Risk Benefits of Being With and Interacting In Nature
The benefits of being out in nature far outweigh the risks and there is now plenty of research to back this up. One increasingly studied topic is why there has been exponentially more anxiety and mind struggles particular in young people. This huge increase affects younger and younger ones, many of whom are no longer eating from nature along with spending too much time in artificial lighting, screen time is on a sharp rise.
So if there is a simple solution which is to get outside in Nature what stops people?
- The societal pressure to increase earning capacity due to cost of living taking away time for parenting
- Increased technology and social media use
- Increased concerns about safety due to constant negative media
- Urbanization making the outdoor spaces less accessible
- Busy schedules with extra curricula that are indoors, and academic pressure.
- A belief that weather stops outdoor activities
- Cultural and generational shift to safer indoor activities being thought to be more beneficial
There is strong evidence to suggest that being in our bodies, moving in fresh air, is the way for a healthy balanced lifestyle, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Learning is integrated more holistically when full movement is included and all our senses are utilised. Simply having bare feet on the earth and grounding has now become a popular concept known to have many benefits, how often do you take your shoes off and walk on the grass?
So what does Health and Safety look like at Te Hiringa Connected Learning? Firstly it involves plenty of communication with the young people around potential safety hazards so it’s clear where the boundaries are and what is the responsibility of the young person to help keep themselves and others safe. This is part of our relationship building as facilitators to recognize where personal boundaries exist and encouraging individuals to challenge themselves or curiously question and discuss if we see they are going a little too far within their individual capabilities. When young people have the opportunity to be challenged on their own personal physical boundaries there are many benefits across physical, mental and emotional development. By reaching growth edges of physical boundaries and going beyond them in a safe and controlled way helps them grow, learn, and build resilience, recognizing their own endless potential.
- The increased strength and endurance with physical challenges such as climbing, running group games, and physical activity helps improve muscular strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination along with coordination skills for balance and agility.
- When children are faced with challenges, overcoming them increases self esteem and builds confidence especially when mastery is achieved which we as facilitators scaffold for them to recognize their own growth.
- Creating and crafting through traditional skills and natural materials as a experiential learning opportunity fosters holistic development.
- Confronting physical challenges sometimes leads to overcoming fear, for example whether it is heights, speed or failure. Learning to deal with fear in a controlled supportive environment can translate to emotional regulation and courage across all aspects of life.
- The concentration and commitment required to learn and grow physically in nature helps build focus, patience and discipline which are skills that transfer to academics and personal goals.
- Thinking critically and creatively when faced with physical challenges is encouraged and supported, facilitators are curious and ask potent questions to allow young people to learn to adapt to changing conditions and unpredictable obstacles safely promoting growth mindset.
- Collaboration and empathy are incorporated into our program through communication and leadership opportunities, along with cooperative games and conflict resolution support
- Being in nature engaging with our activities and challenges, fosters a deep connection to the outdoors and contributes to environmental stewardship.
As we continually learn and grow together, deepening our relationship with self, each other and our stunning environment that is Taranaki our natural intuition becomes more honed to take us to where we want and need to be.
Te Hiringa Connected Learning Health and Safety Risk Assessment is about discussing: What are the risks? What are the benefits? Do the benefits outway the risks? Where are my own physical and mental limits within the experience? Do I need to check my abilities with a trusted adult before attempting this experience? What are the safety measures in place I need to follow? How can I make this safer? How do I work in a team with different abilities? Where do I find out about weather conditions? By staying curious and open to possibilities we can keep everyone safe by pre empting situations and staying in touch with our intuition when things are not sitting right. Communicate any areas of discomfort so all hazards are reduced to the bare minimum. The attached document shows the way this looks on paper. Each day together we sit in circle to bring out required discussion to keep everyone safe. It’s a beautiful thing to co-create and collaborate in community with how this can look together.
