What can camping and the outdoors do for your Girl Scout?

Spending time outdoors in nature is different from playing or learning inside. Here’s how . . .

•  Outdoor spaces support physical play. The outdoors offers open space where girls are able to be messy, make noise, and move in more physically intense ways. This allows them to develop their movement capability and confidence—both of which create foundations for physically active lifestyles and general health (Little & Wyver, 2008; SPARC, 2009). 
  
•  Time in nature promotes attention restoration. Spending time in nature (even just a walk in a park) has been shown to improve concentration and creative reasoning among children and adults, including those with attention deficits (Atchley, Strayer, & Atchley, 2012; Taylor & Kuo, 2009; Berman, Jonides, & Kaplan, 2008). 
  
•  Nature provides novelty and challenge, which enhance leadership. Outdoor experiences often place girls in new physical, psychological, and social situations that motivate curiosity and foster a sense of discovery. Authentic challenges in nature (think . . . starting a fire in the rain or negotiating a set of whitewater rapids) require girls to become more self-aware and to cooperate, communicate, and solve problems more effectively (Rickinson et al., 2004).