ole alliance for ready schools 3 4 10

Janet McGinnis, NC Office of Early LearningJani Kozlowski, NC Division of Child DevelopmentPlay Outside! Adventures with the NC Outdoor Learning Environments Alliance

Introduce speakers, including position in their organization and role with OLE Alliance.

Were here to tell you about the NC OLE Alliance. This is a group that has formed out of concern about childrens relationship with the outdoors.

Before we begin, please take a moment to close your eyes and think about how you played outdoors as a child.While their eyes are closed, ask . . . What did you see?What did you smell?What did you hear outdoors?

Now open your eyes.Did anyone have memories that involve playing in a creek?Playing in the woods?Digging in the dirt?Building forts or sandcastles? . . . .

Would anyone like to share a memory?

How many of you remember playing outdoors in child care? (or How do you see children today playing outdoors?)

This is the driving force for this initiative.

Mission of the North Carolina Outdoor Learning Environments AllianceTo improve the quality of outdoor environments and experiences for all children throughout the state.

Handout NC OLE Alliance mission statement and goals.Developed in a collaborative process involving Alliance members.Goes beyond the field of early childhood to addresses ALL children eg. all ability levels, cultures and ages etc. of children. Also addresses all settings (public parks, greenways, child care settings, etc.)

NC OLE Alliance was originally organized by:3 Work GroupsProfessional Development & Technical AssistancePolicy & RegulationPublic Awareness & Advocacy

A Leadership Team that includes

2 representatives from each work group.

Advisory Members who are available to the Alliance to provide expertise in specified areas.

The Alliance meets twice a year and is structured this way . . .Workgroups meet more frequently and work toward goals that they have defined for their group.Each workgroup have two co-chairs who organize the workgroup meetings and participate on the Leadership team.The Leadership Team works with Alliance Co-Chairs (Jani Kozlowski and Janet McGinnis) to ensure that good communication occurs between groups and to plan the work and meetings of the Alliance.A number of state leaders and content experts have an interest in this work but are not available to attend meetings or participate in a workgroup. These members have agreed to be Advisory Members and are called upon for their particular expertise or organizational involvement.

Why Play Outside?Play Outside IdeasNorth Carolina Initiatives


Why arent children going outside?Safety concernsCrimeTrafficSun safetyAir quality ozone daysWeather Rules, regulations, sanitation

Current conditionsLack of high-quality outdoor environmentsLack of recognition of the outdoors as an arena for learningLack of understanding that children learn through play

So knowing all of this, why are we faced with this problem?

Fear is at the root of much of our concern. Much of the time this fear is not justified or can be easily managed or addressed. Our culture is moving rapidly to being a culture that is afraid of going outside. Think again of how you played as a child.

There are also many misconceptions for example our rules and regulations in child care are meant to guide safe practices not to prevent or be a barrier to teachers taking children outdoors.

Many teachers/caregivers do not recognize the outdoors as a part of the learning environment and do not know how to use it that way.

Research supports this notion that children are spending less time playing outdoorsSurvey of 800 mothers in the United StatesOutdoor play in the 2000s vs 40 years agoLess time outdoorsDifferent activities outdoorsMore indoor play

Clements, R. An Investigation of the State of Outdoor Play. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, Vol. 5(1):68-80, 2004.

Dr. Rhonda Clements surveyed over 800 mothers in the United States to explore the extent to which children in the early 2000s play outdoors as compared to a generation ago. Children in the early 2000s:spend less time playing outdoorsparticipate in different activities outdoors (e.g., fewer street games and more organized youth sports)participate in more indoor than outdoor play activitiesObstacles, such as television, computers, and concerns about crime, safety, and injury, prevented their children from participating in more outdoor play.

Plugged In or Tuned Out?For many, childhood is spent overly plugged in. (Wike, 2006). Children now spend nearly 30 hours a week watching a TV or computer screen, listening to something through headphones or, for older children, using cell phones or media players (CDC, 2005; Ginsberg et al, 2007).

Children know more about Pokmon than common wildlife Survey of 109 kids in the UKAssessed knowledge using set of flashcardsWildlife knowledge rose from 32% at age 4 to 53% at age 8Pokmon knowledge rose from 7% at age 4 to 78% at age 8

Balmford, A., Clegg, L., Coulson, T., & Taylor, J. Why Conservationists Should Heed Pokmon. Science, 295(5564), 2367-2367, 2002.

Dr. Andrew Balmford and colleagues surveyed 109 United Kingdom primary schoolchildren (ages 4 to 11) to investigate their knowledge of natural and non-natural objects.

Each child was shown a set of 20 flashcards10 of common British wildlife species (including plants, invertebrates, and mammals) and 10 of Pokmon characters.

Childrens overall identification success for common wildlife species rose from 32% at age 4 to 53% at age 8 and then fell slightly, whereas childrens identification success for Pokmon characters rose from 7% at age 4 to 78% at age 8.

What are the consequences?Decline in physical fitnessRising childhood obesity ratesIncrease in attention issuesMore allergies, asthma, respiratory illness

We hear about the consequences of this trend every day in the news.

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsCenter for Health Statistics, 1985

(*BMI 30, or ~ 30 lbs overweight for 5 4 person)

This series of slides will demonstrate what has occurred in the incidence of obesity in our country since 1985. Point out the parameters based on body mass index for adults more than 30 pounds overweight (54 height) refer to color codes for percent of population over 30 pounds overweight.

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. Adults 2007

Childhood Obesity on the Rise In North Carolina in 2007, 15.3% of children ages 2-4 are considered to be extremely overweight. (>=95 percentile) That amounts to a total of 15,092 overweight preschool children in our state.

NC-NPASS, 2007; limited to children seen in NC Public Health sponsored clinics

Children need 1 hour per day of vigorous activity. (U.S. Surgeon General)However, more than half of parents (54%) said that they had little or no time to spend engaged in physical activity with their children, but wish they had more time.

Even though we know physical activity is good for our children, we also know that parents are unable to provide these opportunities.

Ex. Working parent leaves the home at 7:30 to go drop child off at child care, work all day, pick child up at 5:30 or 6:00, time for dinner, homework, bath, bed . . . makes me tired to think about it.

When does this parent go outdoors with their child? Some times of the year it is dark outdoors when the drop off and pick up their child.

For many children their only experiences outdoors occur in child care settings or school.

Attention issues respond to outside play.

An increasing body of research tells us that outdoor play has a positive affect on attention-related problems. This study out of the University of Illinois illustrates this finding.

Earlier we mentioned that boys often respond more to kinesthetic learning opportunities. The outdoor provides this opportunity eg. Building a fort with friends, taking science exploration outdoors and applying learning objectives in a setting where children can actively engage with the concepts.

ADHD medications prescriptions for children ages 2 to 4 increased almost 300% between 1991 and 1995.

About six million children, roughly one in eight children, will take ADHD medications.

This research from the University of Illinois has shownChildren who are exposedto natural environmentsexhibit:

Improved attention skillsLess impulsivityFewer challenging behaviors

Taylor, Andrea Faber; Frances E. Kuo; and William C. Sullivan. In Environment and Behavior, Vol. 33, No. 1, January 2001. 2001 Sage Publications, Inc. Available at www.lhhl.uiuc.edu

Cite references Illinois study?

Orion article

Ansel Adams photograph

Cornell professor Nancy Wells found that even a view of naturegreen plants and vistashelps reduce stress among highly stressed children. Wells, N.M., and Evans, G.W. "Nearby Nature: A Buffer of Life Stress Among Rural Children." Environment and Behavior. Vol. 35:3, 311-330.

In a 2003 study, Cornell professor Nancy Wells found that even a view of naturegreen plants and vistashelps reduce stress among highly stressed children. Further, the more plants, green views and access to natural play areas, the more positive the results.

Outdoor Play Benefits the Whole ChildHealth benefitsCognitive benefitscreativityproblem-solving focus self-discipline Social benefits cooperation self-awarenessEmotional benefitsstress reduction reduced aggression increased happiness

Burdette, Hillary L., M.D., M.S.; and Robert C. Whitaker, M.D, M.P.H. "Resurrecting Free Play in Young Children: Looking Beyond Fitness and Fatness to Attention, Affiliation and Affect." 2005 American Medical Association.

Things to Think about: Appeal to the Senses

Sense of Smell - aromatic plants - flowers and herbs.

Taste - grow food, herbs. Have lunch or snack outdoors. Hold a special event or activity outside that involves tasting - like making apple cider, cutting open a watermelon

Touch - lots of textures in surfacing and materials and plants. Moss, soft grasses and other plants with other textures - bark or mulch of different types. And soft white sand

Sound musical instruments, wind chimes, grasses that make sounds when they blow in the wind, birdsong

Things to think about: Pathways

Things to think about: Shade

Things to think about: Hills

In the future we would like to also look at quality of movement that these settings afford*

Things to think about: Hills & Water play

Things to think about: Water Features

Things to think about: Cozy Places

Things to think about: Loose Parts

This is more an example of spontaneous play occurring and notice how physically active these girls are!

Things to think about: Art

Things to think about: Music

Impromptu Dramatic Play

This is more an example of spontaneous play occurring and notice how physically active these girls are!

Outdoor Gathering Places

Growing Your Own Food

Planting a Shoe Garden

We are also seeing some inspiring and innovative outdoor environments develop as a result of greater awareness of the need for children to be in nature. A change in legislation now allows Smart Start funding to be used to improve the quality of outdoor environments.

We still have a long way to go!

These are photos taken from NC child care centers 4 and 5 star centers! There are still many programs that have not addressed their outdoor environments beyond the minimum requirements for licensing.

We still have a long way to go!

We see evidence often in the field that the outdoors is not a priority.Sand table without sand or sand toysBroken or damaged equipment that has not been repaired (shade tarp).Older wood structures with splintered or damaged wood that has been treated with CCA (wood treatment no longer used that contains arsenic).

Outdoor Learning EnvironmentsQuality Enhancement ProjectPreventing Obesity by Design (POD)Funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield FoundationNC State Natural Learning Initiative & NCPC3 years 30 sites that are developing high quality outdoor environmentsTraining & support for Smart Start-funded technical assistance providers

Funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation A partnership between NCPC and NC State Universitys Natural Learning Initiative in the College of Design3-year project titled Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) Training and support for Smart Start technical assistance (TA) providers and their child care partnersSelected Smart Start-funded TA providers will learn about:the research-based benefits of outdoor play for young childrenoutdoor learning environment design strategieshow to include natural elements in the child care outdoor environmentways to support teachers in their efforts to guide childrens play outdoors

A total of 30 model outdoor learning environment demonstration sites will be created over the course of the project.

The project aims to address issues of childhood obesity and will put strategies into place that can be sustained over time through Smart Start-funded child care quality enhancement initiatives.

POD Design Workshop

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Design

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Play area improvementEverybody involved: school director, teachers, children, siblings, community members, volunteers and NLI design team

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Evaluation

Preschool Outdoor Evaluation Measurement Scale (POEMS)

http://www.poemsnc.org

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Sky View Factor

BeforeAfter26% less sun exposure

Environmental CareWatering newly planted trees and groundcovers with rainwater

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BEFOREAFTER

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Proposed Licensing Regulations1 hour of outdoor play each day (weather permitting)Limited screen timeRules to be voted on by the Child Care Commission on March 11th, 2010Website with link to proposed rules:

www.osr.nc.gov (Go to the Professional Development link)








For More Information

Janet McGinnis, Education ConsultantNC Office of Early [email protected]

Jani Kozlowski, Policy Unit SupervisorNC Division of Child [email protected]









The Alliance meets twice a year and is structured this way . . .Workgroups meet more frequently and work toward goals that they have defined for their group.Each workgroup have two co-chairs who organize the workgroup meetings and participate on the Leadership team.The Leadership Team works with Alliance Co-Chairs (Jani Kozlowski and Janet McGinnis) to ensure that good communication occurs between groups and to plan the work and meetings of the Alliance.A number of state leaders and content experts have an interest in this work but are not available to attend meetings or participate in a workgroup. These members have agreed to be Advisory Members and are called upon for their particular expertise or organizational involvement.


So knowing all of this, why are we faced with this problem?

Fear is at the root of much of our concern. Much of the time this fear is not justified or can be easily managed or addressed. Our culture is moving rapidly to being a culture that is afraid of going outside. Think again of how you played as a child.

There are also many misconceptions for example our rules and regulations in child care are meant to guide safe practices not to prevent or be a barrier to teachers taking children outdoors.

Many teachers/caregivers do not recognize the outdoors as a part of the learning environment and do not know how to use it that way.Dr. Rhonda Clements surveyed over 800 mothers in the United States to explore the extent to which children in the early 2000s play outdoors as compared to a generation ago. Children in the early 2000s:spend less time playing outdoorsparticipate in different activities outdoors (e.g., fewer street games and more organized youth sports)participate in more indoor than outdoor play activitiesObstacles, such as television, computers, and concerns about crime, safety, and injury, prevented their children from participating in more outdoor play.Dr. Andrew Balmford and colleagues surveyed 109 United Kingdom primary schoolchildren (ages 4 to 11) to investigate their knowledge of natural and non-natural objects.

Each child was shown a set of 20 flashcards10 of common British wildlife species (including plants, invertebrates, and mammals) and 10 of Pokmon characters.

Childrens overall identification success for common wildlife species rose from 32% at age 4 to 53% at age 8 and then fell slightly, whereas childrens identification success for Pokmon characters rose from 7% at age 4 to 78% at age 8.

We hear about the consequences of this trend every day in the news.This series of slides will demonstrate what has occurred in the incidence of obesity in our country since 1985. Point out the parameters based on body mass index for adults more than 30 pounds overweight (54 height) refer to color codes for percent of population over 30 pounds overweight.

Even though we know physical activity is good for our children, we also know that parents are unable to provide these opportunities.

Ex. Working parent leaves the home at 7:30 to go drop child off at child care, work all day, pick child up at 5:30 or 6:00, time for dinner, homework, bath, bed . . . makes me tired to think about it.

When does this parent go outdoors with their child? Some times of the year it is dark outdoors when the drop off and pick up their child.

For many children their only experiences outdoors occur in child care settings or school.An increasing body of research tells us that outdoor play has a positive affect on attention-related problems. This study out of the University of Illinois illustrates this finding.

Earlier we mentioned that boys often respond more to kinesthetic learning opportunities. The outdoor provides this opportunity eg. Building a fort with friends, taking science exploration outdoors and applying learning objectives in a setting where children can actively engage with the concepts.

ADHD medications prescriptions for children ages 2 to 4 increased almost 300% between 1991 and 1995.

About six million children, roughly one in eight children, will take ADHD medications.Cite references Illinois study?

Orion article

Ansel Adams photographIn a 2003 study, Cornell professor Nancy Wells found that even a view of naturegreen plants and vistashelps reduce stress among highly stressed children. Further, the more plants, green views and access to natural play areas, the more positive the results.In the future we would like to also look at quality of movement that these settings afford*This is more an example of spontaneous play occurring and notice how physically active these girls are!This is more an example of spontaneous play occurring and notice how physically active these girls are!We are also seeing some inspiring and innovative outdoor environments develop as a result of greater awareness of the need for children to be in nature. A change in legislation now allows Smart Start funding to be used to improve the quality of outdoor environments.

These are photos taken from NC child care centers 4 and 5 star centers! There are still many programs that have not addressed their outdoor environments beyond the minimum requirements for licensing.We see evidence often in the field that the outdoors is not a priority.Sand table without sand or sand toysBroken or damaged equipment that has not been repaired (shade tarp).Older wood structures with splintered or damaged wood that has been treated with CCA (wood treatment no longer used that contains arsenic).

Funded by Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation A partnership between NCPC and NC State Universitys Natural Learning Initiative in the College of Design3-year project titled Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) Training and support for Smart Start technical assistance (TA) providers and their child care partnersSelected Smart Start-funded TA providers will learn about:the research-based benefits of outdoor play for young childrenoutdoor learning environment design strategieshow to include natural elements in the child care outdoor environmentways to support teachers in their efforts to guide childrens play outdoors

A total of 30 model outdoor learning environment demonstration sites will be created over the course of the project.

The project aims to address issues of childhood obesity and will put strategies into place that can be sustained over time through Smart Start-funded child care quality enhancement initiatives. **

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