Nature Play NT | Community organisation

Nature Play NT

Phone: (08) 9389 4050

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25.01.2022 Canadian kids arent playing outside enough, experts say, and its harming their health. The belief that kids are safer inside, is the biggest myth going, because from a health perspective almost nothing good happens indoors. says Dr. Mark Tremblay, a senior scientist at the CHEO (Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario) Research Institute. https://globalnews.ca//5987487/outdoor-play-children-canada

25.01.2022 Better playground design could help kids get more exercise Designs that encourage imaginative play and keep kids off the sidelines make a difference. https://www.sciencenews.org//playground-design-kids-exerci

24.01.2022 Nature Play is proud to be the not-for-profit delivering Outdoor Classroom Day in Australia, and its our fourth year of participation in this global movement celebrating and inspiring outdoor play and learning! More than just one day, our aim is to get as many children as possible playing and learning outside, every day, with a celebration of outdoor learning and play on Thursday 5 November 2020. If YOU believe that time outdoors is good for children AND good for the planet , sign up today! https://outdoorclassroomday.com.au/ #OutdoorClassroomDayAustralia #LoveTheOutdoors

23.01.2022 Parks and green spaces are important for our mental health but we need to make sure that everyone can benefit. https://theconversation.com/parks-and-green-spaces-are-impo

23.01.2022 Osteria ai Pioppi began as a small collection of simple rides in the 1970s. Its now a sprawling complex of nearly 50 rides powered completely by hand with pulleys, bicycle cranks, and gravity, and is a major destination for locals and tourists alike! https://www.thisiscolossal.com//a-glimpse-inside-a-handma/

21.01.2022 Out of ideas for new things to do? Go old-school instead Dust off those retro board games and analogue activitiesplaytimes of yesteryear fuel new connections today. https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk//out-of-ideas-for-new

21.01.2022 "Rewarding participation in junior sport doesn't make kids soft, it makes them come back". This opinion piece highlights the importance of having opportunities for all children to build their physical skills and confidence, and enjoy the time they spend on the sporting field. https://www.abc.net.au//rewarding-participation-j/12462232

20.01.2022 Go on a nature walk with your pencil at the ready! Tick off as many of these 16 things as you can. Can you complete your whole bingo card in one go? http://ow.ly/sJ2Q50AzJYK Find this and more great nature play resources for families at the Nature Play Australia website - https://www.natureplay.org.au/resources ABC Darwin Education NT

20.01.2022 Cards Against Humanity : Family Edition is a new fill-in-the-blank comedy game thats just like Cards Against Humanity, but its written for kids and adults to play together. The creators have been working on this version for over a year in consultation with child development experts and psychologists. Their plan was to surprise everyone with it later in the year, but they know a lot of families need cheering up right now. Download and print the free beta version here! https://www.cardsagainsthumanityfamilyedition.com/

19.01.2022 Doctors in England will soon be prescribing patients a walk in the park or a spot of gardening instead of a packet of pills, as part of a national experiment to test whether so-called green prescriptions could offer a cheap way of improving the nations health. https://inews.co.uk//doctors-to-order-a-walk-in-the-park-u

19.01.2022 "The beauty of the natural world lies in the details." - Natalie Angier. We hope you find some beauty in nature today!

19.01.2022 During lockdown, many families have found the time to reconnect with the outdoors. Now that restrictions are starting to ease, conservation expert Jeff Waddell explains why its important that families continue to explore nature together and gives advice on how to keep young ones engaged with the great outdoors. https://www.scottishfield.co.uk//keeping-children-engaged/

18.01.2022 We love this wonderful video showing how to create a cut paper map with award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson. When children create maps of their neighbourhoods, school grounds, or even their backyards, they're learning about the world around them, and their place in it. https://thekidshouldseethis.com//making-cut-paper-maps-chr

18.01.2022 The media is a tough industry to break into, but that hasn't stopped Victoria's youngest journalists from keeping their neighbours informed through the coronavirus pandemic. Frankie Davis, 9, published her newspaper, The Cheer Up Weekly, last week as a way to escape the boredom of being in lockdown because of COVID-19. Way to go, Frankie! https://www.theage.com.au//cheer-up-the-kids-have-got-good

17.01.2022 Play is, by definition, intrinsically motivated. Children and many animals do it just because. But apparently grownups these days need more of a nudge than that to make the space for play. Here are some of the research findings from the journal JAMA Pediatrics on five proven benefits of play. https://www.npr.org//31/642567651/5-proven-benefits-of-play

17.01.2022 We love this video of Alfie from Mount Isa, busy with his tinkering in the shed, singing his favourite song! Not gonna lie, this one gave us all the feels!

17.01.2022 A new study from University of Illinois Chicago researchers suggests daily outdoor lessons in green spaces could boost self-regulation in young children, setting them up for greater academic and social-emotional success. https://www.mcdonoughvoice.com//lessons-in-green-schoolyar

17.01.2022 How talking to kids about the 'zoo in their poo' could inspire healthier food choices, to support the development of gut bacteria that support good physical (and mental) health outcomes. https://www.abc.net.au//zoo-in-my-poo-book-helps-/12574748

17.01.2022 For many parents raising resilient kids is one of the holy grails of child rearing. But how do parents teach children to bounce back from their failures a bit stronger and a bit wiser? The answer could be as simple as doing nothing. https://www.abc.net.au//raising-resilient-kids-to/12629006

17.01.2022 Everyone Needs a Special 'Sit Spot' in Nature. It could be anywhere, from an urban backyard to a nearby forest to spend time in, sitting quietly. TreeHugger's editorial team describes the spots that influenced them as children. https://www.treehugger.com/special-sit-spot-nature-5085811

16.01.2022 Screen time vs 'green time': New research suggests parents are right to nag kids about playing outside https://www.abc.net.au//screen-time-mental-health/12612454 Need help getting off the devices and into nature? Check out our Green Time vs Screen Time resources for families! https://www.natureplay.org.au/green-time-vs-screen-time

15.01.2022 After a few months spent indoors with only your family pod for company, you might be craving fresh air, birdsong, and the scent of a pine forest. A new theory called "the Lovebug Effect" suggests there may be a backseat driver in our daydreams of nature holidays and woodland strolls: the gut microbiome. https://www.mentalfloss.com//gut-microbiome-controls-cravi

15.01.2022 We often talk about the importance of unstructured, free play for children, but what does it really mean? Kate Lundquist, mother and adventurer, writes 'Every time I tried to facilitate improved experiences for my kids in the midst of their own games, it would blow up in my face. They were playing happily. Why was I constantly inserting myself in their unstructured play? I was only trying to help, but each time I was also interrupting something very delicate and important: their own free, unstructured play. When kids engage in free play, they dont need our help.' https://letgrow.org/unstructured-play/

15.01.2022 Being out in fresh air, whatever the weather, can improve childrens mood and reduce stress. When children play and learn outdoors, they are naturally more active than when taking part in organised activities or sitting at a desk. Thats why Nature Play is championing the Outdoor Classroom Day movement! Will you join us in celebrating taking learning and play outdoors? Find out more and join in! https://bit.ly/2ZmgNmg #OutdoorClassroomDay #OutdoorClassroomDayAustralia #LoveTheOutdoors

14.01.2022 Greater levels of residential green space in urban areas could lead to a shift in population IQ, with children attaining better results, according to a research team at Universiteit Hasselt and Ghent University in Belgium. Though several previous studies have linked access to green areas with positive outcomes for child development, the study is the first to examine the connection with IQ. https://www.independent.co.uk//children-development-green-

13.01.2022 We're getting into some #DIYPlay with our Nature Passport outdoor app. Feeling artistic? Use some dried mud as your next canvas. Let your inner artist flow through you as you etch your design or message into the mud, and earn your artist's badge! Check out this mission (and more!) in the Mission Mud activity pack of the Nature Passport app. https://www.natureplay.org.au/nature-passport-app

13.01.2022 What a gorgeous video! We hope this little flatback turtle has many more exciting adventures on their journey through life!

12.01.2022 Who's up for a Battle of the Boxes with Boxwars? We love this concept - it's creative, engaging and hilarious, and it's fun outdoors!

12.01.2022 Welcome to the first day of Spring! We hope youre more of a Full Throttle Wattle than a Cranky Banky!

12.01.2022 We need to learn to be trampoline parents, encouraging kids to push themselves as much as they dare. Now more than ever, it's important for parents to allow children to stretch themselves; and let them know we're still there to catch them. http://ow.ly/13Bh50AJRbh

11.01.2022 Boredom. To some parents, it's a four-letter word synonymous with laziness or a lack of motivation. But to others, it's one of the best things you can provide for your otherwise over-scheduled children. Play expert Sandra Stone, PhD reveals what kids really mean when they say "I'm so bored!" https://www.popsugar.com.au//what-to-do-when-kid-says-they

09.01.2022 Who's up for a bit of forest therapy this weekend? Forest Therapy revolves around the guided immersion in forests with the aim of promoting mental and physical health whilst relaxing in nature. Recognised as a research-based public health practice, Forest Therapy is in itself a form of mindfulness with a focus on fresh air and grounding. https://www.womenshealth.com.au/everything-you-need-to-know

08.01.2022 8 Things You Should Know About Getting Kids Into Nature These tips come from Richard Louv's famous book, 'Last Child in the Woods', the inspiration for the creation of Nature Play's organisations in Australia! https://www.treehugger.com/things-know-getting-kids-nature-

07.01.2022 We love this so much! We wont ruin the surprise by telling you anything about this video, but please enjoy!

07.01.2022 Kids need to play together outsidehere's how to do it safely Here's why outdoor play, and lots of it, should be at the top of your to-do list, especially now. https://www.mother.ly//our-kids-need-to-play-together-is-i

06.01.2022 It has long been recognised that humans are drawn to all things alive and natural. And for children, getting outdoors helps to aid their exploration of the world. Its how they learn best through an environment made up of loose parts, which allows for creativity and problem solving. They use their ingenuity to make up games, construct new imaginary worlds and develop their own solutions to problems. https://theconversation.com/muddy-knees-and-climbing-trees-

04.01.2022 What makes a great playground for teens? Kingborough Council are retiring their 'teen rager' playground at Dru Point after 20 years service. Teens are often left out of play spaces. But not here. Mayor Dean Winter wants to know what to replace it with. https://www.abc.net.au//dru-point-teen-rager-reti/12517564

04.01.2022 Are you taking part in this year's Walk Safely to School Day, this Friday May 14th? Find out more at https://www.walk.com.au/WSTSD/ and get your child's school involved!

04.01.2022 Have you downloaded our free Nature Passport App yet? Nature Passport encourages and motivates children to have fun engaging with their environment wherever that may befrom backyards and city parks, to beaches and other wild places. With activities designed by experts in outdoor play and experiential education, the app is a robust tool for both families and classrooms. It's available for iOS and Android, and is also available as a web app. Search "Nature Passport" in your app store, or find out more at our website https://www.natureplay.org.au/nature-passport-app

04.01.2022 Living close to natural green space benefits gut bacteria of urban, formula-fed infants, study shows. The first study of its kind shows formula-fed babies gut microbiomes are more like those of breastfed babies when they live near natural environments. http://ow.ly/4aZp30qXsBx

03.01.2022 Mud play allow kids to make, squish, and experience mud. More importantly, it helps them explore their imaginations and thrive. Theres an interesting study from the University of Bristol that found that mud contains a type of bacteria that increases serotonin production in the brain, leading to an improved sense of wellbeing! https://www.fatherly.com//kids-mud-kitchen-backyard-must-/

03.01.2022 How To Manage Children's Screen Time And Ease That Dreaded Mum Guilt - 'Screen time gets demonized a lot, but as parents we need to look at the bigger picture and just do our best,' explains wellness expert Adrienne Herbert. https://graziadaily.co.uk//real/managing-kids-screen-time/ Need some support managing screen time in your home? Check out the Digital Wellbeing section of our sister organisation Nature Play WA website for advice - https://graziadaily.co.uk//real/managing-kids-screen-time/

03.01.2022 Theres a scientific reason why water is so calming - Exploring the Blue Health phenomenon and the well-being benefits of oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water. https://elemental.medium.com/theres-a-scientific-reason-why

01.01.2022 Adventure playgrounds are sometimes even referred to as "junk playgrounds" or "nature playgrounds" because kids can play amongst a hodgepodge of tires, logs, sand pits, mud puddles, large boxes or blocks, and other untraditional playground elements. By utilizing these elements of nature, found objects, and sometimes even tools, adventure playgrounds allow for more self-directed, imaginative, and risky play than most contemporary playgrounds. https://www.popsugar.com/f/what-is-junk-playground-47143310

01.01.2022 Fun with hammers and nails in a 1970s Toronto playground. Adventure Playground drew kids to a desolate part of downtown Toronto (Canada) in 1980, where children were encouraged to pick up hammers, nails, rope and old tyres. https://www.cbc.ca//fun-with-hammers-and-nails-in-a-1970s-

01.01.2022 Playtime for adults just as important as child's play - we talk a lot about the importance of play for our children, particularly in nature, but it's just as important for adults to have time to play too! It might be building Lego, baking or craft, or kicking the footy down the park with mates - what do you enjoy just for the sake of it? https://www.abc.net.au//playtime-is-not-just-for-/12523662