{"id":4448,"date":"2016-03-27T14:23:34","date_gmt":"2016-03-27T18:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=4448"},"modified":"2016-03-30T14:30:05","modified_gmt":"2016-03-30T18:30:05","slug":"sports-to-experiential-learning-kids-love-the-great-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/archives\/sports-to-experiential-learning-kids-love-the-great-outdoors\/","title":{"rendered":"From Sports to Experiential Learning: Kids Love the Great Outdoors"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Leah Shapiro<\/p>\n

Walli Ann Wisniewski remembers her dad teaching her how to play tennis when she was just four years old. \u201cI had a green plastic racquet with a whiffle ball.\u201d Over the years, as she practiced and played on a team, she could see the how the activity was influencing her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thrilled when kids express an interest in a sport, but a sport like tennis offers a unique experience,\u201d she says. \u201cThere is the obvious\u2014benefits from exercise, building strength, etc. But tennis offers the opportunity to be a part of a team, yet play an individual sport. A child learns to rely on themselves. They cannot blame someone else for missing the shot in singles play.\u201d Today, Walli Ann shares her love of the sport through her shop, The Tennis Professor<\/b> (thetennisprofessor.com<\/a>), where children can find age-appropriate products, such as footwear and racquets.<\/p>\n

Participating in outdoor activities can have a profound impact on youth development, both physically and mentally. There are many organizations in our region that help give children opportunities to discover themselves.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unsure where to start, begin by visiting your local Parks and Recreation\u2019s website. Henderson County alone has a dozen parks. \u201cAcross those parks, there are opportunities for organized team sports and individual activities, such as recreation soccer, disc golf, and mountain biking,\u201d says Tim Hopkin, director of Henderson County Parks and Recreation<\/b> (hcprd.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The year-round Base Camp Waynesville program, through Waynesville Parks and Recreation <\/b>(waynesvillenc.gov\/parks-recreation<\/a>), provides opportunities for kids and adults to connect or reconnect with nature through hiking, water sports, and environmental education, among other activities.<\/p>\n

For nearly 50 years, North Carolina Outward Bound School<\/b> (ncobs.org<\/a>) has been offering outdoor experience\u2014such as backpacking, rock climbing, or whitewater canoeing\u2014that challenge students to step outside of their comfort zones, learn important skills for life, and discover they are capable of more than they know. NC Outward Bound School is an educational nonprofit organization and part of a national network of Outward Bound schools in the country.<\/p>\n

Programs are available for everyone, from age 12 through adult. Sixteen-year-old participant Allison says, \u201cI realized that I have more strength than I thought I did and I know now that I can do anything I set my mind to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, The North Carolina Arboretum<\/b> (ncarboretum.org<\/a>) also reflects the principle that transformational discovery that can take place when children head outside. In addition to group activities and 27 youth summer camps, The NC Arboretum also offers outdoor play spaces. Children can rent geocaching packs for the day and use them to discover treasure boxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe value of unstructured time in nature for children cannot be overstated,\u201d says Jonathan Marchal, youth education manager. \u201cAny time children spend being active is positive, but there are additional benefits to nature play and discovery that are not received on the athletic field or within a traditional playground. A slide is a slide, but a pile of sticks can become a fort or anything else a child can imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Leah Shapiro Walli Ann Wisniewski remembers her dad teaching her how to play tennis when she was just four years old. \u201cI had a green plastic racquet with a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":4275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"yoast_head":"\nSports to Experiential Learning: Kids Love the Great Outdoors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The NCArboretum also reflects the principle that transformational discovery that can take place when children head outside.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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