A recent study shows that around half of all preschool-aged children play outside less than once a day.
That study, by the National Institute for Early Education Research, is at the heart of a grant to the Missouri Botanical Garden to create a space for children to play and learn outdoors.
The PNC Foundation gave $75,000 to the Missouri Botanical Garden to help develop an outdoor nature playscape at the Julia Goldstein Early Childhood Education Center, which is part of the School District of University City.
The money will also help the botanical garden show the center’s teachers how to incorporate nature-based learning into their curricula.
The nature playscape will be designed to help develop the children’s imagination, encourage their imagination and promote what the garden calls “positive socio-emotional outcomes.”
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“We want to be able to have young children growing that love of nature and be able to see themselves as being part of a larger space, the environment. By creating these scapes, this is a way for us to foster that love,” said Sean Doherty, Missouri Botanical Garden vice president of education.
The PNC Foundation is primarily funded through the PNC Financial Services Group, which owns PNC Bank. The grant is part of the foundation’s multi-year, $500 million commitment to prepare young children for success in school and life.
Research shows that playing outside helps young children with their development, Doherty said.
The nature playscape will be located on the campus of the Julia Goldstein Early Childhood Education Center, which is for children in kindergarten and younger. It will only be available for use by students there.