Nature Play WA movement urges 'more green, less screen'

A new movement launched in Perth by Sport and Recreation Minister Terry Waldron in April 2010 will motivate families to get outside and experience nature together. Nature Play WA will provide encouragement for parents and help them develop strategies to get their children away from the TV and computer screen.

05 May 2010

 

“The departments of Sport and Recreation (DSR) and Environment and Conservation (DEC) will work together to provide a series of resources encouraging families to get outside together,” Mr Waldron said.

“The first of these resources is the Nature Play WA website, which will evolve to offer a complete menu of activities for the family and give tips on how they can create a new community of active families to share the fun of being in nature.”

The Minister said, as with participation in sport and recreation, the positive outcomes from children connecting with nature were endless.

“Like sport and recreation, nature play can result in happier children who perform better academically,” Mr Waldron said.

“It can be enjoyed by the whole family and provides opportunities to bond with one another, unplug, relax and explore together - plus it doesn’t have to cost anything.

“I am excited to launch the Nature Play WA movement and can’t wait to see it make a difference to the lives of West Australian children and families.”

Nature Play WA has been inspired by Richard Louv - an internationally acclaimed author and futurist focused on family, nature and community - and his key message of reconnecting children with nature.

The movement will be launched by the Minister at a public forum hosted by DSR and DEC tonight (Wednesday, April 21) at the Perth Concert Hall, where Mr Louv will address an audience of more than 1,500 people.

Mr Louv’s most recent book ‘Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder’ has stimulated an international discussion about the future relationship between children and nature, and helped to spawn a similar movement sweeping the United States of America.

“We are conducting an unprecedented experiment on our children, who today are more disconnected from direct experience in the natural world than any other time in human history,” Mr Louv said.

“A media emphasis on stranger danger; poor urban planning; the emergence of electronic games; texting and the internet; and the over-structuring of children’s lives have all contributed to this lack of engagement with nature.

“My concern is that these children are missing out on the gifts of nature, which recent research suggests are vital to children, helping them become healthier, happier and smarter - and also future stewards of the earth.”

Mr Louv praised the initiative shown by Mr Waldron and his department in bringing the Nature Play movement to WA.

“I applaud the Minister and his department for being proactive and taking a significant step to change the lives of children and families by bringing Nature Play to Western Australia,” he said.

“Australia could, indeed, lead the world in reconnecting future generations to the natural world.”

The Nature Play WA website can be found at http://www.natureplaywa.org.au/.

For more information on the research regarding children and nature, and the international movement, please visit http://www.childrenandnature.org.

Check out the Bold Park Family Nature Club, the first nature club launched as a result of the Nature Play WA movement.