings organically.
                    We cannot always have full control, and allowing a healthy balance of safety and freedom introduces invaluable lessons taught through experience, mistakes, and fostered curiosity.

Nature should be introduced as something to be nurtured,

because it benefits us all; it becomes its own teacher, friend, and nurturer in return.

                    Technology outside of the classroom has the
                        potential to benefit a child’s learning, but active
                        learning engages more senses and encourages
                        physical activity. Not only are children who play outdoors sharpening their motor skills, but they are also facilitating growth in their problem
                        -solving, reflexes, and cognitive skills.³ Despite technology’s advantages, its usage should come in moderation and with self-awareness of its impact on our children. A new generation of parents have been exploring what it means to balance their child’s education with an awareness of the world around them — not just the one we have fabricated for ourselves online.

                        Most discussions on play for children revolve
                            around its integration into teaching regimens.
                        However, play should be given just as much importance in their home life, as parents and teachers alike hold the responsibility to ensure their child is exploring the world. 

                        With awareness comes an understanding for
                        the earth — something often lost as we run through life in our fast-paced world. If we forget to nurture compassion, intentionality, and
                        curiosity then we begin to breed apathy for others and our surroundings. Instead, we must give children the language and space required to empathize with people, the planet, and everything on it. If we take it upon ourselves to set the precedent, we also must set a living example of our own. Nature should be introduced as something to be nurtured; it benefits us all, and becomes its own teacher, friend, and nurturer in return

Play is regulated, diminishing both creative freedom and the ability to have meaningful play.

Nature should be introduced as something to be nurtured, because it benefits us all; it becomes its own teacher, friend, and nurturer in return.

Nature should be introduced as something to be nurtured,

because it benefits us all; it becomes its own teacher, friend, and nurturer in return.