These days, it’s not uncommon to go out for dinner and see children sitting at the table, staring at a screen and it’s becoming more frequent.
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As an early childhood teacher, I have noticed that many children struggle to engage with nature. Children no longer spend all of their time making projectiles out of plantain flower heads, nor do they know that they can chew the end of a soursob root.
Studies show that engaging in horticultural activities decreases stress and anxiety, develops social interaction skills and helps children to grow self-confidence. Not surprisingly, horticulture may just be the therapeutic wonder we’ve all forgotten we had.
In the 19th century, Dr Benjamin Rush noted that gardening activities appeared to have positive effects on his patients. In the 1940s and 50s gardening was used to help in the recovery of war veterans. The American Horticultural Therapy Association uses gardening to achieve a range of outcomes in occupational therapy, aged care and education.
Studies by occupational therapists have found that the increased use of screens is having a negative effect on our children’s social skills. As children, they miss out on learning important social skills, such as how to engage in dinner conversation.
Because of this, there is a greater chance that these children will develop depression due to their isolation, anxiety about interacting with others and the decreasing success in making friends.
But, it gets worse. As our children get older their computer games become much more violent. Games like Fall Out are centred around shooting and killing. Our teenagers become desensitised to real life violence, a concern that needs no further explanation.
The disconnect children have from their natural world is having a number of negative effects. Regular activities in the garden offer a fun- filled experience, not only do they learn how to care for a garden, but also develop skills that will allow them to make friends, decrease their risk of depression and encourage self-confidence.
It’s as simple as taking your child into the garden with you and talking to them as you tend the tomatoes or getting them to help you weed.
If that isn’t an option, the botanic gardens and Sumsion Gardens offer a priceless opportunity to get your children involved in nature.
Diary: Winter pruning short course, Saturday, July 16, 9am – noon, $50, Wodonga TAFE, phone (02) 6055 6644.
Friends of Willow Park, National Tree Day, Sunday, July 31, Wodonga. Visit treeday.planetark.org