By Jody Sackett
It’s cold in the winter. Plus it gets dark early, so staying indoors like hibernating bears seems prudent.
But this is when children most need to go outside and connect with nature. Too much indoor living can result in Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) and have a deleterious effect, especially for kids, by increasing anxiety, stress and obesity while decreasing overall health and concentration abilities.
Luckily, there’s a free, effective and easy solution.
NDD is not a medical diagnosis but a phenomenon identified by author Richard Louv in his book, “Last Child in the Woods.” Analyzing research, Louv explains that because humans evolved with nature, we have a biological need to connect with it regularly. Just being in nature restores mental, physical and spiritual health. It’s an inexpensive yet highly effective therapy for attention-deficit disorders, among other ills.
As author and naturalist Mike Weilbacher points out, merely a generation ago, children played outdoors for hours, yet today they spend an average of less than 10 minutes in unstructured play outside while looking at screens for an average of six hours each day. This imbalance, however, can be easily corrected to improve children’s cognitive functioning and mood. Simply put, kids just need to get outdoors more.
Nature brings many gifts to children. It’s quiet, especially in winter, and the absence of loud ambient noise is physiologically calming. Green is a relaxing color and just hanging around trees reduces heart rates and stress hormones. Being in nature also makes kids more empathetic since they feel a stewardship for outdoor life.
And it’s less exhausting outside. According to Steven and Rachel Kaplan who developed the Attention Restoration theory, living in a highly stimulating urban environment forces children to continually use a directed ability to turn off distractions, much like talking with a friend on a busy street while ignoring the surrounding traffic and noise. This creates mental fatigue.
However, nature doesn’t demand such directed focus, nor does it require the intense concentration of a video game. So children’s brains can relax and utilize a slower, calmer undirected focus, enabling their minds to peacefully wander aimlessly.
Unstructured outdoor play psychologically restores children by building confidence, promoting creativity, and developing curiosity.
While being outdoors in nature is undeniably healthy, winter is still cold, so bundle up with appropriate coats, hats, gloves and footwear and limit outside time when the temperatures really drop. Here are some fun outdoor winter activities to try.
Blow Frozen Bubbles. Make a bubble solution by mixing 2 cups water with 1/3 cup dish soap and a tablespoon of corn syrup. Keep the mixture cool in the garage. When temperatures are below freezing, children can gently blow bubbles outdoors by dipping a slotted spoon or spatula in this chilly solution. Watch patiently as the bubbles slowly harden.
Play Disc Golf. Also known as Frisbee Golf, it’s simple – just throw flying discs into a metal basket. A set of discs (long-range, mid-range, and putter) are inexpensive and sold everywhere, and there are no greens fees. Bring your discs to the county’s lovely 18-hole Wolf Hill disc golf course in Oceanport, start off at the “tee” platform, and just throw the discs across the fields and between trees toward the metal basket. Kids will have so much fun they won’t even realize they’re getting vitamin N(ature).
Hunt Invasives. Spotted Lanternflies are an invasive species that can damage trees and crops. Eliminating the egg masses during the winter can help eliminate the pesky bugs before they hatch. Hunt for spotted lanternfly eggs on tree trunks, branches, fences and outdoor furniture and toys. The egg masses look like grayish putty or chewed gum and are about one-and-a-half inches long and ¾-inch wide. When children discover a mass they can ask an adult to remove the eggs with a windshield ice scraper or other hard, flat tool like a putty knife. Scrape the mass into a container of either soapy water or rubbing alcohol and drop the whole thing in the trash.
Go on a Scavenger Hunt. Make a list of common winter sights and then bundle up and head to Sandy Hook. Walk along the beach searching for shells and seagulls. Count the waves. Breathe in the salt spray deeply. Laugh at the harbor seals playing in the bay at low tide.
See Sustainable Life in Action. Curious about what life was like without cars, plastics and TV? Visit Longstreet Farm in Holmdel where costumed interpreters explain 1890s life without electricity. Children can help milk cows, feed chickens or pet horses while exploring the farm. There are hilly hiking trails in the woods nearby, too, so kids can identify trees and birds, or discover signs of hidden wildlife such as tracks or scat (poop).
Play in the Backyard. There are plenty of unstructured outdoor play options for kids close to home. Get excited for the summer Olympics by practicing gymnastic moves – jump on and off tree stumps or balance on curbing like a balance beam. Climb trees – it’s easier in winter without leaves. Break driveway ice. Make your own outdoor tic-tac-toe board with fallen tree branches, using rocks and pinecones for game pieces. Give younger children your phone and encourage them to photograph animal prints in the snow or mud (common ones are squirrels, birds, rabbits and deer). Follow the prints to see where the animals went. At night, look for constellations in the clear winter sky, and listen for suburban owls hooting. Easiest of all, just walk around your neighborhood using your five senses to carefully observe the tall trees, green shrubbery, scurrying wildlife, frozen soil and brilliant sky… and relax.
And remember, when you do come in from the cold, there’s always hot cocoa.
This article originally appeared in the January 25 – 31, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
