UnstructuringChildhood

Free to Play in Nature, Free to Learn in Nature Supported by

Presentation AIMS:

• Introduce Nature Play QLD

• Current scenario for Australian

children and the importance of

outdoor play

• 4 FUNdemental F’s of

unstructured play

• Why unstructuring childhood

needs to be prioritised for

children

• Why outdoor play or nature play

is the best place for this to occur

• What are we doing?

Vision & Mission

Vision

For unstructured, outdoor play to become a

normal part of every Qld child’s life, so that

they can develop into resilient, healthy and

creative members of the community

Mission

To work innovatively and collaboratively to

make nature play a normal part of

childhood again

Guiding Principals

• Collaboration

• Flexibility

• Community Focused

• Respect

• Equity

NATURE PLAY QLD PARTNERS

- Department of Sport, Racing and Agriculture- QLD Health

Our children’s

environments

will determine

the sum of the

their worlds

SESORY

EXPLOSION

Self-expression

Individuality

-

Self-determination

Self-regulation

Risk

management

Freedom

WHY IS THIS CONVERSATION SO IMPORTANT?

Outdoor play has been replaced by screen time

74% of Aussie kids exceed the daily screen use guidelines

71% of use a second device while watching TV 1 in 5 use devices at the dinner table 39% fall asleep with a device

Almost 1/3 or 29% of Australian Children

QLD Children Overweight or Obese

14% of Australian

Children have a mental

health disorder

National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2010

Planet Ark, Climbing Trees, 2011

The Australian, 20 August 2012

6000 words per day vs500 words per day

http://www.childrenandnature.org/documents/C118/ accessed 24/3/2104

http://www.childrenandnature.org/documents/C118/ accessed 24/3/2104

Dr Rachael Sharman

Psychologist and Lecturer

University of Sunshine Coast

Dr Rachael Sharman

Psychologist and Lecturer

University of Sunshine Coast

Dr Rachael Sharman

Psychologist and Lecturer

University of Sunshine Coast

Dr Rachael Sharman

Psychologist and Lecturer

University of Sunshine Coast

Play is Learning&

Childhood is Evolving

What is

happening for

our children

while they play,

muck around?

Nature Play Secret Ingredients for

making unstructured play

The 4 FUN-damental F’s

FREEDOM

FUN

FLUENCY

FRIENDS

FR

EE

DO

M

Psychological Dimensions of

FREEDOM

What is freedom

• Choice

• Self determination

• Self control

• Self mastery

• Intrinsic motivation

Childhood is a Journey

Where there is the gradual handover

of responsibilities from the adult to

the children

Self Directed

Executive

Function=

The brains control

processes that

regulate thoughts

and actions in

support of goal-

directed behaviourUNSTRUCTURED OUTDOOR

PLAY INCREASES

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

(Jane E Barker, 2014)

Self Directed

Executive

Function=

The brains control

processes that

regulate thoughts

and actions in

support of goal-

directed behaviourSTRUCTURED ORGANISED

PLAY DECREASES

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

(Jane E Barker, 2014)

Internal

v’s

External

locus of

control

o Takes responsibility

o Able to learn form

mistakes

o Not easily influenced

by others opinions

o Able to self-direct work

o Self-reflective

o Doesn’t look outside

themselves for

approval

o Thinks critically

o Goal orientated

o Can delay gratification

o More confident

o More resilient

o Linked to long term

success

Burger, Jerry M. Personality. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1993.

o Blames others or external

influences

o Requires direction

o Requires guidance

o Easily influenced

o Looks to others for ideas of

things to do

o Is concerned about opinions

of others

o Reduced ability to learn from

mistakes

o Needs constant praise

o Reduced ability to problem

solve

o Takes time to get into tasks

o Less likely play on their own

o Requires instant results

o Not goal orientated

o Less confident

o Less resilient

Dependence/Inte

r-dependence

Theory

Erikson, 1994

For a child play is learning

Nature is imperfectly perfect, filled with loose parts and possibilities, with mud and dust, nettles and sky, transcendent hands-on moments and skinned knees.

Richard Louv

Last Child in the Woods

Nature

Play QLD

250 Missions online

Simple and free

Distributed to 160,000 QLD children in our first 2 years

Orders from families in over 1045 individual towns and Suburbs across all regions

of Queensland

Over 22,000 QLD orders from Schools, OSHC,

kindergarten, Child Care, many Community groups

Passport to Amazing Childhood Program

SELECT A MISSION

Passport program

Passport ProgramComplete your mission

The perfect take-home

accompaniment to the Passport to

an Amazing Childhood program.

Unlock the power of outdoor play to

GROW

Super Healthy Happy Kids

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