GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) – National leaders visited Grand Rapids to see how green playscapes are benefiting GRPS scholars.
“Grand Rapids is ahead of the game, when you when you look at other communities around the country,” said David Beard from the Children and Nature Network.
The Cities Connecting Children & Nature Network Nature Everywhere initiative and the Grand Rapids Environmental Education Network initiative have been working collaboratively since 2015 to increase equitable access to nature for all Grand Rapids youth.
“We're working with public agencies, school districts, community partners to help with the initiatives that are connecting kids to nature,” Beard explained. “It's such a dynamic way to look at our public infrastructure in public settings, for the benefit of kids and their families.”
Grand Rapids is designated as a 'Nature Everywhere Community,' a result of a partnership between the Children and Nature Network, the City of Grand Rapids' Parks and Recreation Department, and GRPS. Representatives toured multiple green schoolyard sites and the GR Outside Gear Library.
“We have several properties that are adjacent to park spaces,” explained GRPS Science Curriculum Supervisor Jessica Vander Ark. “Regular access to natural spaces like this actually increases performance when they do go back into the classroom.”
Research made available through the Children & Nature Network shows that access to nature makes kids happier, healthier, and even smarter.
“Nature is the greatest classroom,” Beard added. “We can learn about those things in real life, in real time, and not just in a book.”
