Viva Vitality: Go outside, I promise it’s good for you

By Desirea Agar on January 31, 2020.

I know, it’s winter and it’s cold! The last thing we want to do is spend time outside. But, what if I told you it only takes one hour per week of outdoor activity and engagement with nature to have big time benefits! A recent report titled Nature Nurtures Children has found that when children are learning outdoors (at home, in school or in activities) for just one hour per week it improves their wellbeing, ability to learn and pro social behaviour.

The study focused on more than 450 elementary school children (most of which were ages 8-9) and the effects of outdoor learning activities on their wellbeing. This is one of the largest studies into the effects of outdoor activities on children’s wellbeing and views about nature. What they found was that after spending time in nature:

90% of children felt they learned something new about the natural world

79% felt that their experience could help their school work

84% of children felt that they were capable of doing new things when they tried

79% of children reported feeling more confident in themselves

81% agreed that they had better relationships with their teachers

79% reported better relationships with their class-mates

So, what are some things you can do as a family to help your kids experience these benefits this winter?

* Go sledding

* Go showshoeing (you can rent equipment at Police Point Park)

* Go cross country skiing (you can also rent this equipment at Police Point Park)

* Go skating at an outdoor rink or on a pond

* Spray paint snow with food colouring and water – simply mix it up in a spray bottle. Maybe try spray painting a snowman too

* Make a snow maze

* Build a snow fort

* Make animal snow sculptures and use twigs, berries, leaves or other nature bits to decorate.

* Blow bubbles and watch them freeze

* Play a giant game of tic-tac-toe in the snow. Draw the board and use twigs and acorns as Xs and Os.

* Make rainbow sculptures with balloons (Google this for ideas)

* Take cake pans and muffin tins outside and use them as snow molds

* Make different tracks in the snow. For example, point your feet out and stagger them to create tractor tire marks

* Play a game of bowling using snowballs

* Measure fresh snowfall

* Have a winter picnic

* Make faces on tree trunks with snow

* For older kids, try a game of icicle javelin and see who can throw the farthest without their icicle breaking

* Have a sled-pulling contest

* Have a snowball throwing contest

* Have a contest to see who can roll the biggest snowball

* Warm up around a winter campfire

* Go on a hike

* Shovel a neighbour’s driveway or sidewalk

* Go out searching for animal tracks after a fresh snowfall

* Make a pyramid out of snowballs

* Make ice cube sculptures

* Measure your body with snowballs

* Build a snow catapult with a piece of wood for launching snowballs

Eventually spring will return and with it wildflowers and an opportunity for learning about our natural habitat. The Grasslands Naturalists in Medicine Hat have a great resource showcasing all the wildflowers of Medicine Hat. Google it, print it off, and go exploring with your kids. Write down the dates you first saw each flower this year and then compare it to next year.

Desirea Agar is a health promotion coordinator at Medicine Hat Community Health Services and can be reached at desirea.agar@ahs.ca