Silent Emergencies

Author: Mary Robertson
January 15, 2013

In Cultivating Outdoor Classrooms, Eric Nelson describes 7 “Silent Emergencies” that young children face today.  The 7 he listed are:

  1. Lack of exercise
  2. Preoccupation with electronic media
  3. Perception of outdoors as an unsafe place to play
  4. Isolation from and fear of nature
  5. Lack of engagement in and connection to the world, including nature
  6. Reductive approaches to ECE
  7. Epidemic use of behavior-modifying drugs on young children

Nelson writes, “I call it silent because the combined impact of several unintended consequences make it so damaging, yet the collective impact of these consequences is rarely discussed or addressed.  I believe that the Outdoor Classroom can help early childhood educations address this emergency.”

We agree that creating and utilizing a children’s outdoor play area can help counteract each of the emergencies listed above.

To see some of our natural playground products and outdoor learning equipment, please visit adventurouschild.com/tree-cookies.

Nelson, Eric M.  Cultivating Outdoor Classrooms. St. Paul:  Redleaf Press, 2012.  Print.  Pg. 18.

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