Creating Outdoor Environments

"I want today’s child to have the same chances I had," declares James Wike in his article, "Why Outdoor Spaces for Children Matter So Much," in the Exchange Essential: Creating Outdoor Environments.

"As a landscape architect, I know that I chose the work I do in large part because of the chances I had as a child to explore outdoors.  Whether I was working my way through a hemlock grove after a fresh snow or watching my twig 'boats' race down a ditch after a hard rain, I was learning about spatial volumes and basic physics.  I’m concerned that many young children today just aren’t getting to do those kinds of things as much.  Research shows a significant decline in the amount of time today’s children spend in the out-of-doors....

"I believe that if landscape architects like me and early childhood educators really work together, we can help reverse that trend....  Children benefit in so many ways from increased contact with the natural world.  Let’s give them the gift of well-designed outdoor spaces that help them discover the true treasures of our world."

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