Reasons To Consider Outdoor Study
Studying outdoors could help improve a child’s grades and behavior. According to recent studies, children with an outdoor area where they can work, feel less apathetic and less alienated.
In 2005 Richard Louv first coined the phrase “Nature Deficit Disorder” when describing the symptoms of children who spent the vast majority of their time indoors. He argued that these children developed a wide range of behavioral problems, and that the problem is only getting worse; with the amount of entertainment available to kids indoors it has been estimated that the average child spends 44 hours a week (more than 6 hours a day) playing computer games or watching TV.
An ideal way to increase the amount of time a child spends outside is to create an area specifically for outdoor studying where, after a day spent cooped up in classrooms at school, children can do their homework out in the open.
Obviously this depends on what your local climate is like – nobody is suggesting children be shut out in a blizzard or in scorching hot weather until they’ve finished their school work! But if possible, creating an outdoors study environment is something you should consider investing in. And if it is something you’re looking into, be sure to consider lighting and comfort to make sure you’re creating the right environment for learning, as well as a safe location for a child to spend time.
You should always check that all furniture placed outside is durable enough to withstand the weather and that all desks, chairs and other furnishings are child-friendly. It’s also worth considering investing in a canopy or gazebo, which will keep both child and their study materials safe from the elements.
Perhaps the main challenge in creating an outside study area will be convincing children to use it, but once you’ve managed that minor miracle, an improvement in behavior and academic performance should follow.
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