s nature needed for our mindfulness?

     The Cibolo Nature Center includes natural area and many programs for any kind of child, from active to challenged. How does their experience in nature affect their future?

In this workshop, we talked about the influence of nature for children's growth with guests who specializes psychiatry and education.

 

 

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Yamamoto  Thank you for coming today. I am the director of a Non-Profit Organization named Tobetsu Ecological Community that operates the Environmental Education and Community Design program in Hokkaido, Japan.

There is a lot of nature in Hokkaido. But we can see only a few children who playing in nature nearby. Is this true in your community? Few schools take classrooms of children to nature. If we won't change this situation, Environmental Education will not suceed. I have been doing Environmental Education while having this concern.

I published a book "The Nature Center - for conserve and enjoy nature in your community" at March, 2012. This project began when I traveled at Canada, I just found a original one by chance in the book store. I can't understand English well, but I just thought intuitively that I want to introduce this book to Japan. And then I contacted to authors, Mr. and Mrs. Evans and visited them to get permission of translation to Japanese. Through these opportunies, finaly I could publish, invite them to Japan and hold this workshop.

Well, this workshop will just start from the presentations by them.

 

A Hopeful Story

 

Carolyn  I call this presentation "A hopeful story" because I believe it's a small thing but it can have a big impact. And, it is my hope of my life.

When I was 32, Brent and I had two small children. I was very worried mother. By starting the Nature Center, we had no idea to become so big. But it’s what we felt we could do to make a difference and having impact in the world.

The Nature Center is now Twenty-five years old. We have 27 people who help us as our board directors, 20 employees and 400 people who volunteer their times to make Nature Center.

Outdoor classroom has about 45 thousand children a year as its the school field trips come through. We have about hundred and thirty programs to bring people to the Nature Center to relate the Nature. Programs are for little babies, classroom of school children, families and so on. Some other activities we have are summer camp, nature camp and art camp - to get children to nature with art,  they really listen and understand nature more deeper. We also take a program into the schools for children who can not come to the Nature Center. We will take programs into the classroom. Our goal is to expose children to Nature. We do this everywhere we can. And we also know that adults need to get outside to play and learn. 

We have community programs for those who might not know that love of nature but will discover they do. Maybe, they don’t want to be a birdwatcher, but they like music. They can see a bird fly while listening the music in the Nature Center. And they become a nature lover. 

It’s important to know that our Nature Center gets no government money. It’s supported through donations from individuals, corperations and charitable foundations. We also work with neighbors and partners who have land they wish to protect.

We believe that land is our treasure. But we are losing it very quickly. Roads are expanding, commercial development is encroaching. But city government has not been protecting our local environment. So we said we will. It’s friends that make it possible. And friends that work together at the Nature Center feel hope. We work hard but we have a lot of fun.

 

Tension between Instinct and Ethics

 

Brent  Howdy! I am a clinical social worker that work with children. These children are emotionally disturbing children. They have bipolar disorder, ADHD and autism. Their behavior can be very primitive and instinctive. They come from the back part of brain, the “reptilian stem”.

Humans have developed the neocortex - the new brain in the frontal lobe. This enables humans to control impulses. And this enables us to plan ahead and have ethics - sometimes. This creates a tension within our minds, between our instincts and our ethics. It’s always there. Some children and adults are driven by their instincts. They must have instant gratification. Therefore, ethics can’t control their instincts. Their instincts can become self-destructive.

My concern is that human beings also behave this way as collectives and  groups. When under stress, they behave more primitively. If you put any primate animal into the zoo, crowded conditions, they have five predictable behaviors such as aggression, depression, hoarding of food, neglect or abuse of  young and loss of immune system. Does this sound familiar? When animals are separated from nature and put in crowded conditions, they are under the stress and they behave primitively. How do humans behave in prisons?

 

However, it’s so strange that when I take children into nature, their problems often disappear. Maybe the doctor will be able to explain later, but I could only tell you what I see. When you take children in nature, it’s very important that you help them be mindful. So, not playing games but writing poetry, taking a walk with a magnifying glass or dipping a net in a stream water. By focusing on nature, a person can get outside by themselves. People with anxiety and depression, focus on their problems. By spending few minutes in nature, problem start shrinking.

I believe that the Nature Center is in the position to teach environmental ethics. A definition of ethics is considering the impact of your behavior. Children who live in air-conditioned boxes can not imagine what the impact of their behavier is on the environment because they don’t spend time in the nature. So creating a Nature Center helps children and adults have direct experience in nature. It’s a very healing experience. And I am just greatful that I got a chance to do it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nature makes your brain and mind rich

 

Yamamoto  It's very interesting. He said instinct and ethics in tension with each other.

Next is the presentation from the view of psychiatry, from Mr. Ukai.

 

Ukai  My name is Ukai Wataru. I am a doctor at Sapporo Medical University, Department of Neuropsychiatry. I will explain in medical terms how nature effects the brain.

In Japan, the number of the depressive patients is increasing. Also many children are also experiencing depression, and it has become a serious social problem. What's happening in their brain? The hippocampus in the depressive patient is smaller, like Alzheimer's disease patients. Childhood patients have the same situation. After that what will be happen in their "mind"?

In our brains, one part reacts to the stimulus of "pleasant" and another part reacts to "unpleasant". As a result of one experiment, depressive patients have smaller reaction of "pleasant" and bigger "unpleasant" reaction than healthy person. They end up thinking about "Pleasure won't be happen anyhow", or "Things will be getting worse." Unfortunately, the brain functions change with depression.

Why is the brain changed? From a medical point of view, the signal which makes a substance named "BDNF" is decreased in the cell when someone is under  stress. BDNF has a important role which connects cells, makes neural networks and rebuilds the brain. This significant substance grows by exposure to rich or complicated environments, such as nature. Nature is a stimulus which we can not create. Therefore, taking children to nature for play builds many neural pathways in their brains.

When someone lives in crowded conditions, their stress hormone rises and their emotions become unpleasant. But people who raised in natural environment have a greater tolerance of stress. They have few stress hormones. I think growing up in nature is important for enriching the brain, and creating the attitude that "Tomorrow will get better nevertheless."

 

There is another substance to activate communication to others named "Oxytocin". This is also enhanced nature experiences. This is shown by clinical studies of autistic patients in Japan.

I think that nature experiences can change a brain, enrich the mind and stimulate mindfulness. Nature experiences do not only make a rich brain, but I beleive also have an effect on healing. I think it may restore nerves. I will continue to study more deeply about the development of a rich mind by nature experiences.

 

Nature Experience programs are needed for all students

 

Yamamoto  Thank you. Next is the presentation about education for children.

 

Jogo  Environmental Education and Outdoor Education have a way of connecting the dots. Learning can be hardly gained in isolation. For example, understanding the water cycle is helpful to appreciate running along a river. The point is that in the natural cycle, how we should nurture children's "mind" and "sensitivity" for the nature. I think it's important that learning about place and community-based elements such as culture, lifestyle, resources and ecosystem through the program.

I often understand that children become able to communicate with others only by their own actions and experiences. Doing makes children understanding the words. I think they can learn the words based on experiences in environmental programs. But, the problem is how we should support children as a guide. Children's minds and feelings are allways changed by parents' attitude and discipline. If someone blames children, another must help them. At that time, if the method of the program is not clear then nothing will help.

What we must think as a teacher is how to train environmental educators and leaders. I believe the leaders should have principles of Environmental Education and Sustainability to teach children in the nature. With the leaders, growing sensitivity for children through the programs is needed.

 

Developing children's humanity

 

Kozawa  After the war, we had destroyed two types of nature. Firstly, "Outer nature" was destroyed. This is the visible destruction of nature such as deforestation and air pollution. These have been destroyed by our productive activities. Another is the destruction of "Inner nature" our genetic make up. What do we have to do about these destructive situations? I think these two types of natural destruction relate to each other. Nevertheless, most of the public is concerned with outer nature only. Everyone says that the entire issues is deforestation or air pollution. It is never so.

The Japanese achievement test, do not consider the inner nature. The most advanced prefecture is Akita or Fukui, which involves lots of nature. Why? They involve a lot of nature experiences. It means connecting with nature increases their motivation to learn. But it is difficult to understand this, and still educating students regarding knowledge is important. Japanese education sets a high value on the exam for memorization. After graduation students are focusing on their career. We can't entrust the future of Japan to them. We are already aware gradually that this situation is wrong.

I think that we should take children into nature from infancy because they have a growth process. Growing sensitivity such as feeling the rough texture of leafs and slimy tadpole is needed, not only knowledge. In addition, connecting with others is also important to make mindful.

In a word, the destruction of inner nature results in a weakening relationship between nature and people. Now most Japanese schools are having a school farm. I think it is needed that local people can use school farms or parks as common parks. Like this, I reckon that developing children's humanity with community is most important.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Facing fear and anxiety properly

 

Yamamoto  Then we will discuss with all guests based on some questions.

 

Carolyn  A question asked that "How can I increase the child’s nature experience at the public school?"I know some schools creating natural areas in their school yard. Tear up the pavement, and then create little pond and the natural area for children's play, instead of all playground equipment. Also schools can have gardens. They need to do more.

 

Yamamoto  I think there is different systems between America and Japan, how is the Japanese?

 

Kozawa  In Japanese education there is a subject named "Life Environment Studies" at the first grade and second of elementary school. It is a subject like putting together science and social studies. Then students start to take "Periods for integrated studies" from 3rd grade and they can go to nature field in the class. Therefore, even though it looks inconsistent, actually school education is organized properly to take children to outside.

In Hyogo prefecture, the nature programs are planned twice a year from 3rd grade, and an extended program of 6 days and 5nights is used for the 5th grade. Then in the junior high school, students take part in a short internship for one week. These students are trained in programs that create good results. After all, the growth of a child is connected with the process, and connecting with nature is important.

 

Jogo  In Sapporo City, a 2days and 1night nature camp is being used. But it's too short. If it's not longer about 1 or 2 week(s), I think nothing may be gained. And I think the university should change the curriculum for developing leaders of interpretation, or education will not succeed.

 

Yamamoto  A question asked "how can I take children who have ADHD or these kinds of problems into nature?"

 

Brent  ADHD children are attension deficit hyber active children. They have a developmental delay in impulse control. They are 30% behind their peers in impulse control. If your student is 10 years old, he may have the impulse control of 6 year olds or 7 year olds. So you can not expect this child to behave like other children. These children are excitable. And the problem is that they get too excited.

They need something to do. You put tools in their hand, like a magnifying glass, you tell them go and find to hidden universe. You tell them look for danger and tell us where it is. You tell them find frog egg in the creek. These children can make the best assistants. But if you don't give them special tasks, they can become your biggest problem. We say that these children need a "bag of tricks".

 

Another question was what about children who are afraid to go into the nature. One student said, "I don’t want to go". But it is the fear and you have to help to child identify fear. Some children think that soil is dirty. I’ve met children from the city they think that a butterfly will sting them. Sometimes we can help them to "change the channel" in their minds. Having something in their hand provides an activity. Anyway they can take their mind of what they are afraid of can help. The more they pay attention to the anxiety, the worse it can get. So you can say,  "You’re going to come with the group. You can help me count frog eggs, you don’t have to touch the eggs if you don't want to".

 

In United States, and in most industrial societies, the problem is that we are still animals. And we are ruled by instincts. So the problem is that humans tend to have short term thinking, immediate gratificartion, and immediate satisfaction. But we have developed a neocortex, the new brain, which has the ability to think about the future - long term thinking. We can think about the impact of our behavior in the future sometimes using computers. Or, we can behave like any other species, instinctively.

However, even at the most advanced universities with their the most advanced thinking, everybody wants car, refrigerator, television, computer and washing machine. The function of university is that help the community think ahead. Any species will create an empire that will eat itself. Our challenge is to use Cerebral Cortex or lose.

 

Yamamoto  I think anyone may imagine that a Nature Center requires a big building and many facilities, so that a lot of visitors will come. But you told me that the Nature Center is the place which connects humans and nature, not just building or facilities. At first I was surprised and then I understood. So I think that when we use the words of "Nature Center" directly, it won't necessarily be understood by everyone.

 

Brent  A Nature Center can exist almost anywhere. It can be a place where development is not possible, such as a flood plain. We surveyed 100 Nature Centers to write the book. There is a Nature Center in the white sands at Mexico that is a converted restroom. I think the point is that it doesn’t have to be great piece of fabulous nature. It is just a representative sample of the local environment. I just want to make that point.

 

Yamamoto  Thank you very much. We could just have a great workshop about Nature Centers and nature from educational and medical views.