Connecting Children and Nature

A Sense of Place

“It was my first time in the Smoky Mountains, and now I hope it won’t be my last. I want to come back every summer.” ~ Bradley Carr

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has been connecting children and nature in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for 38 years.

As a residential environmental learning center, Tremont gives children the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature study, field science, cultural history, and outdoor adventure through activities focused on the unique habitats and culture of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This place-based education method gives the learner a real sense of the unparalleled environment of the national park while encouraging them to discover the unique characteristics of their home environment.

No Child Left Inside

Tremont offers a variety of opportunities for children to connect with nature in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

School Programs

“I must tell you that, from a personal standpoint, my visit to Tremont was a turning point in my life. I can honestly say that I will never be the same and I feel that I was truly meant to be there, in that place, at that time.” ~ Jennifer Weedman, Merrol Hyde Magnet School

School programs provide children from over 13 states a chance to study nature in the amazing outdoor classroom of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These three to five day experiences maintain that connection with nature from morning to night,
engaging the child’s curiosity and sense of wonder as they climb mountain trails, visit waterfalls, and explore rushing streams for aquatic life.

Citizen Science

“...eagerly searching with the campers and shouting excitedly along with them when a beetle was discovered. A connection had been formed between the camper and the beetle, between an inquisitive child and the amazing diversity of the Smokies, between people and nature.”
~ Erin Henegar, George Fry Science Chair

Citizen science is integrated throughout the school program and all other programs offered at the Tremont. Hands-on citizen science activities provide an interface between nature and meaningful scientific pursuit, making science exciting and accessible.

Summer Camps

“This is my third year at Tremont and it has really changed my life. I used to be afraid of everything in the woods and wouldn’t even pick up a stick because I thought it would hurt me. But now I love coming to the Smokies to explore.” ~ Aimee, 15 year-old Wilderness Adventure Camper

The unique summer camps at Tremont combine science, nature study, natural history, and observation skills into a truly memorable experience. Camp allows a child to develop a relationship with the natural world through nature explorations, experiencing wilderness on a backpacking trip, or studying the diversity of life in field science classes.

Family Camps

“Tremont guided beautiful hikes the whole family could enjoy and other creative activities that helped us learn more about each other.” ~ Family Camper

Family camps give children and their families the chance to experience nature together, sharing their experiences and strengthening the family bond via outdoor experiences.

Why Children and Nature?

Since the beginning of mankind children have had a close relationship with nature. Most of us can remember when the majority of the day was spent outdoors in play,
quiet reflection, or just “hanging out.” Outdoor environments were the places where we honed our cognitive skills, our creativity, and our ability to communicate with others. In recent years, however, there has been a dramatic shift away from outdoor free play to indoor activities and/or organized sports. Children are losing their connection to nature and, therefore, to its powerful effect on their mental and physical development.

Studies now reveal the prolonged exposure to the natural environment is beneficial to the physical, mental, and emotional development of children. We now know that:

• Children exhibiting Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can concentrate better after being in nature (Taylor, et. al. 2001)

• Playing in natural environments improves children’s cognitive development through increasing their awareness, observation, and reasoning skills (Pyle 2002)

• Exposure to nature buffers the impact of stress and helps children deal with adversity (Wells 2000)

• Nature increases children’s creativity and imagination, and sense of wonder (Cobb 1977, Louv 1991, Crain 2001)

• Children who regularly play in natural areas show increased agility and coordination, and are sick less often

• Nature stimulates social interactions among children (Moore 1986, Bixler, et. al. 2002)

• Nature gives children a sense of peace and oneness with the world (Crain 2001).

As a member of the Children and Nature Network, a national organization dedicated to reconnecting children and nature, Tremont is proud to offer many ways for children to connect with the natural world.

We hope you will join us in our mission of connecting people and nature....

Click here to download your copy of Connecting Children and Nature

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References
Bixler, Robert D., Floyd, Myron E. & Hammutt, William E. (2002). Environmental Socialization: Qualitative Tests of the Childhood Play Hypothesis, Environment and Behavior, 34(6), 795-818

Cobb, E. (1977). The Ecology of Imagination in Childhood, New York, Columbia University Press.

Crain, William (2001). How Nature Helps Children Develop. Montessori Life, Summer 2001.

Fjortoft, Ingunn (2001). The Natural Environment as a Playground for Children: The Impact of Outdoor Play Activities in Pre-Primary School Children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(2): 111-117.

Louv, Richard (1991). Childhood’s Future, New York, Doubleday.

Moore, Robin C. (1986). The Power of Nature Orientation of Girls and Boys Toward Biotic and Abiotic Play Settings On A Reconstructed School Yard. Children’s Environment Quarterly, 3 (3)

Pyle, Robert (2002). Eden in a Vacant Lot: Special Places, Species and Kids in Community of Life. In: Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural and Evolutionary Investigations. Kahn, P.H. and Kellert, S.R. (eds) Cambridge: MIT Press

Taylor, A.F., Kuo, F.E. & Sullivan, W.C. (2001). Coping with ADD: The surprising connection to green play settings. Environment & Behavior, 33(1), 54-77

Wells, Nancy M. (2000). At Home with Nature, Effects of “Greenness” on Children’s Cognitive Functioning, Environment and Behavior, 32(6), 775-795