Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Children and Nature

 

The Children and Nature Network has some excellent research about children's exposure to nature and how it can benefit them physically, emotionally and cognitively.  Please check out the article referenced below to learn about the movement to put nature and outside play back into our children's lives.  The entire website is full of amazing articles and research about this topic.  If you do not have alot of time to read this full of article of research, make sure to at least read pages 21-31.  These pages are full of what the research says about children who do not have nature and physical outdoor activity and also what the research states about the benefits of nature exposure and physical activity can have on children and our outside environments.

 

I was excited to discover this website and research as I have been pushing for an outdoor environment for the preschool program that I teach in.  It is unsettling to me that children and their families do not feel safe to play outdoors as much as they should.  I expose my preschool children to growing plants and food but have limited space indoors. I have hit alot of brick walls, so to speak, with the school district but I am determined to continue to get something at our school.  Other schools in our school district have a courtyard where there is an active garden and landscaping of nature indigenous to natural plants and grasses in our area.  I am working with a company that will come out to look at our space and see what can be done to not only beautify our school grounds but also provide a natural learning environment for children.  The benefits of children being exposed to nature are definitely something that can have a positive impact on the whole well-being of a child.

I hope you will check it out!

References

Charles, C., Louv, R., Bodner, L., Guns, B., and Stahl, D. (2009).  A report on the
       movement to reconnect children to the natural world.  Children and Nature
       Network.  Retrieved from    
       http://www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/CNNMovement2009.pdf

My Personal Research Journey

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”  -Franklin D. Roosevelt

The topic I chose to research is how poverty affects children and their learning.  I chose this topic for two reasons:  1.  The schools that I have taught in and currently teach in have high populations of children coming from homes that are considered falling within poverty guidelines.  2.  I have and continue to see the affects that poverty has on children in school from my 16 years of experience in the field of education. 
The three subtopics that I came up with to help break down my research topic are:
1.  Ways schools can assist families in breaking the cycle of poverty.
2.  How identifying low income children in schools increases access of programs for schools.
3.  Methods educators can use to ensure high quality learning to all children in classrooms.
Based on my experiences and observations of children coming from poverty homes, I do notice struggles that children have when their basic needs are not being met on a daily basis.  I want to further research the topic of poverty and its effects so that I can begin to develop strategies to assist families and their children to break the cycle and ensure children are happy and successful throughout their education.
The research process was intimidating to me at first but as I go through the steps presented to us weekly, I am finding that my confidence is building.  I was excited this week to find the Institute for Research on Poverty while researching credible websites!  This website has a wealth of resources and strategies to better understand poverty in our country and how we can become leaders in eliminating poverty.
I am hoping that I can continue to dive into the research and continue taking "baby steps" to discovering and executing a great research project while also fueling my passion to learn to eliminate poverty.
References
Institute for Research on Poverty (2013). Retrieved from http://www.irp.wisc.edu/index.htm
Roosevelt, F.(n.d.).  Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/poverty