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Nature Play at Home Online Edition A Guide for Boosting Your Children’s Healthy Development and Creativity Nature Play at Home A Guide for Boosting Your Children’s Healthy Development and Creativity You are currently viewing the Nature Play at Home: Online Edition with added online resouces linked throughout the document and an added “Resources by Topic” section. This edition is ideally viewed either directly within a browser or in an up-to-date pdf viewing application with an active internet connection. Acknowledgements Research, documentation, manuscript preparation and layout design by the Natural Learning Initiative: Robin Moore, Dipl.Arch, MCP, Hon.ASLA, Director Nilda Cosco, PhD, ASLA, Education Specialist Sarah Werner, MLA, Associate ASLA, Design Assistant Julie Murphy, BLA, Design Assistant Sarah Little, MLA, RLA, Research Assistant Elizabeth Valsing, BA, Project Coordinator National Wildlife Federation: Allen Cooper, JD, MPP, Director State Education Advocacy All those who have contributed as part of the NWF Team. Many thanks to those who have contributed photographs for use in Nature Play at Home. Information in this report can be shared/reproduced only with clearly stated attribution to National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Natural Learning Initiative (NLI). © 2012 National Wildlife Federation and Natural Learning Initiative. All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The purpose of the Nature Play at Home guidebook is to raise awareness and provide education about considerations for Nature Play Spaces™; it is not to be consid- ered as an all-inclusive resource. Safety requires common sense specific to the play space involved, age and children skills. While the intent is to provide a general re- source for reconnecting children and families to nature, the authors and program sponsor disclaim any liability based upon information contained in this publication. The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) assumes no responsibility for the design or installation of outdoor components for playing and learning. In no event will NLI be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage incurred during the construction or use of the outdoor learning environment at home or other location. Site owners are responsible to inspect, repair, and maintain all elements and manage site-specific supervision sightlines, landscaping, and safety requirements. The Natural Learning Initiative, the National Wildlife Federation, and its divisions provide these comments as a public service in the interest of integrating nature into the home environment while advising of the restricted context in which it is given. Nature Play at Home is a component of the Nature Play Space™ Design Project, a joint project of the National Wildlife Federation and the Natural Learning Initiative, dedicated to creating tools and resources that restore nature to children’s everyday outdoor play and learning environments. National Wildlife Federation Natural Learning Initiative The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is America’s The Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) is a research largest conservation organization, inspiring and extension program of the College of Design, Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s NC State University. The NLI mission is to promote future. NWF programs educate and inspire people the importance of the natural environment in from all walks of life to protect wildlife and wildlife the daily experience of all children and their habitat. families, through design, research, education, and dissemination of information. NLI works with NWF focuses its conservation and education work multidisciplinary partners to implement the critical in three major areas that will have the biggest role of the natural world to support healthy child impact on the future of America’s wildlife: development, pro-social values, and motivation of ▪ Seeking solutions to global warming which learning across all subject areas. poses a major threat to the nation’s wildlife NLI believes that understanding nature’s processes ▪ Protecting and restoring wildlife habitat, and their interdependence with human life is a especially habitats that provide a home for critical educational task for creating an ecologically threatened and endangered species sustainable society. NLI collaborates with other ▪ Connecting children to nature for a nation of researchers, designers, educators, environmental happier, healthier kids. These connections in educators, planners, extension agents, public early life will teach children to appreciate and officials – all professionals working for and with respect the natural world so they can be good children to help communities create stimulating conservation stewards in the future. healthy places for play, learning, and environmental education. Be Out There™ is NWF’s movement to reconnect families with the outdoors. Kids today spend twice NLI works with a variety of clients in the nonformal as much time indoors as their parents did, missing and formal sector of education, including: schools; out on the simple pleasures and lasting mental and parks and recreation systems; childcare centers; physical health benefits of daily outdoor time. afterschool programs; federal, state, county, and municipal governments; residential developers; NWF’s practical tools and information help make zoos; botanical gardens; children’s museums; and being outside a fun, healthy and automatic part environmental centers. of everyday life for American families. By raising awareness, inspiring behavior change and taking action, Be Out There will help get American children and families back outside – where they belong! BeOutThere.org. ......................................................................................................................................Contents Summary Introduction..................................................................................................................................1 Developmental Benefits of Nature Play.....................................................................................1 Getting Started..........................................................................................................................3 Involving the Whole Family........................................................................................................3 Managing Your Nature Play Space™.........................................................................................3 Risk Taking – The Essence of Healthy Development.................................................................4 Nature Play and Learning Settings.....................................................................................5 Using the Guide – Implementing Change Piece by Piece........................................................5 Required Effort Scale................................................................................................................6 Loose Parts (Natural and Not)..................................................................................................7 Natural Construction.................................................................................................................8 Water Play.................................................................................................................................9 Earth and Mud Play..................................................................................................................10 Acoustic Play...........................................................................................................................11 Fairy Villages...........................................................................................................................12 Shade.......................................................................................................................................13 Backyard Habitat.....................................................................................................................14 Sensory Garden......................................................................................................................15 Grass Maze.............................................................................................................................16 Edible Plants...........................................................................................................................17 Adventure Pathways...............................................................................................................18 Multipurpose Lawn..................................................................................................................19 Play in All Weather...................................................................................................................20 Balancing Logs........................................................................................................................21 Sand Play................................................................................................................................22 Vine Teepee.............................................................................................................................23 Play Deck................................................................................................................................24 Water Gardens........................................................................................................................25

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