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14/05/2014 21:47 NATURE IS THE ULTIMATE SENSORY EXPERIENCE: A Pediatric Occupatiist Makes the Case for Nature Therapy

: The New Nature Movement


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About the Author
Angela Hanscom is a pediatric occupational therapist and the founder of
TimberNook, which focuses on nature-centered developmental programming in
New England. Angela holds a masters degree in occupational therapy and an
undergraduate degree in Kinesiology (the study of movement) with a concentration
in health fitness. She specializes in vestibular (balance) treatment and sensory
integration. She is also the author of the upcoming nonfiction book, Balanced &
Barefoot, which discusses the effects of restricted movement and lack of outdoor
playtime on overall sensory development in children.
By Angela Hanscom on May 12th, 2014
NATURE IS THE ULTIMATE SENSORY
EXPERIENCE: A Pediatric Occupational
Therapist Makes the Case for Nature
Therapy
Comments 0
hen I tell people Im a pediatric occupational therapist and that I run nature programming, a look of
confusion often crosses their face. Huh? they say. Or, Youre a special needs camp? Or, I dont
get it. Youre going to do occupational therapy with our children?
From the beginning, I quickly realized that the concept of TimberNook is out-of-the-box thinking for many
people. Some dont get it at first. The concept is totally foreign to them. Typically, when people think of
occupational therapy, they automatically think of children with special needs. Ive used my skills as an
occupational therapist in an unconventional manner. I view nature as the ultimate sensory experience for all
children and a necessary form of prevention for sensory dysfunction.
What most people dont realize is that pediatric occupational therapists
are in a unique position to do something about a very real problem.
More and more children are presenting with sensory issues
these days. They are not moving like they did in years past. It
is rare to find children rolling down hills, spinning in circles
just for fun, or climbing trees at great heights. In fact, our
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Last Child in the Woods & The Nature Principle
"Last Child in the Woods"
introduces the concept of nature-
deficit disorder, offering practical
actions for families and
communities. "The Nature
Principle" extends the issue to
adults and reports the restorative
power of the natural world.
14/05/2014 21:47 NATURE IS THE ULTIMATE SENSORY EXPERIENCE: A Pediatric Occupatiist Makes the Case for Nature Therapy : The New Nature Movement
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T
society often discourages this type of play due to liability
issues and fear of falls.
The more we restrict childrens movement and separate children from nature, the more sensory disorganization
we see. In fact, according to many teachers, children are frequently falling out of their seats in school, running
into walls, tripping over their own feet, and unable to pay attention. School administrators are complaining that
kids are getting more aggressive on the playgrounds and cant seem to keep their hands off each other during
recess. Teachers are looking for answers.
Pediatric occupational therapists can help. We have the neurological background to explain why restricted
movement causes behavior problems in children; why fidgeting is becoming more prevalent than ever before;
and the underlying reasons why kids are hitting with more force during a game of tag.
Pediatric occupational therapists can also use their unique understanding of child development to educate
others on the therapeutic qualities of nature. For instance, they can explain how listening to bird sounds in
nature helps to improve childrens spatial awareness, why spinning in circles establishes a strong balance
system, and walking barefoot integrates reflexes that prevent further complications such as toe-walking.
raditionally, pediatric occupational therapists are found inside schools or indoor clinics. Weve ventured
out to start using animals and gardening for therapy in more recent years. However, I have to wonder
what if more occupational therapists started venturing out even further? What if they used giant mud
puddles to get children to explore their senses more fully? What if they went deep into the woods to inspire
children to think openly and creatively, while building forts and dens of their own design? What would
occupational therapy look like then?
I believe occupational therapists have great potential to use
the sensory benefits of play outdoors to help children
integrate their senses in the most natural of ways.
Using the Outdoors for Occupational Therapy
Here are some wonderful ways therapists and others can step back and start to see play outdoors as therapeutic
in design:
1. Climbing trees. In a clinic setting, we traditionally have kids use a plastic climbing wall to work on
full-body strengthening and coordination. What if we started letting kids climb trees outside for
therapy? This is a little more challenging since trees are not color-coded. Children will need to use
their problem-solving skills in order to scale the tree, testing branches as they go to make sure they
are safe and sturdy. They would learn safety skills and the tree offers a nice tactile and natural touch
experience as they hold onto the tree limbs during the climb.
2. Playing in a mud puddle. Occupational therapists often let children play in sensory bins that are
filled with colorful rice, beans, and sand. In order to fully maximize a childs sensory experience and
to make it even more meaningful, what if we allowed
children to play in mud puddles during treatment sessions? Our mud puddles here at TimberNook
headquarters are so huge that they also have real frogs and frog eggs in them. The kids have to
maneuver through the mud, using their balance, visual scanning skills, and engaging their tactile
(touch) senses as they search for a frog.
3. Walking barefoot on a log. In the clinic, we often have children go barefoot on plastic balance
14/05/2014 21:47 NATURE IS THE ULTIMATE SENSORY EXPERIENCE: A Pediatric Occupatiist Makes the Case for Nature Therapy : The New Nature Movement
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beams, which have been engineered to be sensory with little plastic bumps. If we take children
outside, we could let them go barefoot on fallen trees, enhancing their sensory experience on a
multitude of different levels. Not only would they be experiencing different textures, but they would
feel the sensations of moist versus dry, crunchy versus soft, noisy versus quiet, and changes in
temperature.
4. Hooking up therapy swings outdoors. Therapists are SO lucky when it comes to swings! We have
just about every type of swing imaginableall for a different purpose. If we brought them outdoors,
we would only add to the sensory experience for children. Now they are exposed to bird sounds, the
wind on their face, and the shadows playing across the ground as they are swinging. By taking
swings outside, we engage all of their senses not just the vestibular (balance) sense.
5. Building forts. In clinics, it is very common and fun to have children design their own obstacle
courses. This helps them with problem solving, creativity, and planning. If we took this outside, what
might it look like? Children love creating forts of their own design, using everything from sticks and
bricks to fabric and Plexiglas. They are still working on the same skills only they are exposed to
more sensory input, while igniting their imaginations at the same time.
Nature truly is the ultimate sensory experience and the perfect medium for occupational therapists to utilize,
both for prevention and treatment methods. It is time we step beyond the confining walls of buildings, take our
therapy swings outdoors for fresh air, and use the occupation of play outdoors to enrich childrens lives.
Additional Reading & Resources
WHY I PRESCRIBE NATURE - by Robert Zarr, M.D.
TIME FOR YOUR VITAMIN N: Ten Great Ways Pediatricians and Other Health Professionals Can
Promote Health and Wellness
VITAMIN N and the American Academy of Pediatrics - by Mary Brown, MD
THE WHOLE CHILD: A Pediatrician Recommends the Nature Prescription - by Larry Rosen, MD
THE VITAMIN N PRESCRIPTION Some Health Professionals Now Recommending Nature Time for
Children and Adults
SITTING IS THE NEW SMOKING What We Can Do About Killer Couches, Sedentary Schools, and the
Pandemic of Inactivity
GROW OUTSIDE! - Richard Louvs Keynote Address to the American Academy of Pediatrics

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14/05/2014 21:47 NATURE IS THE ULTIMATE SENSORY EXPERIENCE: A Pediatric Occupatiist Makes the Case for Nature Therapy : The New Nature Movement
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If you go with long-term
significance, my pick for the top
story of not only 2009 but also of
the 21st Century is the pandemic
of Nature Deficit Disorder, a term
so aptly coined by Richard Louv in
his best-selling outdoor book, Last
Child in the Woods....
- Bill Schneider
NewWest.Net
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IN DEFENSE OF BOREDOM:
It Can Lead to Imaginative Play, Creativity and the Great
Outdoors
Adapted from "Last Child in the Woods." Especially during
summer, parents hear the moaning complaint: "I'm borrrred."
Boredom is fears dull...
14/05/2014 21:47 NATURE IS THE ULTIMATE SENSORY EXPERIENCE: A Pediatric Occupatiist Makes the Case for Nature Therapy : The New Nature Movement
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