RUSSELL, Man. – Kids love forts. Whether it’s a snow fort or a wooden fort, children love to build them. And like home renovations, forts are rarely completed because kids constantly make improvements with tunnels, ladders or flags.
But according to Jo-lene Gardiner, an extension co-ordinator with Manitoba Agriculture in Pilot Mound, Man., there’s a a big difference between kids building their own fort out of branches and scrap lumber and buying a ready-made fort at Canadian Tire.
“Because there are lessons learned in building a tree fort… . When (kids) build a fort and they drag the lumber and they hit their thumb, all those things are (about) problem solving,” said Gardiner, during her presentation at the Western Canadian Holistic Management Conference, held Feb 8-10 in Russell, Man.
Read Also
Interest in biological crop inputs continues to grow
It was only a few years ago that interest in alternative methods such as biologicals to boost a crop’s nutrient…
Gardiner’s topic attracted a large crowd with more than 30 women, a dozen men and a few babies.
His message was simple. If we want kids to have good mental and emotional health, they need to spend more time playing in the natural world.
“We have to do it in our daily lives… let our kids get dirty and let them scrape themselves,” said Gardiner, who lives on a farm near Clearwater, Man., and raised five children with her husband Keith.
During her talk, Gardiner referred to a book called Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv.
In the book, Louv stated that today’s kids are spending more time in front of screens, and almost no time outside.
That disconnect with nature, Louv said, has an enormous impact on child development and is a factor behind high rates of emotional illness in North America.
Gardiner has witnessed increased rates of kids’ psychological problems in the community of Pilot Mound.
After a completed and attempted suicide by teens in the area, she joined a wellness committee in town and was surprised to learn how many children are taking anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications.
He told the audience in Russell that kids are missing out on crucial emotional development, such as problem solving, when they are distanced from nature.
“Do they have time to play? Do they have time to experience things? Or do we tell them what they need to experience … we’re not allowing them to find out all that stuff by themselves.”
Gardiner then asked her audience to brainstorm ideas to get kids outside.
Greg Smith, a rancher from Glaslyn, Sask., said he goes outdoors every day with his kids.
“It started off back home in South Africa… . It’s just a natural thing to walk every afternoon,” said Smith, who immigrated to Canada five months ago with his wife Lisa and two children, Josh, nine and Emma, four.
“In Glaslyn, it was -37 and we took them for a walk,” Smith added.
“It (walking) is going to connect them with the environment. We need to teach them that and we’re the only ones who can do it. Not the school system, no one else.”
Gardiner agreed that parenting is important, but said there is also a role for schools and community groups.
As an example, Tim Gomph, a technician with the West Souris River Conservation District, said that his organization and other conservation districts hold an annual water festival in Souris.
One of the activities is giving kids a net and having them wade into the Souris River, Gomph said.
“We literally have to drag them out of that creek,” he said. “Then they’ll talk about (it) for two months afterwards.”
Gardiner said both rural and urban children are missing out on natural experiences because parents are busier than ever.
“On most farms now, both partners are working off the farm. So we’re not spending the time with the kids, in the outdoor experience, in the time that they need it.”
