References for Further Reading

Do you want to learn more about the importance of quality outside play opportunities for children? 

See below for a list of local and international research or recent articles about outside play and playgrounds.

• Ball D and King K, 1991. Playground Injuries: A Scientific Appraisal of Popular Concerns, The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, Vol 111(4), 134-137.
• Bundy A, 2010. Personal communication in relation to pilot project, undertaken by the Discipline of Occupational Therapy, University of Sydney, investigating playground components and physical activity in early childhood education settings.
• Elliott S, 2008. The Outdoor Playspace naturally for Children birth to five years, Pademelon Press.
• Fjortoft I, 2004. Landscape and play: the effect of natural environments on children's play and motor development, Children youth and environments, 14(2), 21-44.
• Frost J, Brown P, Sutterby J and Thornton C, 2004. The Developmental Benefits of Playgrounds, Childhood Education, Fall, accessed on 2.06.10 from www.findarticles.com.
• Hiatt B, 2009. Language skills bloom by creek and trees, The West Australian, 29 July 2009, accessed on 10.8.10 from www.thewest.com.au. 
• Kahn P, 1999. The Human relationship with nature, Cambridge MIT Press.
• Lester S and Maudsley M, 2007. Play, naturally: A review of children’s natural play, Play England.
• Little H and Wyver S, 2008. Outdoor play: Does avoiding the risks reduce the benefits? Australian Journal of Early Childhood, Vol 33(2), 33-40.
• Louv R, 2009. Last child in the woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder, Chappel Hill: Algonquin.
• Malone K and Tranter P, 2003. Children’s environmental learning and the use, design and management of schoolgrounds, Children, Youth and Environments, 13(2), accessed 2.06.10 from www.colorado.edu.  
• Moore R and Wong H, 1997. Natural learning: creating environments for rediscovering nature’s way of teaching, Berkley, MIG Communications.
• Moore R, 2007. Natural surroundings, Parks and Recreation, 36-41.
• Taylor A and Kuo, 2004. A potential natural treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: evidence from a national study, American Journal of Public Health, Vol 94(9), 1580-1586.
• Taylor A and Kuo, 2006. Is contact with nature important for health child development? State of the evidence, Children and their Environments, C Spencer and M Blades (Eds), 124-140, Cambridge University Press.
• Taylor A, Kuo F and Sullivan W, 2001. Coping with ADD: the surprising connection to green play settings, Environment and Behaviour, Vol. 33(1). 54-77.
• Wells N and Evens G, 2003. Nearly nature: a buffer of life stress among rural children, Environment and Behaviour, Vol. 35(3), 311-330.
• Wells N, 2000. At home with nature: effects of “greenness” on children’s cognitive function, Environment and Behaviour, Vol. 32(6), 775-795.
• Woolcock G and Steele W, 2008. Child-friendly Community Indicators – A Literature Review, NSW Commission for Children & Young People.