We Thank You for Being a Pillar + Leader in your Community
AUTISM: How Nature Helps + Heals
*Nature as a Healer
Cognitive benefits after connecting with nature:
Time in nature helps in observation and to be more creative: timely interactions with outdoor environment help children to develop the great powers of creativity and observation [11].
Play in natural environments reinforces collaborative skills and language development: playing in nature helps children to be more imaginative and creates components that reinforce collaborative skills language [12].
Outdoor skills education help children’s health, lifestyle and learning: Cottrell, S., & Raadik-Cottrell discuss the benefits of outdoor skills education as improving intrapersonal skills and interpersonal and ability to learn and concentrate [13].
Connecting to nature increase children’s skills: nature develop imagination and sense of wonder which are very important in life-long learning [14].
Mental benefits after connecting with nature:
Nature helps in reducing stress: nature decreases the stress of life on children and helps them deal with strenght. There are great benefits after nature exposure [15], [16].
Nature reinforces positive feelings: when children play with each other in nature they have positive feelings about each other [17].
Children with insufficient Vitamin D are more likely to become fatty over time:after exposure to sunlight Vitamin D is primarily produced. Vitamin D deficiency is the main factor for childhood fatness [18].
Physical health benefits after connecting with nature
Nature experiences improve balance, agility and coordination: Children who have positive experiences with the world of nature presentation more motor fitness, including agility, balance and coordination [21].
Children who spend more time in outdoor spaces are more active: spending time in outdoor spaces is one potential factor that may affect children’s physical activity [22], [23].
Timely risk in outdoor play can reduce accidents: Almon explains that people who afraid of accidents when they play however, playgrounds which have more risk tend to have fewer accidents than traditional playgrounds. “Give children real risk and they rise to it; they learn how to handle it. Give them sanitized play spaces, and children often are less conscious of risk and have accidents or take outlandish risks for the sheer excitement of it all” [24].
Other benefits after connecting with nature
Social Development: Henniger found that playing outdoors helps on parallel play but playing indoor helps individual activity. Similar levels of collaborative play occurred in the both environments [23].
Emotional Development: outdoor experience leads to fewer bonds of children’s behaviors and enables them to find solitude away from adults and other children, engage in solitary activity or be in small, intimate groups. Such privacy experience is necessary for young children [25].’
*https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016818302072
Autism: Horticultural Therapy + Agriculture
Motor Skill Development: in the garden in farming setting has a wealth of tools that are used for engagement.
Mental Health: Cognitive development, Psychological growth, social skill learning, and prevocational work skills can all be developed. Exercise effects brain, mood and helps create new synapses.
Security: Gardens are a safe and familiar environment, being outside reduces anxiety, depression. Children are accepted, honored and valued. Self esteem and confidence building is a priority.
LET’S CREATE A BEAUTIFUL FUTURE
HOW ALL CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM BEING OUTSIDE LEARNING
Encourages Language Development As they engage in educational classes — gardening, nature lessons, art, and more — they are absorbing vocabulary words. They can begin to identify differences in plants, trees, flowers, colors, and more. Books are two-dimensional pages. Exposing our children to different real-life experiences in a natural setting expands their comprehension of the world that surrounds them.
Sensory Learning There is so many sensory opportunities at a farm: the textures, the dryness of the soil, the wet grass and the smooth vegetables, etc. Farms offer a wide variety of contrasting tactile experiences for children. As they roam and touch things, let them enjoy all the information that they are absorbing. At Walt’s, children can take in all the smells of the grass, the soil, the wetlands, the woods, the flowers, the fruit and vegetables you are picking along with the fresh air.
Increases Their Appreciation of Nature It is surprising how many children don’t have a full understanding of where our food comes from. By visiting a farm they can see firsthand where and how their favorite foods are grown. Children that engage in walking the surrounding woods can learn to identify species, plants, and how a farm is affected by the animals that live in forests and wetlands.
Academic Information & Hands-On Learning Experiences Walt’s “Secret” Orchard offers some unique academic information. Beyond story-time and educational classes, there are ample opportunities for children and adults to learn more. One example of how children uniquely engage is by taking a woodworking class. They build wooden bug houses then collect insects and critters found on the farm in order to identify garden helpers verses invasive species.
Promotes Healthy Living Get outside and play! Farms are educational playgrounds for young minds. Being active is not only fun, but it also promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Enhances Problem Solving Skills As children learn how Walt used “old-time” methods to grow food, they begin to realize that there are a lot of challenges which farmers face and they must overcome nature, weather, and other limitations in order to produce food. Children will not only get plenty of physical activity but they engage their brain in problem-solving skills. They are boosting their cognitive development!
Boosts Motor Skills Fine motor skills are constantly being developed when you pick your own fruits and vegetables. Those little fingers love to pick fruits and vegetables especially when they can taste the fruits of their labor. They take art, build crafts, use hammers to build things, and many more activities.
Introduction to Scientific Concepts Farms offer so many opportunities for kids to learn about science. Kids are introduced to botany (the study of plants), agriculture, and horticulture (the cultivation of various fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and more). There is so much science involved in planting and growing fruits and vegetables. Animal science is also introduced at farms as kids learn about Entomology, birds, and local wildlife found in the bordering wetland woods.
Exploration and Discovery Harvesting gives the children motivation to pick their own food which also gets them eating a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. They learn the variety of tools required and the seasons in which their food is grown. They anticipate and learn patience as they wait upon the time when they can finally gather the food and fruit.
Community Support Children have the opportunity to grow and harvest fruit, flowers, vegetables, and food that can then be donated to the local community. Since last summer Flying Starlings offers our community fruit that they take for free or are welcome to leave a small donation. If anyone in our community wants some freshly grown food, they are welcome to it, no matter their ability. Children learn that planting and growing plays an important role for others in need.