Thesis
Naturalistic play environments: activating children's ecological awareness, development and senses through natural materials
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2009
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102350
Abstract
Natural environments provide rich and dynamic landscapes for children's outdoor play. Natural materials stimulate children's senses, activate their imagination and encourage children's cognitive, social, emotional, evaluative and physical development. When children interact with natural materials within a naturalistic environment, they gain an awareness of the processes, structures and forms within that landscape, developing a greater appreciation for the natural environment and an ecological awareness. Today, children's outdoor play areas typically reflect a standardized design aesthetic dominated by manufactured play equipment. Traditional playgrounds often fail to incorporate elements reflective of the natural environment or engage children's senses. As children increasingly lose contact with outdoor natural areas, they experience an "extinction of experience," or a loss of an awareness of or appreciation for the natural environment (Pyle, 2003). This thesis examines how natural materials can activate children's ecological awareness, development and senses within an outdoor naturalistic play environment. This thesis determines which natural landscape materials reflect ecological concepts of landscape health, integrity, process, structure and form. Using theories of child development, this thesis then analyzes how natural materials activate children's cognitive, emotional, evaluative, physical and social development. After determining how natural materials reflect ecological concepts and stimulate children's development, I analyze how natural materials engage children's sense of touch, taste, sound, sight and smell. To augment my research, I integrate my own childhood memories of natural environments and illustrative renderings of natural materials. Ultimately, this thesis determines which natural materials effectively stimulate children's ecological awareness, development and senses and how these materials, when used in combination with other natural materials, create a naturalistic play environment reflective of the natural environment.
Metrics
26 File views/ downloads
52 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Naturalistic play environments
- Creators
- Elizabeth Augusta Jackson
- Contributors
- Jolie B. Kaytes (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Horticulture, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525157101842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis