“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

I had an ideal childhood spending lots of time in nature. During the 1960s I lived in Sarnia, Ontario where forests, fields and Lake Huron were only a stone’s throw away. Summers I spent at the family cottage on Georgian Bay. These wondrous wilderness areas provided me with numerous places to explore and enjoy. And while I didn’t realize it at the time, these nature adventures had many benefits.

Nature Is Good for You

While our species is in the early stages of acknowledging the importance of nature in terms of health and well being, we are making some exciting discoveries. Nature has been shown to reduce stress and depression as well as improving our ability to concentrate. It also helps those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In their book Your Brain on Nature: The Science of Nature’s Influence on Your Health, Happiness, and Vitality Eva M. Selhub and Alan C. Logan refer to a study involving patients in a Pennsylvania hospital who had surgery to remove their gallbladder and who recovered in one of two areas of the hospital. According to the authors, “…those who had an outdoor view to trees had significantly shorter hospital stays and fewer postsurgical complaints. They also used less-potent analgesic medications (aspirin instead of narcotics).”

Of course while people are enjoying nature they are usually hiking or doing some other activity where they are getting the benefit of exercise which can lower cholesterol levels, prevent heart disease and control diabetes. And the benefits of exercising in nature has not gone unnoticed in North America where health care providers, such as doctors, work with parks personnel to provide patients with a “Parks Prescription” that includes an exercise regimen in a park.

Children also need to exercise more. Statistics Canada, along with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, found that the health of Canadian children in recent decades has deteriorated, physical fitness has declined and childhood obesity has risen.

Nature and Schools

When it comes to school, nature has been shown to have many benefits for students and teachers. The numerous health benefits make nature areas ideal spots for field trips. Transforming school grounds into more natural environments with trees and bushes has many benefits. A report by the organization Evergreen shows that making school grounds more natural by introducing meadows, trees and gardens has various benefits including improving the academic performances of students and increasing teachers’ enthusiasm for teaching.

The study “High School Landscapes and Student Performance” by Dr. Rodney H. Matsuoka contains similar findings as Dr. Matsuoka found that nature, including views of nature, has positive effects on the academic performance and behaviour of high school students.

Local Nature & Education Facilities

Recently my wife Lynn and I had the opportunity to visit three local places where nature, and learning, is front and centre: rare Charitable research Reserve, Guelph Outdoor Preschool and The University of Guelph Arboretum.

rare Charitable Research Reserve www.raresites.org

The rare Charitable research Reserve is an impressive nature reserve in Cambridge located at the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers. And with the majority of wilderness having been destroyed in Southern Ontario this more than 360 hectare reserve in Waterloo Region protects various habitats including forests, cliffs, meadows and wetlands along with the flora and fauna that live there. The trails at rare are open to the public and they also offer guided hikes, lectures and other events throughout the year.

-Pic- Trail at rare Charitable Research Reserve

Education and school field trips are an important part of this scenic reserve and the rare Eco Centre, consisting of a restored slit barn and farmhouse, is where groups gather indoors. Curriculum based programs are available for grades two through eight for elementary schools and there are various programs for high school grades. Children aged six to twelve can attend Eco Camps during the summer and March Break and university students can apply for a rare Scholarship in Graduate Research.

rare Charitable Research Reserve is a good place for school field trips or a leisurely walk in nature.

Guelph Outdoor Preschool

http://guelphoutdoorpreschool

Located on the scenic 243-hectare property of the Ignatius Jesuit Centre of Guelph is the Guelph Outdoor Preschool – Ontario’s first licensed outdoor preschool. The impressive preschool is housed in a grand hall where natural light fills the rooms. The fully-equipped kitchen is where local, seasonal and mostly organic foods are prepared for lunch and snacks. They even have a kitchen garden that the children help maintain and cultivate providing nutritional food and wonderful lessons. Music and art also make up part of the play-based curriculum.

-Pic- Guelph Outdoor Preschool. Photo by Lynn Perrett.

The Guelph Outdoor Preschool is a nature-based program that occurs largely outdoors on the sprawling property with numerous trails. For much of the morning children are taken on an adventure with staff members (the school has a minimum of one staff member for every six children) where they play, explore, learn and have fun as they visit a variety of habitats. There is also a shorter outdoor adventure in the afternoon.

The day that Lynn and I visited, we saw the children returning from their morning adventure. It was apparent that they had a good time. The ten children were joined at the lunch table with the staff members who took them on their hike along with Masha Kazakevich, operator of the school. The lunch that was served was impressive and took into account the vegetarians in the group. During lunch the children continued to learn through interesting discussions with the adults.

The Guelph Outdoor Preschool, which focuses on nature, play, music, art and local organic food, is a wonderful example of education and learning.

The University of Guelph Arboretum

www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/

A wonderful place to enjoy nature is the 165-hectare Arboretum at the University of Guelph. There is lots to see and do at this impressive environmental refuge that features over 10 kilometres of trails that go through forests, fields, gardens and tree collections. Visitors can see almost all of the trees and other woody flora native to southern Ontario here along with numerous species of insects, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Old-growth forest and provincially significant wetlands are also found at The Arboretum along with numerous gardens.

The Arboretum grounds are free to the public and open every day from dusk until dawn. You can also pay to take a variety of educational tours and workshops that are offered. This is a good place for families and individuals to reconnect with nature.

A Final Word

There are justified concerns about the state of the environment and education in the province, but slowly we are realizing the importance that nature plays in health and education. And with such places as rare Charitable Research Reserve, Guelph Outdoor Preschool and The University of Guelph Arboretum along with the programs they provide, people can enjoy, learn from and protect nature. This wilderness reconnection will not only provide us with many benefits, but it will help ensure that these increasingly rare islands of nature in a sea of development will remain for future generations.