Lesson 12 - Spending Time Outside
Self-Awareness | Benefits of Getting Outside
- Why Spend Time Outside (2:13) Download Video | ViewPure Link | YouTube Link
- Nature by Numbers (3:43) Download Video | ViewPure Link | YouTube Link
- Poster: The Health Benefits of Getting Outside
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Quotes:
Reasons Why Being Outside is Important to Improving the Health of You and Your Family:
Quotes:
- "If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere." - Vincent Van Gogh
- "Nature's beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude." - Louie Schwartzberg
- "Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty." - John Ruskin
Reasons Why Being Outside is Important to Improving the Health of You and Your Family:
- Relieve Stress - Getting outside can help you escape the stress of work or school. Spending time in nature reduces the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) in your bloodstream.
- Strengthen Immunity - The immune system works best when challenged regularly. Healthy doses of nature will help increase the number of white blood cells in your blood. The white blood cells help your body battle germs.
- Sharpen Your Focus - Your attention is enhanced by exposure to natural environments.
- Enhance Your Creativity - Spending time outdoors can help you tackle a big assignment or personal goal, and it can enhance your creativity.
- Calm the Mind - Sitting outside can reduce blood pressure, lower heart rate and decrease cortisol levels. When we are outside our body slows down, helping us feel peaceful and calm. Self-esteem can also receive a boost after time spent outdoors.
- Improves Your Short-Term Memory - There is growing evidence that both short-term and working memory can be improved by time spent outside.
- Improve Vision - A recent student suggests that outdoor activity has a protective effect on the eyes of children.
- Improve Health - Spending time outdoors reduces chronic health problems like diabetes, hypertension obesity and depression.
- Increase Longevity - Spending time outdoors can help you live a happier and longer life.
Questions for Discussion and/or Journaling:
- What things do you think about when you hear the word 'nature'?
- How important is nature to you? Why?
- How much nature is there where you live?
- What is the most beautiful thing in nature? Why?
- How does being in nature make you feel? Why?
- Why do people live in cities, where there is almost no nature?
- How can we add more nature to cities?
- What does "the power of nature" mean? How powerful is nature?
- What bad things are people doing to nature?
- What would the trees say to humans (if they could talk)?
- Where is the best place to see or experience nature?
- What is nature to you?
- What would life be like without nature?
- In 100 years from now, how different do think the natural world will be?
- Where is nature at its most beautiful – the mountains, oceans, deserts, beaches, space, or forests? Why do you think so?
- What three things can you do today to help nature?
- How good would you be at living in nature? Why?
- How would the world be a better place if we all went back to nature?