Australian parents fed up with screen time and indoor playgrounds are turning to a growing number of so-called forest schools to encourage their children to play outside.
"People are coming to me because they want to reconnect with nature — that's a really innate part of who they want to be or they want their children to be.
"We're so saturated in our environments with technology people want to come back to basics and connect with what's around them," she said.University of the Sunshine Coast child psychology lecturer Dr Rachael Sharma said there was no doubt kids were not playing outside enough. "At the moment I think maximum security prisoners are mandated more time outside than the average Australian child.
"When children do play outside, it's often in those heavily manufactured plastic fantastic playgrounds — not necessarily the best place for them to be." She said results from Europe have shown children who attend forest school have better psychological resilience and social skills.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dear Angus Taylor ... let me remind you of our encounter at Oxford and why it mattersDear Angus Taylor, When you say that you remember Naomi Wolf living a few doors down from you in Oxford 28 years ago, I wonder if you’re mythologising a much less glamorous encounter with a fellow female student – me?
Read more »
This is why the internet is so excited about the trailer for Promising Young WomanA new female-led movie is set to challenge issues of sexual assault, consent and what behaviours people view as 'normal'.
Read more »
Why the RFS won't pay for 'game-changing' respirator masksVolunteer firefighters are worried the level of protection from disposable P2 masks is not high enough, but the RFS says higher quality P3 masks pose other safety risks | jennynoise
Read more »
That's why they call him Money: Mesmerising video charts sport's top earners of the past 30 yearsFloyd Mayweather is one of the standouts of a mesmerising video that charts the highest-paid athletes on the planet over the last 30 years.
Read more »
Watch: Man saves dog after leash gets stuck in escalatorWATCH: This man leapt into action to save his neighbour's dog after its leash got caught in an elevator door. 9News He said 'instinct just kicked in':
Read more »
'Life is so fragile': Man's shock diagnosis after paragliding'When I got to the hospital and they showed us the MRI, we were just in absolute shock.' 9News
Read more »