A Day with Mud on Your Boots is a Great One

Teece Nowell, LCPC, recently visited The Wesley School in Owings, MD, to talk about The River’s Edge Forest Play, a nature immersion program designed to nurture children through play in West River, MD. Founded in 2015 by Nowell, a child mental health practitioner, when she noticed that time spent in nature has healing effects for kids.

How River’s Edge Began

In her practice, Nowell noticed an uptick of kids between the ages of 7 and 9 years experiencing severe anxiety, depression and hating school at the same time when hand-held electronics have become ubiquitous entertainers and educators. Device holders are now on everything from potty-training seats to car seats, leaving few opportunities for kids to explore their world without the constant barrage of cartoons and movies. Although some of these forms of entertainment are considered to be educational, there is a point at which it comes information overload, leaving kids with and uninterrupted stream of consciousness from an outside source.

Play with a Purpose

River’s Edge Forest Play helps kids become more confident, capable, and compassionate, with one special ingredient—child-led, uninterrupted play. Many schools and camps provide a lot of instructor-led activities, but Nowell has found that her method is very effective, especially for children who struggle to pay attention, have Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or related issues.

“Adults can ask questions to help kids critical thinking skills, but it’s not intended to tell the child what to do,” Nowell said. She also said that she encourages kids to work things out among themselves when skirmishes and disagreements occur, which are inevitable.

Being constantly entertained can hamper natural creativity and curiosity, which can have long-term consequences. Her theories about the importance of outdoor play are backed up by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In a recent AAP clinical report, 'The Power of Play,' they recommend play for children to buffer stress, build parental relationships, and improve executive functioning, all important skills for kids to develop to carry them into adulthood.

Getting Good and Dirty

The kids at River’s Edge Forest Play are playing in mud kitchens, getting good and dirty. Kids are challenging themselves by climbing trees and splashing in the creek and the benefits are enormous.

Nowell says that “Play is essential to early child development,” but also that “play has been taken for granted.”

The modern family’s hurried lifestyle has contributed to this. This isn’t to blame parents; it’s a cultural phenomenon. Play has been replaced by organized sports and after care programs where after a full day of school for many kids, adults are still running the show.

Nowell has observed as an academic, a parent, and a grandparent that, “Children learn more effectively and efficiently through self discovery.” And frankly, they need a break.

The Wesley School (which educates Kindergarten through second grade students with a nature-based, experiential learning approach) has created a natural playground to encourage this kind of self-discovery through play. The daily schedule encourages collaborative learning, self-initiated discoveries, hands-on learning, creative and critical thinking as well as imaginative play.

In 2020 River’s Edge Forest Play will have 12 week-long camps. As they say on their website, “Adventure awaits. Come play with us!”

Reference

Yogman M, Garner A, Hutchinson J, Kathy, et al. The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children. Pediatrics. 2018; 142; 3.

For more information visit www.riversedgeforestplay.com/

More information on The Wesley School