Siouxland Magazine - Volume 1 Issue 4

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Siouxland Magazine | explore / 54 Building Resilience through the Outdoors. By Olivia Parks Every living thing is influenced by stress. The stressors that come to mind as adults include work, family, and money. Similar to their parents, children are also influenced by daily hardships but unlike adults, they do not have the knowledge of how to cope with this feeling. There are also many environmental factors that we encounter on an annual basis. Some factors that Siouxland experiences are floods, extreme heat, drought, and extreme cold. These environmental factors are influenced by our climate which native plants have grown to be resilient against. One of the most resilient environments in our region is prairie. Children benefit from observing these conditions in prairies and being out in these environments to learn how to be resilient against the harsh conditions in their own life. Though there are only less than 0.1% remaining of the original prairies, they are one of the most robust ecosystems that exist. Prairies consist of mostly native grasses, flowers, or forbs and when those native plants are grown together in a community they become strong against environmental hazards. In floods, these plants will retain rainwater and also help stabilize the landscape by preventing erosion because of their root system. During droughts, plants will go dormant without water until they are rehydrated then they will perk right back up and not die. Many of the prairie plants are also heat resistant and can handle the extreme heat, and in the winter, their roots are so deep and dense underground, averaging two-thirds of the plant being underground, that they are able to survive in the freezing temperatures. Finally, prairies are a low maintenance ecosystem and do not require fertilization or pesticides. Prairies attract native wildlife and pollinators that provide protection from harmful invaders. Being in nature benefits child development too. Having children outside allows them to burn off energy, improve their mood, and helps improve focus which helps in school. Schools use recess as a time for students to get outdoors and try to gain the benefits from it, but recess is not nearly enough time to fully gain the experience of being in nature. One of the best ways to observe children gaining tractability is by taking a long hike on a rough trail. In this type of condition, children will experience some discomfort that they would not normally get exposed to. They would be asked to push their limits, either by waiting until they reached the end of a stretch of trail to catch their breath or waiting longer times between breaks for a snack or water.
Siouxland Magazine | explore / 55 Useful Websites: https://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/DNR-News-Releases/ ArticleID/201/Great-Escapes-7-of-Iowa%E2%80%99s-Best-Hikes https://americanhiking.org/resources/hiking-with-kids/ https://lnt.org/ Parents can help build their children’s spirit by pushing those limits, but also by encouraging them to find a walking stick or to lean on each other to assist in easing the pain. They can also help build emotional strength by hiking to earn a reward at the end of the trail, whether the peak of a mountain or a secret waterfall or lake. To increase entertainment on a hike, include games or even an outdoor scavenger hunt to help with longer hikes. By hiking trails frequently you will also build the child’s emotional power by showing them that not all things are permanent. One time you hike a trail you may see hundreds of flowers growing in the prairie, the next time it is brown and dormant or even burned up. If you return to that place again later next year, you might be able to see the return of those once beautiful flowers. Over time, like the prairie, the children you hike with will gather the resilience to continue fighting against those stressors. They will go on that hike and understand that the discomfort is only temporary. They will gain the knowledge that with a little help they can tackle the challenge presented to them and take that into their everyday life. Olivia Parks, AmeriCorps 4-H Environmental Education Naturalist, Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center Photos courtesy of Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.
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STARTING CONVERSATIONS RESILIENCE 2
Page 3 and 4: Welcome to Siouxland Magazine Sioux
Page 5 and 6: The purpose of this glorious life,
Page 7 and 8: Editors Note Siouxland Magazine | R
Page 9 and 10: flexible emotional strength open so
Page 11 and 12: Lillyan Rodriguez Positive - Growth
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Page 15 and 16: and a warrior to help me get to the
Page 17 and 18: only midway through the year and it
Page 19 and 20: I knew of her and I talked to her a
Page 21 and 22: strengthening our community Convers
Page 23 and 24: Sioux City Scoop | Public Office 10
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Page 27 and 28: non-profit community family small b
Page 29 and 30: Just before Dad’s surgery to see
Page 31 and 32: Siouxland Magazine | Inspire /31 Ev
Page 33 and 34: The work of One Siouxland is organi
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Page 37 and 38: Resilience: The Greatness of the Un
Page 39 and 40: Siouxland Magazine | grow / 39 From
Page 41 and 42: Siouxland Magazine | Grow / 41 Down
Page 43 and 44: Diversity in Leadership By Sonia Wi
Page 45 and 46: eathe clarity nutrition flexibility
Page 47 and 48: of energy! I drink this stuff Every
Page 49 and 50: can self regulate, get stuck in the
Page 51 and 52: Who Is A Candidate & Why Multicare
Page 53: fresh air get outside protect activ
Page 57 and 58: A huge thanks goes to those who “
Page 59 and 60: have fun entertainment culture gath
Page 61 and 62: Siouxland Magazine | Enjoy / 61 Enj
Page 63 and 64: as the “Stearman”. If an aspiri
Page 65 and 66: 5678! Dance Studio Adams Homestead
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Siouxland Magazine - Volume 1 Issue 4

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