Missouri hosting scores of summer kid nature programs

(Missourinet) — There are dozens and dozens of educational nature programs for children this summer in the state. Margie Vandeven is with the Missouri Department of Conservation. She’s also a former state education commissioner and says nature programs can offset summer learning declines….

“One of the things that you’ll find about outdoor learning is how it does spark creativity, curiosity, and really promotes a lot of the problem solving skills that we’re looking for in our classrooms today,” says Vandeven.

She also says there’s plenty of evidence suggesting spending time outdoors has positive mental health benefits for children.  “So we’re seeing improvement in academic outcomes. We’re seeing improvements in mental health benefits. We’re talking about physical health, so none of us really want to see our students, our children sitting on couches all day. I mean, getting them outside and exercising and exploring, developing their fine motor skills, all of this is really key.”

She recommends parents and caregivers seek out nature programs on the M-D-C’s website or at the more than 1,000 conservation areas in the state.

On outdoor education programs? She highly recommends them, as a way to stave-off learning loss, lower screen-time, lower anxiety, and boost mental health. She says if that doesn’t convince parents, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. “They’re very low cost. Many cases, all free costs to them. And so something that they certainly want to take advantage of,” says Vandeven.