"A Little Dirt is Good for the Stomach"

Photo by soumya parthasarathy

Children Nature Network and Outside Play websites explore the health value of outdoor play and”why kids need to play in the dirt”.

In an article for Children Nature Network, Linda Akeson McGurk looks into whether her parents were right when they used to tell their children, “Oh well, a little dirt is good for the stomach”.

Noting that “ever since scientists discovered that some microbes cause disease, we’ve been on a mission to eradicate them”; however, “in our rush to eliminate harmful microbes, we also scrubbed away the beneficial ones. Today, chronic autoimmune conditions like asthma, allergies and type 1 diabetes are on the rise, which researchers increasingly link to loss of diversity of microbes on and in our bodies….humans have co-evolved with microbes over millennia and we depend on them for healthy immune function.” She argues that childhood exposure to beneficial microbes is key.

McGurk quotes Canadian microbiologists, B.Brett Finlay and Maire-Claire Arrieta, in their book Let Them Eat Dirt: “As we continue to study the microbiota of humans, it is becoming clear that our exposure to microbes is most important when we’re kids. At the same time, modern lifestyles have made childhood much cleaner than ever before in human history, and this is taking a huge toll on our microbiota - and our lifelong health.”

Studies have shown that children growing up on farms have a lower risk of developing asthma and allergies, and in a study from the University of Helsinki, where researchers covered the yard of four daycares with forest floor vegetation, the children showed significantly increased diversity in their skin and gut microbiota, along with improved immune system regulation, with a month of the changes being introduced.

The author argues that, in addition, messy outdoor play engages multiple sense, providing “rich sensory experiences that support neurological development” and “invites creativity and open-ended play in a way that screens and structured games don’t”.

With the exception of sites such as industrial areas or some urban areas (with a disproportionate effect on low-income communities and communities of colour), the vast majority of soil microbes are harmless: “out of a the millions of species of microbes on the planet, only tiny fraction are known to cause disease in humans”. The author concludes, “the research suggests that we’ve gone overboard with cleanliness and that if we’re going to raise healthy and resilient kids, we need to make peace with a little mess”.

The Outside Play Lab, led by Dr. Mariana Brussoni, based at the UBC and BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, looks at the effect of outdoor play on children, the influence of adults (parents, caregivers, educators, and others) on children’s play opportunities, and the design of outdoor environments (play spaces, neighbourhoods) to support outdoor play, along with the enablers and policies to promote outdoor play. Their website provides toolkits for parents and educators.

The Parent Tool, designed for parents and caregivers, helps individuals develop skills and confidence that enables outdoor play for the children in their lives: https://www.outsideplay.org/tool-microsites/parent-tool

The Educator Tool, designed for Early Childhood Educators, gives support on risky play, risk management, and guides development of a plan for changing practice: https://www.outsideplay.org/tool-microsites/early-child-education-home

The Teacher Too, designed for elementary school teachers, offers valuable insights and practical resources that can help move learning outdoors: https://www.outsideplay.org/tool-microsites/teacher-tool

The site also outlines current research projects and upcoming presentations by the Outside Play Lab team, as well as resources including podcasts, infographics, documents, articles and radio interviews.