J. Joy James

Childhood Play and Environmental Interests: Panacea or Snake Oil?

Both wildland recreationists and conservationists report that wildland childhood play is an important socialization experience. However, researchers know little about the details of play experiences during the formative childhood years. In this article, the authors describe the content and physical and social components of childhood play as recalled by 51 young adults involved in serious leisure and environmental professions related to natural history and a contrast group of 10 adults not participating in natural history activities. On the basis of their interviews, the authors identified stationary and exploratory play, social facilitation of play, play away from the home restricted only by distance, fantasy play, creative play, gaming play, searching and trapping play, and play interspersed with outdoor chores. The authors distinguish between playing with nature and playing with friends within nature and discuss the implications for further research and environmental education programming.

Children's Role in Meaning Making Through Their Participation in an Environmental Education Program

The authors conducted an ethnography investigating childrens lived experiences in a 3-day residential environmental education (EE) program with 20 gifted 4th- and 5th-grade students. The authors also conducted participant observation and a series of interviews before, during, and after the trip. After the authors conducted the interviews and collected other data, they conducted analyses that identified domains describing the childrens lived experience with a residential EE program (J. P. Spradley, 1979). Through domain analysis, a theme emerged: Childrens nonformal environmental-learning experience is negotiated through the feeling of having choices and enhanced through sensory perception and personal relationships. Explicit recognition of the importance of informal social interactions, unstructured time and play, and perception of choice has potential to enhance the meaningfulness of residential EE programs.

Pediatrician prescriptions for outdoor physical activity among children: A pilot study

Research indicates that promoting time spent in the outdoors and outdoor physical activity increases childrens daily physical activity and improves health. One method showing promise is doctor prescriptions for outdoor physical activity for children; however, no empirical evidence currently exists on prescriptions for childrens outdoor physical activity. A pilot study was conducted at one pediatric practice in western North Carolina during 2015 to test the feasibility and potential effectiveness of conducting an outdoor physical activity prescription program for children aged 5–13 years. Three pediatricians wrote prescriptions for children (n = 38), discussed benefits of outdoor physical activity, and provided information packets to parents on nearby places for physical activity. Parents of patients of five pediatricians served as control (n = 32). Prior to seeing a pediatrician, parents completed a baseline survey that asked height and weight, assessed their views of childrens physical activity, and their personal and childs physical activity/sedentary behaviors. A nurse measured childrens height and weight. Parents were emailed one-month and three-month follow-up surveys that asked the questions listed above. Changes in childrens physical activity, outdoor physical activity, time spent in the outdoors, and sedentary activities were not significant between intervention and control groups. About half of parents (49%) viewed prescriptions as beneficial for their children and most used the intervention materials at home (70%). A larger study is needed to assess whether prescriptions increase childrens physical activity. A critical examination of the intervention, pilot study design, and suggestions for a larger future study are provided.

First Impressions: Exploring the Structure of Titles for Nonformal Public Interpretive Programs

ABSTRACT Visitors considering attending an interpretive program open to the public at a zoo, historic site, park, or museum may have no more information available to them than the title of the program and its location and date. This research investigated how the structure of a program title helped or hindered people from inferring the topic of the program, whether it is for adults or children, level of formality, and interestingness. Ninety-six college students at 2 universities rated 18 titles for interpretive programs on 4 dimensions. Interestingness of the program topic was related to reported intention to attend the program. Being able to infer whether the program was for adults or children and whether it was formal or informal was related to interestingness. Program titles should be strategically constructed as potential program participants make inferences about the program from the title.

Prescribing Outdoor Physical Activity to Children: Health Care Providers’ Perspectives:

Little evidence exists on health care provider (HCP) prescriptions for children’s outdoor physical activity (PA). Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 children’s HCPs to explore perspectives on outdoor PA prescription programs for children and barriers to implementation. Thematic analytic techniques were used to analyze the data. Most participants reported an awareness of health benefits to children being in the outdoors. Ten themes emerged from the data related to 3 thematic categories: (1) current strategies that HCPs are using to promote PA among children, (2) barriers that HCPs see to prescribing outdoor PA, and (3) potential strategies for promoting outdoor PA among children. Assessment of the local outdoor PA environment and resource development must be done prior to a prescription program. HCPs should be skilled in conducting conversations and setting goals related to outdoor PA tailored to the patient. Developing a system for follow-up with patients on established goals should also be included.