Health Care Professionals
Children’s Health and Nature Fact Sheet
With our children being the first generation that will have a shorter lifespan then their parents, this list of serious health issues can be the first step to prevention. Addressing childhood obesity and its related issues, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and vitamin-D deficiency.
Pediatric Environmental History Initiative forms in English and Spanish
This form is designed to be administered by the primary health care provider in less than five minutes in order to capture most of the common environment exposures to children.
Outdoor play areas and exposure to nature rank among the must-haves at early childhood learning centers Children begin to learn about themselves and their world at a remarkably early age, a fact that has far-reaching ramifications for those responsible for designing environments for early learning.
Improved Health from the Natural Environment: Where’s the Evidence?
A presentation given by James R. Roberts, MD, MPH, a National Environmental Education Foundation advisor.
Prescribing Nature
The NNEF’s goal in creating this campaign is to “call on pediatric health care providers to prescribe outdoor time to kids ages 7-12 and to recommend accessible nature programs that fulfill this prescription.”
Get Up, Get Out and Go!: NC State Research Tackles Childhood Obesity
Getting children involved in finding ways to become more physically active can not only make them more aware of local recreational opportunities, but can even help increase their own physical activity.
That’s the result of a study examining the role of seven national parks in contributing to the health of today’s youth. The study was conducted by researchers from a variety of disciplines at North Carolina State University and other U.S. universities and funded by the National Park Service.
Surgeon General Campaign – National Wildlife Federation
The U.S. Surgeon General is our nation’s leading health czar. That is why the National Wildlife Federation is asking Dr. Regina Benjamin to issue a “Call-to-Action” to promote the health benefits of getting kids engaged in regular unstructured outdoor play time. Along with over 200 health, conservation and youth organizations, and 16,000 individuals, National Wildlife Federation is urging the Surgeon General to make time outdoors a health priority for children. View the Citizen’s Petition and the Organizational Sign-on Letter to the Surgeon General regarding outdoor play. Learn why it’s important for the Surgeon General to promote outdoor time for children.
Coping with ADD: The surprising connection to green play settings
The Landscape and Human Health Lab’s research has shown that performing activities in green settings can reduce children’s Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms. Explore the article that analyzes a Midwestern-based survey of parents of children with AD/HD and how green outdoor settings were better for their child’s symptoms than activities that typically occur in indoor.
Other Professionals
Natural Learning Initiative
This research and extension program of the College of Design at North Carolina State University, lead by Dr. Robin Moore, conducts research on the importance of outdoor activity in early childhood.
Natural Learning Initiative Resources:
- Investigation Parks for Active Recreation for Kids
- Measuring Physical Activity Affordances in Preschool Outdoor Environments
- Head Start Growth and Readiness in the Outdoor World
- Preschool Outdoor Environment Measurement Scale
- Baseline Survey of Environmental Conditions of Outdoor Areas in North Carolina Childcare Centers
- Motivation to Move
- Kids Together Park
Move More North Carolina: A guide to Creating Active Outdoor Play Spaces
Looking for easy tips and information on the benefits of outdoor play? This publication gives advice on creating natural play areas that allow children (and adults) to actively interact with natural surroundings.
Young Children Need Room to Stretch Their Minds
Children begin learning about themselves and their world at a remarkably early age, a fact that has far-reaching ramifications for those responsible for designing environments for early childhood learning.