According to a new report by National Wildlife Federation, Back to School:
Back Outside , time spent outdoors both during school and at home helps children become high-performance learners and score higher on standard tests.
The report shows how outdoor time is connected with wide-ranging academic
benefits including;
* improved classroom behavior,
* increased student motivation and enthusiasm to learn,
* better performance in math, science, reading and social studies,
* reduced Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),
* higher scores on standardized tests (including college entrance
exams),
A spring 2010 survey of 1900 educators by the National Wildlife Federation found that:
* 78 percent believe children who spend regular time in
unstructured outdoor play are better able to concentrate and perform better in
the classroom,
* 82 percent said students need daily unstructured outdoor time as
a counterbalance to the significant time spent indoors in front of electronic
media,
* 75 percent said students who spend regular time outdoors tend to
be more creative and better able to problem solve in the classroom,
The No Child Left Inside Act and Be Out There Campaign have spurred us on at New Wave Online Learning Center to continue our development of programming to meet the needs of today’s youth. Coupled with our Academic Learning Coach
component for our Virtual School learners, we offer a unique and stimulating
academic/socialization program at our Online Learning Center.
Does your child come home from school worried about being lost in her schoolwork or feeling social pressure from peers? Does your on-line learner ask questions you cannot answer or don’t have the time to answer? Are you
concerned about your child’s social development? Children are often placed in school environments with numerous obligations, time limitations, and peer conflicts leading to a state of stress. Frustration, aggravation, panic, anxiety, and fear of failure are but a few of the outcomes that may be expressed when an
individual feels the stress of being lost. Our goal is to help students find
their way in a caring, respectful, and nurturing environment, “THE NATURAL WAY”, at New Wave On-line Learning Center.
_John Vaslowski