Local News
Fifth Quarter Project a Success LNCIgc Partners with CPS and CincyAfterSchool on EarthSmart Institute
June 26 marked the end of the EarthSmart Institute, Leave No Child Inside — Greater Cincinnati's environmental education program for Cincinnati Public Schools' Fifth Quarter project. The project, intended to close the achievement gap by preventing the loss of learning that takes place during summer break, attracted national attention, including a visit on that date from Jim Shelton, U.S. Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education for Innovation. During Shelton's visit to Pleasant Hill Academy, a parent told Shelton that his son "wakes me up in the morning telling me it's time to go"! Click here for details and photos of this innovative program.
Early Childhood Conference Focuses on Children and Nature
On Saturday, May 2, 2009, over 120 child care professionals gathered at the Oasis Conference Center for 4C for Children's "Bringing the Outdoors Back In" conference. Keynote speaker Ken Finch discussed the importance of unstructured play in nature to the physical, emotional, social and cognitive development of children and how it can be brought into the child care setting. Workshops on topics such as "Facilitating Inquiry and Unstructured Play in the Outdoor Environment", "Natural Playscapes", and "Way to Grow! Promoting Healthy Weights in Child Care Settings" provided participants with new ways of looking at outdoor play and how to use play spaces effectively. "I learned more than I thought I would - I have never been to a conference or workshop on the outdoors - it was wonderful!" exclaimed one attendee. Another commented "I just loved all the hands-on activities and the information on what we can do to improve our outdoor play areas". Read the entire story...
Winners of the Child-Friendly Backyard Contest Announced
We know that unstructured outdoor play leads to happier, healthier and smarter children! Last summer, Leave No Child Inside ? Greater Cincinnati sponsored a Child-Friendly Backyard Contest as a fun way to encourage parents to allocate space in their yards for safe, unstructured play. On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, the contest winners were announced and received recognition at the Cincinnati Horticultural Society's Amateur Gardener's Awards Ceremony.
Exploring Nature with Your Little One
It wasn't long ago that I could slip on my hiking boots, snap the leash on my dog's collar and head out for a hike. The wind rustling through the trees, the gurgling water in the stream and the birds chattering all around soothed my soul and quieted my mind.
That was about 2½ years ago. Now I run through my checklist: diapers ... check, wipes ... check, snack ... check, sippy cup ... check, and when I'm really on the ball, extra outfit for falls in the mud ... check. All this takes place while my eternally patient dog gives me an annoyed glare, as if to say, "Do we really have to keep this little person? He makes everything more complicated."
Fun in the Mud
While April showers may bring May flowers, springtime also brings the season of MUD! Look away for one second and your child is ankle deep in it. Squelch, squerch, plop! His shining eyes and joyful giggles speak to every child's innate desire to get their hands dirty. So forget about the caked-on laundry and mess that will inevitably be tracked into the house. Instead, put him in his worst-of-the-worst play clothes and some sturdy rubber boots and head outside together for some fun and messy lessons.
Photo courtesy of Granny's Garden School
Granny's Garden School
Want to see first-hand just how much of a difference one person can make? Plan a trip to Granny's Garden School in Loveland! Seeing how disconnected kids are becoming from the natural world and their communities, Roberta Paolo (aka "Granny") decided to do something about it.
Photo courtesy of The Dan Beard Council future conservationalists
Conserving our Camps for Future Scouts
On Saturday, April 5, over 75 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts at the Dan Beard Scout Reservation and over 30 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts at Camp Michaels learned about conservation while helping our camps at the spring Camp Conservation Day.
Photo courtesy of Imago
Eco-Families
Eco-Families, is a monthly potluck for families and their young children, hosted by Imago. For parents, it is a way to learn more about ecological subjects and to hang out with other parents who share similar values. Children take part in songs, stories and hikes. Afterwards, it's dinnertime!
Photo courtesy of the Cincinnati Zoo
Nocturnal Adventures at the Cincinnati Zoo
The Nocturnal Adventures overnight program truly offers a unique and intimate zoo experience. Regardless of age the memories of the adventure will remain with the students for years to come.
A Local Success Story
Read this letter from Sally Wehby, Executive Director of the UC Child Care Center, Inc. with their solution to providing today's kids with the same unstructured play opportunities that many of us took for granted.
Click here to read this letter »
Students study wetlands with a partnering organization, IMAGO.
Photo courtesy of Gayla Sherman
Cincinnati Public Schools Boasts Ohio's First Environmental Studies High School
Aiken University High School offers career opportunities in the burgeoning environmental field.
Aiken University High School is now the first environmental studies high school in Ohio! Their campus is uniquely suited to the study of the environment. Situated on 62 acres of woodland trails, they are also within walking distance of LaBoiteaux Woods, Mt. Airy Forest and other outdoor venues which will enhance their study of the outdoors.
Photo courtesy of Civic Garden Center
Overnight in an Urban Oasis
Saturday evening of the Great Outdoor Weekend, families gathered on a grassy knoll just a few miles from downtown, pitched their tents and had some fun! The Civic Garden Center sits on 8 beautifully landscaped acres called the Hauck Botanic Garden and hosted the first overnight program of the Great Outdoor Weekend. Families came from all over the greater Cincinnati area to experience camping close to home. With campfire snacks, a scavenger hunt, glow-in-the-dark face paint and night games, folks really enjoyed camping in the city!
Ohio Physical Activity Plan
Leave No Child Inside - Greater Cincinnati supports the Ohio Physical Activity Plan, a statewide plan of action to address the epidemic of physical inactivity and its consequences.
National News
Play Date for 50,000 in Central Park
News of the movement to get kids back outside seems to be everywhere these days, but this event in New York City is worthy of special mention! A coalition called Play for Tomorrow hosted a Giant Block Party, expecting to attract 10,000 people. To their surprise, 50,000 showed up to participate in games like I Spy and drawing on the sidewalk with chalk (hop scotch, perhaps!). Read about it here.
American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics has invited Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, to speak at their national conference in October, 2010. This is evidence of the growing recognition of the critical role that nature plays in healthy childhood development.
The AAP also recently published a paper, "Build with Recreation in Mind". An estimated 32% of American children are overweight, and physical inactivity contributes to this high prevalence of overweight. This policy statement highlights how the built environment of a community affects children's opportunities for physical activity.
New Fact Sheet Summarizes Benefits of Gardening for Children
Gardening provides different forms of engagement for children, including designing, planting, and maintaining gardens; harvesting, preparing, and sharing food; working cooperatively in groups; learning about science and nutrition; and creating art and stories inspired by gardens. Click here to read more about this report from the Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design.
Scientists Report Nature is Essential for the Brain
It's common knowledge that nature can help us focus our attention. Ask most of us what kind of environment we visualize during meditation, and it would be "nature". Read this fascinating article linking nature to brain function and how that information relates to our increasingly urban world.
The Importance of Unstructured Play
Although this piece from National Public Radio does not deal specifically with play outdoors, it supports the importance of unstructured play to healthy childhood development. Click here for information on how unstructured play affects a child's cognitive and emotional development, including self-discipline.
Leave
No Child Inside movement gains momentum!
USA Weekend | November 18, 2007
The movement to reconnect children and nature is growing daily. Local initiatives continue to spring up all over the country, including Wilmington and Columbus here in Ohio. The weekend section of USA today, with readership of 47.5 million people, recently featured a special report on "Raising Healthier Kids". The article included interviews with USA Weekend's health expert and Dallas Cooper Clinic president, Tedd Mitchell, MD, Martha Farrell Erickson, PhD, director of the Center for Early Education and Development at the University of Minnesota and Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder". It includes information on studies which show that nature can 1) be a stress reducer; 2) make kids more focused; and 3) enhance a child's emotional and social development.
Movement
to reconnect kids with nature growing nationwide
The Nation's Health | October 2007
The intersection between healthy people and a healthy environment is becoming clearer every day, with public health advocates emerging as crucial defenders of sustaining clean water and skies far into the future.
Leave
No Child Inside: The growing movement to reconnect children and
nature
Orion Magazine | March/April 2007
The March/April issue of Orion magazine, with their article on Leave No Child Inside, has inspired a national dialog on the topic. Read the article and blogs to see what parents, educators, hospitals, environmental groups and others around the country are thinking (and doing!) about the movement to reconnect children and nature
National News
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