TACKLING THE EFFECTS OF THE ALLEGED NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER THROUGH OUTDOOR GAMING
Sam Roberts
Abstract
This report summarises the progress to date, developing a service which encourages children in Key stage 1-2 to reconnect with nature through gamification technology with their families. The aim of this project is to counteract the negative effects of children spending less time outdoors (coined as the Nature Deficit Disorder) through educational outdoor gaming that relates to the school curriculum.
Keywords: Nature Deficit Disorder, Gamification, Indoor Generation, Educational, Curriculum
1 INTRODUCTION AND PUROPOSE
With children now better at identifying Pokémon characters than common British wildlife names, there are concerns that we are increasingly losing touch with nature (Balmford et al., 2002). It is indicated that children today have become indoor-bound and spend less time outdoors than any other generation, devoting just 4-7 minutes a day playing/exploring in green spaces, while spending an average of seven and a half hours in front of electronic media (National Recreation and Park Association, n.d.). This report looks into how technology can be used to helping children to experience nature and to develop a lasting affinity for the natural world and the outdoors. With the right design features, technology could help reconnect young people and their families to the natural world, rather than encourage children to stay indoors (National Wildlife Federation, 2017).
2 LACK OF OUTDOOR TIME
A lack of time outdoors and in nature as children results in a wide range of negative effects known as the alleged “Nature Deficit Disorder”, including a loss of natural knowledge and respect for the environment (Moss, 2012). Children are losing the health benefits associated with outdoor time and are not engaging in enough natural experiences to develop a lifelong appreciation for nature. Research suggests this results in a disregard for the environment; in the UK, just 21% of children showed a “reasonable affinity” for the natural world – UK children are become less conservation-minded (RSPB, 2013).
Research shows that over-protective parents are keeping children indoors in order to keep them safe from danger (Moss, 2012). One reason is due to a culture of the growing fear of strangers (Franklin, 2010), heavily fuelled by the media. 40% of parents blame their reluctance on letting children out of their sight on fear their child will be stolen by a stranger (LEVY, 2013).
Urbanisation has caused a loss of natural surroundings in a child's neighbourhood and city, with poor city planning partly to blame. There is an unequal distribution of green space, meaning children from more disadvantaged backgrounds have less access to nature (UCL Institute of Health Equity, 2014). The wealthiest 20% of districts in England have five times the amount of green space compared with the most deprived 10% of districts (CABE, 2010). Bringing nature to these disadvantaged communities in the form of digital technology could close this nature inequality gap.
There is also an increased draw to spend more time inside as technology like tablets, computers, video games, and television become an accepted part of children lives. Since 1995, the time children spend in front of an electronic screen has more than doubled to 6 and a half hours a day (Childwise, 2015), which impacts outdoor time.
4 AN AFFINITY FOR NATURE
Having a sense of connection to nature can make a significant difference in willingness to participate in environmentally friendly practices. Research suggests children who took part in “wild” nature activities were more likely to have pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours as adults. Less wild activities such as planting flowers also yielded positive however children who were more immersed in nature had the greatest results (Wells, et al., 2006).
According to research by the National Wildlife Research, in order to create nature experiences that have a long- term effect, the experiences must be:
– In nature – From woodlands to back gardens.
– About nature – The children are focused on the nature, not an unrelated outdoor activity.
– Recurring – More than one-off experiences, preferably at least once a week.
– Conducted over a substantial period of time
– Activities are rich – The child could be learning skills, having fun and adventure, interacting positively with others, exploring and developing a sense of capability.
– Supported by a parent / caregiver – Children are particularly affected by the attention and guidance of significant adults.
(National Wildlife Federation, 2017)
5 INCLUDING PLAY EXPERIENCES WITH OUTDOOR LEARNING
Play is necessary in children’s lives, helping children to develop critical cognitive, emotional, social, and physical skills. Play even contributes to proper brain development (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000). During childhood, physical activity is also extremely important. A variety of sources suggest a direct relationship between physical activity and children’s health, of which active outdoor play encourages (Hope and others 2007). Physical exercise can help build bone strength, muscle strength and lung capacity (Lindon 2007). Research suggests it may also improve academic achievements (University of Strathclyde, 2016).
Time children spend playing continues to decrease, under threat from the rising pressures of academic standards (Whitebread et al., 2015). Today, children play eight hours less each week than their equivalents did two decades ago (Elkind, 2008). Play is being replaced by exam preparation through educational toys (Gleave and Cole-Hamilton, 2012). In order to properly benefit from educational play, the P/S/S must allow for free play. Tackling both the threat to play and the loss of nature in children’s lives in the form of an outdoor product or service provides a real design opportunity. Combining play with the outdoors can have added health benefits; in Scandinavia, children aged around six were found to develop balance and co-ordination faster when playing in a forest than in a traditional playground (Gleave and Cole-Hamilton, 2012).
6 ALIGNING WITH THE CURRICULUM
Research suggests that parents are more likely to purchase a game if it is educational (LEGO Learning Institute, 2002). Looking at Key Stage 1 – 2, learning about nature is a core element to the science curriculum. Pupils are introduced to the terms ‘habitat’ and ‘micro-habitat’ and are encouraged to raise and answer questions about the local environment. In Year 1 and 2 (5 – 7 years old), students must be taught to:
– Identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees.
– identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
– Identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.
– Identify that most living things live in habitats, and how they depend on each other.
– Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including micro- habitats.
– Describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain (Department of Education, 2013)
7 CURRENT MARKET
7.1 Apps
While many nature enthusiasts adopt a “just unplug” attitude on the use of digital technology and apps as nature connectors, most parents do not share that view. Current trends and research show that the use of mobile apps and related web platforms is actually an accepted part of modern parenting and family life (Levy, 2017). Social Scientist, Deborah Chavez, of California discovered that the children enjoyed learning about nature the most with technology-enhanced activities (Chavez, 2009).
Digital technology is popular among children, however there are still relatively few apps that can facilitate the transition between the indoors and outdoors. Nature is a common theme for many digital apps, however research would indicate these nature educational apps do not actually create a true nature connection. They must follow the principles in Appendix A.
7.1.1 Educational Apps
There are many educational books, Television programmes and apps that have approached the task of educating children about nature and introducing them to wildlife, however these are usually experienced in indoor settings. Examples of educational apps are listed in Appendix B. These do not, according to principles of social science, create a long-lasting empathy for nature because the child is not experiencing nature in real-time (National Wildlife Federation, 2017).