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Research has shown both hands-on and passive exposure to nature to have a positive impact on learning outcomes for students.
Research has shown both hands-on and passive exposure to nature to have a positive impact on learning outcomes for students.
Furthermore, landscapes that incorporate elements such as community gardens and public art are known to provide opportunities for socialization among neighbors and increase multiple civic engagement objectives.
Furthermore, landscapes that incorporate elements such as community gardens and public art are known to provide opportunities for socialization among neighbors and increase multiple civic engagement objectives.
Learning through Nature-Based Education
Learning through Nature-Based Education
Nature-based education programming that includes hands-on activities can help children feel an intimate connection with nature. Hands-on outdoor lessons require students to engage more fully in sensory and physical experiences as they interact with nature and therefore contribute to a more effective learning process (Tanja-Dijkstra, et. al 2019). Furthermore, those who participate in nature-based education, including “domesticated nature” activities like planting vegetables or taking care or plants have shown to have a stronger proclivity and commitment to environmental stewardship in adulthood (Wells and Lekies 2006).
Learning by Connecting with Nature
Learning by Connecting with Nature
Exposure to nature has shown to have a positive impact on learning outcomes, even when interaction with nature is passive. Children with greater exposure to greenspace at home, during their commute, or at school have improved cognitive development compared to those with limited exposure. A number of studies across the US, United Kingdom, Spain, and beyond have linked greenspace to improvements in one’s working memory (Dadvand 2015), concentration skills (Dadvand, 2015; Faber Taylor et. al, 2002; Wells 2000) impulse control (Faber Taylor et. al 2002; Wells 2000), and creativity (Studente, et. al, 2016; Faber Taylor et al 1998).
Learning through Community Building
Learning through Community Building
Elements such as community gardens and public art provide an opportunity for communities to come together for workdays, socialization, and other community building activities. Through this type of interaction, neighbors are afforded the opportunity to learn about one another and their shared interests. Factors such as civic trust and appreciation, participation in public life, stewardship of the public realm, and informed local voting were all shown to increase among residents within a ten-minute walk of a community garden or public art (Center for Active Design).
Sources:
Sources:
Center for Active Design. (2017). “The Assembly Civic Engagement Survey: Key Findings and Design Implications.” https://centerforactivedesign.org/assembly-civic-engagement-survey.
Chawla, Louise, Kelly Keena, Illène Pevec, and Emily Stanley. (2014). “Green Schoolyards as Havens from Stress and Resources for Resilience in Childhood and Adolescence.” Health and Place 28 (July): 1–13.
Dadvand, Payam, M.J. Nieuwenhuijsen, M. Esnaola, J. Forns, X. Basagaña, M. Alvarez-Pedrerol, J. Rivas, M. López-Vicente, M. De Castro Pascual, J. Su, M. Jerrett, X. Querol, and J. Sunyer. (2015) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 112 (26) 7937-7942. https://doi.org/ DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1503402112
Faber Taylor, A.F., A. Wiley, F.E. Kuo and W.C. Sullivan (1998). “Growing Up in the Inner City: Green Spaces as Places to Grow.” Environment and Behavior 30(1): 3-27. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0013916598301001.
Faber Taylor, A.F., F.E. Kuo and W.C. Sullivan (2002). “Views of Nature and Self-Discipline: Evidence from Inner-City Children.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 22: 49-63. https://doi.org/10.1006/jevp.2001.0241.
Studente, Syvie, N. Seppala, and N. Sadowska. (2016). “Facilitating Creative Thinking in the Classroom: Investigating the Effects of Plants and the Colour Green on Visual and Verbal Creativity.” Thinking Skills and Creativity 19: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2015.09.001.
Tanja-Dijkstra, Karin, J. Maas, J. van Dijk-Wesselius, A. van den Berg. (2019). “Children and the Natural Environment.” In Environmental Psychology: An Introduction, edited by Linda Steg and J.I.M. de Groot. 96-103. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Wells, Nancy M. and K.S. Lekies (2006). “Nature and the Life Course: Pathways from Childhood Nature Experiences to Adult Environmentalism” Children, Youth and Environments 16(1):1-24.
Wells, Nancy M. (2000). “At Home with Nature Effects of ‘Greenness’ on Children’s Cognitive Functioning.” Journal of Environment and Behavior 32(6):775-795. https://doi.org/10.1177/00139160021972793.
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