NATURE
























Exposure to nature can immediately reduce stress and improve concentration.
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Have you ever felt your mind go quiet when watching leaves rustle through the wind or sunlight filter through the trees? This feeling is your brain responding to nature in real time. Even the smallest interactions with nature can have tremendous physiological effects.




 
When we engage with nature, activity in the prefrontal cortex - the part of the brain responsible for planning, memory, and attention - slows down, giving this often overworked part of the brain a chance to recharge. This ultimately has a positive effect on focus and cognitive processing. At the same time, the amygdala, which signals fear and stress, becomes less active, helping us feel calmer and more regulated.



“Exposed to the gentle, beautiful patterns of plants, water, or clouds, we loosen up, slow down, and - at least figuratively - take time to smell the roses...

Happily, research shows that even small doses of nature have salubrious effects on behavior.” 02




The preface to this manual explains that 90% of brain growth occurs in the first five years of life. It is important to recognize how effective nature is in supporting this growth. 

When thoughtfully incorporated into the classroom, nature can offer both immediate and long-term benefits. While engagement with nature can immediately help students regulate stress and restore attention, the sensory input from natural environments can also support brain plasticity and strengthen neural connections. 

This ultimately helps children develop the cognitive and emotional tools they will rely and build upon throughout their lives.





A first grade student’s drawing when asked to draw their dream classroom






Aurora International School of the Arts 03
 In the supporting teacher’s survey for this manual, almost 80% of teachers agree that time spent outdoors impacts student success. However, most indicate that time and access are the primary obstacles for incorporating nature into their curriculum.

As highlighted in The Third Teacher 04, students in US schools spend approximately 85-90% of their time indoors, with the average length of recess lasting only about 25 minutes per day. 05 Further limiting their time outdoors, a number of states still allow recess to be withheld from students as a disciplinary measure.06



With just a few meaningful changes to the classroom, teachers can increase their students’ exposure to nature. 




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 These strategies do not have to be time-consuming or reliant on access to an outdoor space. We can experience nature’s positive effects in a number of ways: through direct experiences of plants, natural light, and views outside or analogous experiences of natural materials, colors, and patterns. 

The El Til·ler Waldorf-Steiner School in Spain (2018) is an excellent example of a classroom environment that incorporates a variety of ways to interact with nature. 07 To align with the Waldorf-Steiner pedagogy, the spaces are all oriented to provide different views of nature as students progress through grade levels. Additionally, the window treatments adjust according to student heights as they grow older for a closer connection to nature while inside the classroom environment. The use of natural wood on the interior also offers students an analogous experience of nature.



How are your students getting their daily dose of nature?

As a starting point, think of one window in your classroom. Is the window framing views of nature? Is it possible to enhance this direct experience of nature by opening the windows and letting in natural light, air and sounds? Would your students find comfort in the sight and sound of rain water trickling down a rain chain? Can you supplement this direct experience with analogous ones by putting images or patterns found in nature on the walls? Does the furniture in your space bring students closer to nature with their color and material?






Regardless of the approach, creating more opportunities to engage with nature in the classroom is proven to help students regulate their emotions, refocus their minds, and recharge throughout the day.




  1. xreflex - stock.adobe.com
  2. Gallagher, Winifred. “How Places Affect People.” Architectural Record, February 1999
  3. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=632658542819233&set=pb.100082252788103.-2207520000&locale=vi_VN
  4. Cannon Design; VS Furniture; Bruce Mau Design. The Third Teacher: 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching & Learning. New York: Abrams, 2010 
  5. https://hechingerreport.org/kids-access-to-recess-varies-greatly/#:~:text=Ask%20any%20young%20child%20their,is%2025%20minutes%20per%20day.
  6. https://voiceofplay.org/2018-survey-recess/
  7. https://divisare.com/projects/410262-eduard-balcells-daniel-tigges-adria-goula-el-til-ler-school
           all other images are my own illustrations




INTRODUCTION LIGHT
NATURE
ACOUSTICS MOVEMENT
SECURITY
ORDER
COMMUNITY
OWNERSHIP
VARIETY
ACCESSIBILITY
 Hover Transition