Hobbs State Park Conservation Area offers many special programs and recently I attended a presentation by guest speaker Donald Wleklinski on the topic of “Restorative and Healing Powers of Being in Nature.”

Wleklinski (Mental Health Coordinator at the University of Arkansas) focused his talk specifically on the benefits children gain from spending time in nature and what they stand to lose if they aren’t provided these important opportunities. For those of us who grew up with ample time and room to roam, it might be easy to assume that children still get plenty of exposure to the outdoors, but in reality, going outside to play in a natural setting is almost athing of the past.

In my search for more information, I came across National Wildlife Federation’s website with a list of health benefits of outdoor play with each one supported by research. The website states that “the average American boy or girl spends just four to seven minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day and more than seven hours each day in front of an electronic screen.”

There is growing concern among psychologists that this “alienation from nature” is at least partly to blame for many of the problems faced by children in today’s society, and the decrease in physical fitness is just the beginning. In addition to providing moreexercise, being outside helps increase Vitamin D and lessens risks for “future bone problems, heart disease, and diabetes.”

Interestingly enough, another study found that children who spend more time outside tend to have better distance vision than indoor kids. Exposure to natural settings also reduces symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, resulting in these kids having an easier time concentrating and attending in more structured settings. With all the opportunities nature provides for observing, analyzing and drawing conclusions, it is no big surprise that students who participated in “environment-based education” scored higher in critical thinking skills.

According to Wleklinski’s presentation, being involved in organized outdoor sports does not provide the same benefits as unhurried, free time spent outdoors. Youngsters have crowded, busy lives, just as we adults,and their time needs to be balanced with opportunities to truly relax in an environment where their minds can focus on the quiet things going on around them. According to psychologists, what kids need in order to get the best benefit is leisurely, unstructured time spent in nature, breathing fresh air and being surrounded by a more serene, less stimulating environment. This allows children to unwind and “chill out,” leading to a decrease in symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Helpful lifelong lessons such as patience and self-control can also be learned during time spent outdoors because nature just can’t be “hurried up” making it necessary for kids to learn to “stop and wait.”

Sometimes the idea of spending quiet time in nature is met with resistancefrom children unaccustomed to being without electronic gadgets. To them, being outside may seem boring at first. Some kidsmay need a little boost in developing their interests in nature and there are many ways adults can help out. Teaching by example is the best and most effortless, so simply enjoying nature along with them is a good start. Also providing tools such as butterfly, wildflower or bird identification books, a scavenger hunt list, or sending them out with a camera in hand can get them started being more observant and aware of what is going on around them.

Although “nature deficit disorder,” as some call it, might be more common in urban areas where children have limited access to green space, it can also happen here in our rural neck of the woods. Many kids are just too busy for free time or simply don’t have a good nature area in which to play.Unlike the days of the past, not all kids today have access to a big back yard or to a grandparent’s farm.

The obvious need for children to spend moretime outdoors is another reason to be excited about the prospect of the development of the city of Gentry’s new nature area just south of town. It would be a very nice addition to Gentry’s other family-friendly outdoor spaces such as the city park, the Drive-Through Safari, and Eagle Watch Nature Trail. If for no other reason, the new nature area needs to become a reality for the opportunities and benefits it will provide the kids in our area. It would be good for them. Consequently, it would be good for all of us.

(A wealth of information related to this topic, including National Wildlife Federation’s website, can easily be accessed online by searching “benefits of kids spending time in nature.”)

Annette Rowe is a freelance writer from rural Gentry and a speech-language pathologist at Siloam Springs High School She may be reached by email at awalkinthepark50 @ yahoo.com.

Opinion, Pages 6 on 04/13/2011