Go Ahead…Play in the Dirt!
Can dirt be good for us?
Have you heard of autoimmune disease? Asthma, eczema, type 1 diabetes, sclerosis, and hay fever are cases where the body mistakenly attacks itself. A substantial quantity has increased these diseases in the west in the past years. The hygiene hypothesis speculates that this might be because children are being exposed to minimal microbes due to excessive sanitizing. This naturally means that their immune systems aren’t challenged enough and are more prone to making mistakes.
Natural Resources Institute Finland researched 75 children between the ages of 3 to 5 across various daycares centers to understand the body’s biological response to changing the playing environment. They covered the playgrounds with forest soil, moss, meadow grass, dwarf moose, berries and installed planting boxes for annual garden crops. After 90 minutes of daily activity for 28 days in this forest- daycare center, children showed more T-cells, blood immune markers, and much more varied gut and skin bacteria.
At University College London, Prof Graham Rook says “Many of the disorders that are increasing in western urbanized populations are due to failure of the mechanisms that supervise the immune system. This study shows that exposing children to a biodiverse natural environment boosts several biomarkers of the essential control mechanisms.”
Since this was the first human intervention trial in which urban environmental biodiversity was manipulated to examine its effects on the immune system in young children, it is not enough to say “hence proved.” But increasing nature time for the children of today, who are constantly stuck to mobiles, laptops, iPad and TV’s has a myriad of benefits. Let me explain by taking you down memory lane.
Do you remember making sandcastles by the beach or playing with mud in the backyard with your friends? Do you remember gardening with your grandmother? If you have any memories remotely similar to these, think about how you felt then. There is a high chance that what’s running in your mind is the imagery of fun, peace, and happiness. That’s what your child could experience if you let go of your inhibitions and let them get dirty in the mud!
Kids love the mud. Due to reverse psychology, they love anything they haven’t been allowed to do in the past. Mud play will get them away from the blue light of the screens and expose them to the magic of sunlight and fresh air. They are sure to run around and move in that green environment. This helps children develop tactile skills with sensory play. They might make up games to entertain themselves, which will help boost creativity, independent learning, problem-solving, and teamwork.
If you are still skeptical about getting your child out in the wild, here are two entire books to help you understand the value of incorporating nature into your child’s life.
- Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Our Children from an Over sanitized World by B. Brett Finlay, Marie-Claire Arrieta
- Dirt is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child’s Developing Immune System by Jack A. Gilbert,Rob Knight, Sandra Blakeslee
Happier kids are healthier kids. The same goes for adults. Incorporating permaculture into your life will bring nature right into your home. Your colorful, food-producing backyard might not just be the source for healthy diets but also the source of beneficial gut bacteria!
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