Homeschooling: In Favor of Nature
“One of the disadvantages of our civilization is that too often stress of circumstances place square pegs in round holes in artificial economy of our lives. A man of splendid frame , who should be exploring the wilds, must sit at a desk; brain teeming with fine imagination is headed by routine work in a factory. Nature never practices such misfit politics.” - The Book of Knowledge (1923)
I remember as a child moving several times, but with each move I would find some small sliver of space and claim it for my own. Whether it was a corner of a concrete courtyard, or deep in the forest under huge trees that folded their branches to the ground forming a hollow hut closest to their trunk, it was my space. Each space was limited in comparison to what children have to play with today, but rich in natural resources to use in the exercise and wanderings of my imagination. I could be both a lost orphan scavenging for food or an Indian Princess giving orders and regaling the wildlife with her beauty and bravery.
From the beginning of my own adventure in homeschooling, I prioritized the importance of “outside time.” This was especially the case when the children were younger, but even now, I make time spent outdoors just as important an exercise as indoor schooling activities.
Just a few reasons why you should encourage outdoor play in children:
It enables and encourages moderately-intensive exercise, including fun activities like biking, tree-climbing, playing tag, and fort-building.
It helps to develop both fine and gross motor skills.
It encourages them to explore their surroundings.
It promotes creativity.
It is a natural mood booster.
It cuts down on “sitting time” — which can be extremely bad for overall health and wellbeing (in both children and adults!)
It improves cognitive performance.
It inspires and develops a love of nature and a desire to take care of what we have been given.
It offers an opportunity to “reset” any time we may encounter a challenging task in schoolwork or just overcome a general feeling of BLAH-ness.
We love participating in hours spent outside challenges, not because my children need to be more active, but because it gives them them new perspectives, which is crucial for their development. Young children who always remain indoors have no interest in what’s going on outside their four walls. It’s a whole new world out there, and once a child steps out of the comfort of their home, they’re able to observe and develop opinions, face and handle problems, and arrive at ideal solutions to those problems.