Environments Matter

04/30/2009

I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear.
Rosa Parks

The spaces we inhabit can affect our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Recent brain research, as reported in Scientific American Mind (May 2009), demonstrates the impact of environments:

High ceilings make people feel physically less constrained and encourage people to think more freely, more creatively. Low ceilings, on the other hand, create a sense of confinement and inspire a more detail-oriented work.
What one sees outside through windows matters. Views of nature result in inhabitants having an easier time focusing, paying attention, than views of man-made structures.
Nature also impacts students with attention deficit disorder (ADD). Students with ADD show less severe symptoms after they have been in or observed green spaces.
Fifth grades students in classrooms with unrestricted views of nature had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts, and math than children whose classrooms did not have such views.
Natural light in classrooms really matters. Children in classrooms with the most natural light advance faster, by 20 - 25% in math and reading results than children in classrooms with the least natural light.
Inhabitants of rooms with furniture that has rounded or curved edges have an easier time relaxing than in rooms where furniture has sharp angles.

Great Resources on Environments at Exchange

Exchange has a wide variety of resources on environments that can be purchased separately or altogether at a discounted price in our Environments Tool Kit. Exchange environmental resources in the kit include...

Books:

Caring Spaces, Learning Places: Children's Environments That Work
Natural Playscapes: Creating Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul
Learning With Nature Idea Book: Creating Nurturing Outdoor Spaces for Children

Beginning Workshop Units:

Environments for Special Needs
Environments
Environments With Families in Mind
Outdoor Environments
Space
Environments to Engage Children
Learning Materials

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