Austin Fit Magazine August 2022: The Austin Youth Issue

Page 50

WELLNESS AUTHOR

Sam Hacker

NATURE’S CLASSROOM n Check out why it is beneficial for children to be in outdoor learning environments and how it improves brain development.

W

atching children at recess can sometimes seem like watching chaos personified. But the seemingly nonsensical stories and worlds they create are actually quite important to a child’s development. While they may not be learning arithmetic, they are building the base for when they eventually do learn it. “Outdoor learning environments, at that core, (are) setting the stage to encourage (…) physical activity (…) and cognitive development,” says Michelle Bertelsen, an ecologist with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Bertelsen says allowing children to develop their own intricate worlds is extremely important for them to develop executive function.

AUGUST 2022

50


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