Connect with nature at the Naperville Park District. The phrase, “learning is a lifelong process” has been used time and again to underscore the importance of being open to new information and letting it shape our worldview – long after our formal education is complete. While most children absorb new information quite effortlessly and intertwine learning and play without a thought, learning in a structured sense can be a little more challenging for adults who are juggling other priorities like families and work schedules.
And play? Well, many of us left that concept back at elementary school recess. However, studies show that adults can benefit greatly from both learning and play, and there’s no better place to combine those two activities than being outdoors – especially since we are located in the midst of some of the most beautiful and naturally diverse parks, preserves, and forests in Chicago’s western suburbs.
In the Naperville Park District’s nature preschool programs, students become active participants, not just observers
Connecting with nature helps preschool students develop life-long skills like confidence, independence, communication, risk management, and environmental consciousness, to name a few. Teens and adults can benefit similarly, as being in nature can help overcome stress and begin to break established behavioral patterns by releasing stress.
By its very nature, and aside from active learning, being outdoors has many health-related benefits including:
- Lowering stress levels and hormones like cortisol
- Improving sleep habits
- Enhancing creativity
- Encouraging being more active, which has direct health benefits
When teens and adults add in the concepts of learning and play within a natural environment, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Benefitting from nature can be as active or passive as the individual wants their experience to be. A solo nature walk can be exhilarating, but so can a group hike or bike ride. And creating art, experiencing fitness like an outdoor yoga class or simply exploring the natural environment can be rewarding and beneficial as well. Learning can take the form of observing wildlife behavior and investigating different plants and trees.
A fun way to expand knowledge of the elements in nature is to use an app like Google Lens
Simply click on the camera icon in Google, hold it in front of something you are trying to identify, and click the magnifying glass icon. Several different images and related information will populate, and you can determine what you’re seeing and learn more about it. While people have the tendency to go overboard when using technology, and perhaps bringing essentially what is a small computer out into nature may seem counterintuitive, tech tools do have their place in enhancing our lives and learning opportunities.
Find a park or trail with the Naperville Park District
Although each of the seasons provide many great reasons to enjoy the outdoors, if winter is too cold, spring is too rainy and summer is too hot, fall is the perfect time to venture out and traverse a new trail, enjoy some scenic views and get in some steps. Doing so can benefit your health while reteaching your adult self how to “play.”
For Naperville residents and those in adjacent communities, there are 138 parks of varying types and sizes, which are great places to begin your outdoor exploration journey. You may encounter unusual sites, and as long as you have your camera with you, there are tools at your disposal to learn more. But just be sure to put your camera safely back in your pocket so you don’t miss out on the other sights, sounds, and all the benefits that being outdoors provides. Happy exploring!