Unplug & Connect To Nature
Why unplug and connect to nature? Research indicates that the more time children engage with screens, the harder time they have turning them off as they become older children. There's growing evidence that lack of time in nature is linked to rising rates of depression, attention deficit disorder, child obesity and other health conditions.
Screen time for children under 3 is linked to irregular sleep patterns. For 6 to 12 year olds, screen time is linked to sleep disturbance.
The poster and information below can help navigate around the challenges of raising children in a digital world.
Download the Unplug & Connect to Nature (PDF)
Benefits To Connecting To Nature
- It can improve memory and mood
- It can have a reverse effect on children to the effects of the overstimulation from technology
- It can help prevent childhood obesity
- It encourages children to be more physically active, and be better able to engage in schoolwork in later elementary school.
Screen Time Can Include:
- Watching television
- Being on a computer
- Tablet or smart phone
- Playing video games
Become A ‘Screen Smart’ Family
- Balance ‘screen time’ with ‘real time’. Choose activities that encourage connecting with nature
- Ideas to connect with nature:
- Go for a nature walk
- Have a picnic lunch at a park
- Go on a nature scavenger hunt
- Go outside and collect items to make a nature collage
- Take some books outside and read under a tree
- Explore shells, crabs and rocks at the beach
- Find shapes in the clouds